Holland, MI Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

Charge is not a conviction; if the charges were dropped, USCIS cannot be use them as basis for deportation. That's the law. Nevertheless, at minimum, you will be given a hard time answering all sorts of questions about that episode. Chances are that USCIS will claim that, even though you were not convicted, your arrest record puts in question your "good moral character". Since only the events of the 10 years immediately preceding the date of the application are considered, you might want to postpone filing your naturalization application until after the 10th anniversary of the date when the charges against you were dropped.

The landlords are not required to accept anyone, be it a US citizen or an immigrant. It is up to a landlord to determine what they are comfortable with. The apartment complexes usually have their procedures in place, they do a background check and employment history. Some private home owners may be satisfied with a less rigorous check. But if they are smart, they will want to make sure that your friend can afford the rent. No one wants to have to evict a tenant if she does not pay rent. But if a person does not have any income, my guess is, she will have a hard time finding a landlord who will agree to rent her a place (and take a risk that she will run out of money and will not pay). Of course, she can agree to pre-pay several months of her rent, and that might make a landlord more comfortable, but there is no requirement that a landlord must accept a green card holder regardless of whether she is working or not.