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Travelling from the UK to the USA with a criminal record

I had a tiny bit of magic mushroom from Amsterdam and they had no means of testing it for lsd so they let me go and sent me a letter saying no further action around 3 months later. I'm hoping it didn't put me on some watch list at the airport though. Ah fuck it I'll never be going again after this I don't think. I'm going with my 75 year old mum so I hope she doesn't get turned away if I do. Shes filling in my esta I just wish she'd hurry up and get it done and then I know. I think if I'm on a list they'll deny the esta and that will be that.
 
Although the letter did say if I ever landed myself in court the incident would be brought up. I don't have a criminal record but my ex boyfriend was a police officer and before the drug incident he pnc'd me and said he could see all the arrests. I had a fun 3 years back in 09 to 11. What's the worst they can do? Probably send my mum home would be the worst because she just wants to visit her old friend before she dies. I think as long as they don't pnc me then it should be fine.
 
I was looking at the previous post's, and was looking to tick the no boxes, just a question to ask.
as i was in the process of filling out a ds-160 form, got to the end of the form but never sent the application form away would that be flagged up also i sent for a acro certificate, but now i am considering ticking the no questions on the esta form, would that be the best choice
 
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loumm79 said:
wahooooooooooo i posted back on page 24 guess what me and my partner just got back from a fab two weeks at Disney world florida. thanks for the push to avoid the visa!!!!
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in case anyone was wondering i have a conviction from 1999. its still on record as i work with children and have a three yearly crb check also my partner has convictions. we both ticked no on esta as they wernt drugs or what we consider moral whatssit. we went threw fine.
 
mate of mine has just returned to the states with no problems. 10 yrs ago he jumped bail in Texas (serving liquor to a minor and some other non serious stuff). in uk has various minor convictions - bit of possession and a minor assault. he is now paranoid they only let him back in so he could be shipped to Texas but passed though immigration in LA fine
 
Hi- thank you for the reply
I am still unsure because i filled out the ds 160 form but never submitted it or signed the form, that they will have information that i have put on the form
 
loumm79 said:
in case anyone was wondering i have a conviction from 1999. its still on record as i work with children and have a three yearly crb check also my partner has convictions. we both ticked no on esta as they wernt drugs or what we consider moral whatssit. we went threw fine.
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You are lucky the grammar police didn't stop you!
 
Ok. I am on hols in Santa Cruz and can give you the benefit if my experiences entering and add something that no one has yet mentioned.

I applied for and was successful with an ESTA, this despite having a common assault conviction in last 5 years. I did not lie on ESTA form as I was advised my crime was not one of moral turpitude, but was still concerned I may not get in.

No worries tho, I sailed through without any hassle.

Good news is this tho. The queues at immigration were so long that once the queue for US citizens had died down the officials were allowing anyone with a visa to go through the U.S. citizen aisles. Once everyone with visas had been pulled from the queue, and this is the good bit, they then invited anyone with any previous U.S. Immigration stamp in their passport to go this route too, as if entering previously the checks would have been done. So for all the doom mangers on here who say that you should apply for visas and stuff I think my experience shows that if anything, there is a more lenient approach being taken at the border than previously.
 
i got arrested 13 years ago with my friend who had drugs in the car I got arrested and cautioned and released and have never been in trouble since will I be ok with the esta or will I need go London embassider? I'm going police station see 1st if it's still on my record or if it's gone off worried in case it's still their. Please help thanks.
 
Help15 said:
i got arrested 13 years ago with my friend who had drugs in the car I got arrested and cautioned and released and have never been in trouble since will I be ok with the esta or will I need go London embassider? I'm going police station see 1st if it's still on my record or if it's gone off worried in case it's still their. Please help thanks.
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Save yourself the trip to the police station, just answer no to everything on ESTA application, go and enjoy yourself and don't worry.
 
Help15 said:
i got arrested 13 years ago with my friend who had drugs in the car I got arrested and cautioned and released and have never been in trouble since will I be ok with the esta or will I need go London embassider? I'm going police station see 1st if it's still on my record or if it's gone off worried in case it's still their. Please help thanks.
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You would help yourself best by actually reading the thread!
 
5t3IIa said:
Not quite - you can clear US customs at Shannon http://www.shannonairport.ie/gns/business/aviation-development/us-preclearance-facility.aspx So, yeah if they reject you it's not another bum-numbing flight over the Atlantic, but I'm not sure they are any less thorough than at JFK, for example. Don't think Shannon is a shed next to a pavement anymore.
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As posted by me earlier this option to use domestic terminals was being offered to ANYONE who has previously cleared US immigration and had a stamp in passport to prove it when I arrived last week, due to the long queues!
 
1927 said:
As posted by me earlier this option to use domestic terminals was being offered to ANYONE who has previously cleared US immigration and had a stamp in passport to prove it when I arrived last week, due to the long queues!
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I don't read every post in this thread :mad: I only have one life.
 
dirtyleeds said:
Right here is the info for all real people who are travelling to the USA, and can finally dismiss the scaremongering trolls on here.

I have travelled to Florida twice in the past 2 years. last year was me my wife and little girl. this year with the addition of my youngest son whos 19. Last year I filled in the ESTA form online and after answering about 6 questions no, no,no,no, just whipped through them all.

I 100% genuinley forgot about the criminal record bit as I was last in trouble maybe 20 years ago, Im now 51. So last year I flew into USA not even giving it a second thought, as far as I was concerened I was 100% legit, all the ESTA's bounced back "accepted " immediately when I filled them in online, we sailed through immigration, I gave them my fingerprint and had my photo took, no problem straight through.

SO!! this year we went back and decided to take my youngest son whos 19. He lives in S Wales we live in the North Of England. he mentioned about the Moral Turpitude question on the Esta application and said he was worried about his conviction (will explain later), and I swear!!! it was only at that point I read the esta apllication properly and my heart sank. He wouldnt be able to go. And I had allready paid for the full monty for the four of us.

Right!! his conviction, he was taken to court last year for selling fake/counterfeit CDs on ebay, I will not make groveling apologies for his behaviour or condone it, he bought about 60 from a boot sale over a space of 2 years, actually thinking they were all real, long story short , he had been buying fakes, clearout for new flat screen, sold to wrong punter, complaint, reported, raid, all his PC, computer, PS3, mobile phone, confiscated, court, first time offence, pleaded guilty, grovelling apology. didnt get a solicitor, as thought small fine/smacked legs. £4,000 fine plus costs, and labeled with 6 counts of FRAUD. unfuckingbelievable.

Now after spending 7k on a nice holiday I wanted some assurances that he was going to get in. went and spent best part of £400 with a solicitor to investigate what they could look into upon our arrival at immigration, I had spent 2 weeks trawling every website possible including USA's homeland security, immigration, I read every page of this thread, and a zillion others, Anyway. the USA DO NOT HOLD INFORMATION OF OUR CRIMINAL RECORDS, AND NEITHER DO ANYONE ELSE. This is a cast iron guranteed fact.

They can request information from our records. at the disrection of the issuing authority back here in the UK. meaning if you were stopped for carrying something you shouldnt, you were stopped for a driving violation, or arrested for any sort of disorder, drunkenness. THEN AND ONLY THEN could they request any further information about you. They take every fingerprint and photo of everyone entering the USA for THIER RECORDS ONLY, it is simply for immigration control only and will show all your movements in and out of the USA, overstayers, regular travellers atc.
So with this new info I filled his esta application in, and clicked the button, in a nano second it went "application accepted" and off we went.

This time I was shitting myself as I was worried about my own record from 20 years ago, but kept telling myself all would be ok as we had been there the year before, again we flew through immigration and have now been home a week, where I promised myself I would write a long boring explanation/post. about this whole situation, as I was really worried about it before I travelled.

I also had the cheek because thats what I am like, to quiz the immigration officials on the way back when we were leaving, about how good was thier system of detecting "people from the UK who had told little porkies on thier Esta applications" I even teased him with "I know people who have done it and come here" his reply!! " as long as they are not drug barons, murderers or terrorists, WE CANT REALLY CHECK".

He also added that the Esta is mainly to deter the undesirables from coming and getting people to openly admit and make seperate applications through thier embassy. which is another tale completly, and should you go down that route you will have no chance at all, and once refused you will allways be refused. The only time they will approve through that route is if its through a company that will have business links with the USA, or be of benefit financially, security or politicly to the USA.

Sorry the post is so long but after shitting myself for weeks after I paid my dollars out. I made sure I got to the bottom of it and post it up for the real people who were in the same situation. I think there is a lot of shite posted on this thread by scaremongers who have never even been.
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Thank you for this post, it has been VERY interesting adding as I am currently in a similar situation (see my recent post on this thread) my thoughts now lead me to wonder if anything has changed since you wrote this
 
Lam7 said:
Hi, just wondering what happened to twelvetreesb and his problem with the visa application before the waiver? I am in a similar situation in that I have submitted the DS 160 form to begin the visa application process, however now believe that was a mistake as an ESTA would gave been sufficient.

Does anyone know where the information goes? Would it be linked to the passport on arrival in the US?

Thanks for any help!
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What happened with yours in the end?? We have done the same here.. Would love to hear if anything happened?
 
I am thinking of travelling to Canada, but they now have a ETA form which has to be completed. This has a tick box yes/no question regarding criminal convictions. I have a conviction from 2005 which is now spent over here. From what I've read if you admit to the offence it could take ages before they grant or reject your application. Would the same advice of ticking no apply here as well?
 
tim1858 said:
I am thinking of travelling to Canada, but they now have a ETA form which has to be completed. This has a tick box yes/no question regarding criminal convictions. I have a conviction from 2005 which is now spent over here. From what I've read if you admit to the offence it could take ages before they grant or reject your application. Would the same advice of ticking no apply here as well?
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i was recently in canada and didn't fill anything in - just turned up and was let in. and more importantly out.
 
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