A Public Service Announcement

I've been thinking of doing this for a while, and just this morning somebody came to my blog on a google search for "what is original evidence of disposition of arrest" -- so here goes, because when I searched for it I couldn't find it and it was so hard for me to figure out. I'm putting this up specifically so people who google it will find it. I hope it works.

For the purposes of the USCIS, original evidence of disposition of arrest (or just "disposition of arrest" or "certified or original disposition of arrest" or "certified disposition of arrest" -- I'm typing all these phrases in so google will find this page no matter which you search for) is a copy of the official file for the court case you were involved in. You get it from the courthouse where your trial was, you go to the Clerk Magistrate's office to get it. You tell the clerk it's for immigration and he or she will know what it is you need. You need to get it certified, and they should know this, but make sure you ask just to be sure. You need one for every case you've been involved in, so if you've been in different courthouses you need to go back to each one. They charge for the paperwork (here it's $2.50 per page, but I don't know if that is universal).

If you were arrested but never went to court, you have to get something from the police station, but I don't know about that. I do recommend you go down to the police station to figure it out, though, because when I called they just made something up to get me off the phone.

When you go to your USCIS appointment, there's a good chance they won't actually ask to see any of this paperwork after all, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't get it, just in case.