Getting hired at big companies with a criminal history and h1b
My cousin has an h1b visa. He wants to switch jobs and he was able to get offers from both Facebook and Google (in the bay). Yay! He got a copy of his background check where, expectedly, his past convictions show up. It doesn't seem like there's anything significant. He has various small violations from different states (during his masters years). The three most severe violations are two "driving with a suspended license" violations and a summary offense conviction for harassment (he got into a dispute with his partner at the time and the police were nearby, though the background check doesn't have this level of detail) that he served two or three days of jailtime for, all from 2014 or 2015. Even though he has offers, he's now worried that they will revoke. I tell him that they probably won't given that the things on his record happened 3 years ago and he's already been working at another big respectable software company for around 2 years where presumably they also ran this same background check. What's the right advice? Should he reach out to his recruiter? Should he just wait it out? Do people with this sort of criminal history get their offers revoked? Thanks for any advice in advance.
Yay.
He can petition court asking for sealing of the records citing employment as the reason. He should consult a good defense lawyer but three convictions is BAD.
Couldn’t reply to your comment so posting a new comment. What do you mean by “only one real conviction “ ? There is no such thing, every conviction will show up if it is not sealed/expunged or sufficient time has not elapsed(varies from state to state). I am not sure but driving above speed limit or jumping a signal comes under traffic violations( also known as infractions) but driving with suspended license comes under Criminal category. In any case, your friend should consult a good defense lawyer in the county where it happened and try to seal these records. With convictions like this, he will have problems renting apartment, applying for mortgage loan and etc.. It is not easy to lead a normal life with criminal background.
Thank you for the reply. He drove with a suspended license because he had no other way to get to school. The limit on his conviction records are 7 years for those states, but proactively sealing them seems like a good thing to consider. Might be too late for this particular offer since the background check has already run.
Why did his license get suspended?
Yikes! Explain to your cousin we ain’t in India any more. Why can’t he respect the law?
A friend of mine had a dui on his record. When they did the background check he was called by his manager and he asked what had happened he explained it and he got the job. Three of them sounds tricky, but I don’t know how relaxed are companies. Just wait and find out.
I would be scared on how he is going to get a green card or citizenship though.
Please post your and your cousin's TCYOE?
Harassment with jail time would probably be a no go for me. Probably the driving on a suspended license too — it indicates repeated disregard for consequences. Masters students are fully formed adults, no leeway from me there.
Agree. Maybe he got unlucky with harrassment thing, Why would you drive with a suspended license? It shows a clear attitude problem and lack of responsibility
did he get the offer in the end?
Any updates here?
It’s up to company regulations. But your advice seems right.