Reviving this thread for a minute since this might be useful searchable info.
Last year I applied for and received a working holiday visa from New Zealand. After three months on the North Island, I came back to the USA for the summer and spent most of it having a pretty sweet time riding trains here and in Canada.
I got pulled off and ticketed in Hauser, and skipped town. Misdemenor warrent issued. Few months later, I flew to New Zealand with no issues; since I already had a visa, all they did was a normal passport scan and nothing came up.
Two weeks ago, however, with my visa running out, I applied for an extension. There is a background check implied on the form. It asks about criminal history, and if you are facing charges in any country or wanted for questioning. I checked "no", but also wrote some bullshit about an unpaid ticket for riding public transit without proof of fare, since the charge is pretty ambiguously worded.
Today I was approved for the extension, no problem. Going to Mongolia soon also so we'll see what happens there. Probably nothing, since its a visa issued upon arrival.
The real test would be to apply for Australia working holiday visa, but I'll probably just go to court before that rather then risk losing the $400 fee if its denied.
