Does having a misdemeanor on my criminal record affect chances of getting a Australian/NZ Visa?

Question

Long Story Short: I'm a graduate student looking to move to Australia for work from the USA. During my first year of graduate school, I fell into being "in the wrong place at the wrong time" and was detained for "Intoxicated in Public". Me, not knowing any better to get a lawyer to get it off my record, just paid the fine to get it over with and moved on with my life.

To put this in scope, this is my first encounter with Police and have never been in trouble. So this is the only thing on my record now. Specifically I would be interested in a work Visa, and obviously anyone looking into getting a visa is required to provide a "certificate of good conduct"

Reading Up on this, an Intoxicated in public arrest is a misdemeanor everywhere except Alaska.

Also would I have to provide a FBI Records check, or could I provide a local/state police report?

Answer 1

The specific good character requirements for Australia indicate that you will be disqualified if

you have a substantial criminal record, meaning you have been sentenced to 12 months or more in prison, or multiple sentences that add up to more than 24 months in prison. A suspended sentence is considered a prison sentence.

Since you only paid a fine, this does not disqualify you, but you still should disclose it.

You must declare all recorded offences to us. If you do not declare an offence and we become aware of this it might have a negative impact on your application.

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The page linked above also gives links to how to get the required police certificates for each country. For the United States, you are directed to get both an FBI records check and a records check from the state police of the state you live in.