You can often still visit New Zealand, Australia, and the USA with a criminal record, but it depends heavily on the type of offence, sentence, and how recent it is. Each country has its own rules, and they vary quite a bit.

Here’s a clear breakdown:

🇳🇿 New Zealand

You may be allowed in, but they assess “good character.”

Usually OK (lower risk)

Minor offences
Old convictions
No prison sentence or short, long-past sentence

Higher risk – if it involved assault + restraining order)

Violent offences (assault)
Court sentence (community service counts)
Domestic violence or restraining order cases

Key rules:

You can be refused if:

You had 12+ months prison sentence in last 10 years, OR
Serious concerns about character (violence is taken seriously)

➡️ You might still be allowed via a character waiver, but it’s not automatic.

🇦🇺 Australia

Australia is strict, but more structured.

You may be refused if:

You have a substantial criminal record, meaning:
- 12+ months imprisonment (total or single sentence)

Even without prison:

Immigration can still refuse entry if they believe you are not of “good character”
Violent offences + restraining orders are taken seriously

Good news:

Many people with convictions still get visitor visas approved
Especially if:
- The offence is old
- You’ve had no further trouble
- You can show rehabilitation

🇺🇸 USA

The USA is the strictest of the three.

Key issue: “Crimes involving moral turpitude (CIMT)”

This includes:

Assault (depending on severity)
Domestic violence-related offences
Certain restraining order breaches

Possible outcomes:

You may need a visa (not ESTA)
You could be refused entry
Or you may be allowed with a waiver (rare and complicated)

Important:

Even one assault conviction can cause problems at the US border.

🧭 Simple summary

Country	Can you still visit?	Risk level with assault + restraining order
New Zealand	Yes, sometimes	Medium–High
Australia	Yes, often	Medium
USA	Sometimes, harder	High

⚠️ The most important rule for all three

You MUST:

Declare the conviction honestly
Provide documents if asked
Never hide it (this causes automatic refusal)

👍 Real-world reality (important)

A single, non-prison, older conviction → often still OK for NZ/AU
A violent offence + restraining order → more scrutiny, especially for NZ and USA
Time passed + clean record since → makes a huge difference