Travelling from the UK to the USA with a criminal record

[Pickman's model]

I think it starts officially next March. I know they share records with the USA, but I'm not sure if they do with the UK.

go before march then.

next.

 

[tim1858]

go before march then.

next.

You are such a wit! Well that's probably half right.

 

[Pickman's model]

You are such a wit! Well that's probably half right.

pisspoor.

 

[tim1858]

Grow up.

 

[Pickman's model]

Grow up.

i would rather stay a child and keep my self-respect if being an adult means being like you.

 

[tim1858]

i would rather stay a child and keep my self-respect if being an adult means being like you.

Oh dear, what a pompous, self important prick you are!!!

 

[Supine]

Be helpful please people.

if this thread was deleted would google stop sending people here with the same question? Just curious.

 

[Pickman's model]

Oh dear, what a pompous, self important prick you are!!!

maybe so. but still less pompous, less self-important, and less of a prick than you.

 

[tim1858]

maybe so. but still less pompous, less self-important, and less of a prick than you.

I hoped to get serious replies and not puerile comments. You chose reply with sarcasm which is not very helpful. If I could travel before March then I obviously would.

 

[Spymaster]

I think it starts officially next March. I know they share records with the USA, but I'm not sure if they do with the UK.

The US and Canadians have swapped places regarding this.

Whilst the US have loosened up the criteria on ESTA, the Canadians are introducing the eTA program requiring disclosure to: "Have you ever committed, been arrested for, been charged with or convicted of any criminal offence in any country?"

This is far more draconian than the US ESTA which only requires a response to certain offences.

Unless Trudeau fucks it off, Canada gets a lot more difficult to visit legally for a lot of people from March.

 

[Pickman's model]

I hoped to get serious replies and not puerile comments. You chose reply with sarcasm which is not very helpful. If I could travel before March then I obviously would.

you got serious replies. two of them. and being as you said fuck all about not travelling before march in your initial post you got the best reply there was with the information you provided. then you decided to be arsy and the rest is history.

 

[ddraig]

I hoped to get serious replies and not puerile comments. You chose reply with sarcasm which is not very helpful. If I could travel before March then I obviously would.

Shush now while you can

 

[tim1858]

The US and Canadians have swapped places regarding this.

Whilst the US have loosened up the criteria on ESTA, the Canadians are introducing the eTA program requiring disclosure to: "Have you ever committed, been arrested for, been charged with or convicted of any criminal offence in any country?"

This is far more draconian than the US ESTA which only requires a response to certain offences.

Unless Trudeau fucks it off, Canada gets a lot more difficult to visit legally for a lot of people from March.

That's the impression I got too. This was introduced by Harper presumably, Trudeau's just been elected.

 

[editor]

if this thread was deleted would google stop sending people here with the same question? Just curious.

People can just ignore the thread if it causes such pain for them.

 

[Pickman's model]

People can just ignore the thread if it causes such pain for them.

what i find surprising is that it's been such a hardy perennial.

 

[ddraig]

lots of people thinking their situation is unique, or hoping
and wanting others to make the decision for them!

 

[Pickman's model]

lots of people thinking their situation is unique, or hoping
and wanting others to make the decision for them!

lazy fuckers

 

[ruffneck23]

Just go for it , it's what I did 3 weeks ago and had the time of my life ( in the US )

If you don't take risks in life you will lose
out

 

[1%er]

Maybe if this was reposted every time people would read it, taken from the quote below: The Home Office does not hold a copy of any agreement by which information on the Police National Computer (or other criminal conviction related information) is shared with the United States

No foreign government or agency's have automatic access to the UK police national computer. There is a department with-in the home office that will supply foreign law enforcement agency's with information from the PNC if certain criteria is met (in some cases this can be done via Interpol).

I suspect that if a screen-shot was taken of the FBI reading information from the UK PNC, that information was supplied by the department I mention above.

Some countries do have people working in their foreign embassies who collect information on court cases reported in the press. You as an individual can also buy this information from "clippings companies", These companies go through the national and local press and provide cutting of stories about the information you have paid for.

FoI response

The Home Office does not hold a copy of any agreement by which information on the Police National Computer (or other criminal conviction related information) is shared with the United States. We are however aware of the general process by which information is shared. In deciding to release the information we have considered that the public interest in relations to the exemptions set out in Section 31(1)(a) [the prevention and detection of crime and 31(1)(b) [the apprehension and prosecution of offenders] of the Freedom of Information Act falls in favour of providing the information.

The public interest reason in favour of withholding the information is to make sure that that those who have committed crimes or who have otherwise come to the attention of the law enforcement authorities in each country are not aware that information is shared between the United States and the United Kingdom. The Public Interest Test arguments in favour of disclosure are that it is important for members of the public to be aware that information is shared between the two countries. By doing this the public can be re-assured that criminals are not able to escape justice by moving country, or be committing crimes in a country that is not that of their nationality. In this case the public interest argument in favour of withholding the information is outweighed by the arguments in favour of releasing the information.

The United States authorities do not have routine access to criminal record information held on the Police National Computer nor is the Police Certificate Process routine access to the PNC by the American Authorities. The Police Certificate arrangements are with the individual applicants who may or may not choose to subsequently share the content of the certificate with the US authorities. Further information on the ACRO Police Certificate Process can be found on the ACRO website at The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and on the application form page of the same website at http://www.acpo.police.uk/Certificates/Application Form 8.doc

The United States authorities are able to seek details of any criminal convictions held on the Police National Computer on an individual request basis through Interpol channels.

Criminal conviction information on US Nationals who have been convicted of offences in England and Wales is extracted from the Police National Computer and sent, via Interpol channels to the United States in cases where there are fingerprints available and when the conviction is for imprisonment for 12 months or more or the offence is against national security or where sharing would be in the interests of public protection."

 

[Pickman's model]

Maybe if this was reposted every time people would read it

maybe

 

[1%er]

maybe

Lazy people will learn the hard way, if they ever learn at all

 

[jigabba]

Hi all.
I have been reading loads of posts on here and am feeling a bit overwhelmed! Basically the situation is that my partner and I havea 5 day trip to NY coming up for my 30th birthday (very excited!) We have applied for our ETSAs and have been approved etc. Now, my partner has remembered that waaaay back when as a teenager (probably about 12/13 years ago now) he WAS arrested and caught with lots of class A drugs. Was taken to the station and put in a cell for a couple of hours and then he was let go - no conviction, no nothing. Apparently something to do with them not going by the proper procedure or something like that, so he basically got off scott free with no record (or so he remembers).
Should this be cause for concern at all?! He's 99% sure he doesn't have a criminal record, and he certainly never got summoned to court or threatened with court or anything (no conviction). On the ETSA (which I did for both of us) I ticked no to everything. Should we just tick No on the green form on the plane as well... I mean, we don't have any other options really!
Feeling ill at the thought of being turned away when we get there. It would be devastating, and whats more, my family know nothing about his long lost past with drugs, and it would be just mortifying.
I keep reading about finger print scanners - does everyone who enters the USA have to have their fingers scanned then? I never knew this... what if his prints show up?!

 

[ddraig]

you'll be fine
no conviction, nothing to put on the form, nothing to declare, nothing to worry about

 

[ruffneck23]

As said above you will be fine unless you look shifty...

 

[jigabba]

That's sort of put my mind at ease. But now I've researched all this is going to be hard not to be nervous when walking through!! Basically am I correct in thinking that if you've not flagged anything up on your visa waiver by checking no to everything, there is literally no way that they can tell you've lied UNLESS you're extremely unlucky and get 'spot checked' at customs? (Which is rare, right?) and even then if you just say no to everything then surely that's the end of it, they won't bother checking unless they seriously have reason to believe you're lying...

 

[Pickman's model]

That's sort of put my mind at ease. But now I've researched all this is going to be hard not to be nervous when walking through!! Basically am I correct in thinking that if you've not flagged anything up on your visa waiver by checking no to everything, there is literally no way that they can tell you've lied UNLESS you're extremely unlucky and get 'spot checked' at customs? (Which is rare, right?) and even then if you just say no to everything then surely that's the end of it, they won't bother checking unless they seriously have reason to believe you're lying...

now that so many enemy combatants have left guantanamo they are repopulating the camp with people who thought to travel to the usa with a criminal record.

 

[ruffneck23]

That's sort of put my mind at ease. But now I've researched all this is going to be hard not to be nervous when walking through!! Basically am I correct in thinking that if you've not flagged anything up on your visa waiver by checking no to everything, there is literally no way that they can tell you've lied UNLESS you're extremely unlucky and get 'spot checked' at customs? (Which is rare, right?) and even then if you just say no to everything then surely that's the end of it, they won't bother checking unless they seriously have reason to believe you're lying...

just keep cool, youl prbably be knackered from the flight anyways an a bit disorientated , when i went through i was dressed fairly smartly and it was a reall painless process, including te fnger print scan

 

[DaveCinzano]

Have a cheeky one-skinner in the toilets before you touch down to calm your nerves

 

[nogojones]

Hi all.
I have been reading loads of posts on here and am feeling a bit overwhelmed! Basically the situation is that my partner and I havea 5 day trip to NY coming up for my 30th birthday (very excited!) We have applied for our ETSAs and have been approved etc. Now, my partner has remembered that waaaay back when as a teenager (probably about 12/13 years ago now) he WAS arrested and caught with lots of class A drugs. Was taken to the station and put in a cell for a couple of hours and then he was let go - no conviction, no nothing. Apparently something to do with them not going by the proper procedure or something like that, so he basically got off scott free with no record (or so he remembers).
Should this be cause for concern at all?! He's 99% sure he doesn't have a criminal record, and he certainly never got summoned to court or threatened with court or anything (no conviction). On the ETSA (which I did for both of us) I ticked no to everything. Should we just tick No on the green form on the plane as well... I mean, we don't have any other options really!
Feeling ill at the thought of being turned away when we get there. It would be devastating, and whats more, my family know nothing about his long lost past with drugs, and it would be just mortifying.
I keep reading about finger print scanners - does everyone who enters the USA have to have their fingers scanned then? I never knew this... what if his prints show up?!

You'll be fine

But what I want to know is where did all them drugs go?

 

[DaveCinzano]

You'll be fine

But what I want to know is where did all them drugs go?