US Travel

[leedsfinest]

I am travelling to the US for holiday this May but i am unsure how i will enter as i have a criminal conviction which is now spent. I committed the offence (bomb hoax which was unplanned and I also confessed) when i was 16 which resulted in me being in custody for 2 months. I am now 24, I have finished University, a decent job and not had any offences since. Should i risk lying on the forms? Please help me!!

[lou 26]

Hi leedsfinest. I do know of 2 or 3 people in the same situation as you who have just gone to the states and braved it, said nothing, filled in the green visa waiver cards, and they have got into the states fine, no questions asked. But i suppose its whether you have the nerve or not. at the end of the day all they can do is refuse you entry into their country and send you home but its really up to you on whether you want to risk it or not.

[NORMANTHEDOG]

I would think that with a conviction like that on your record,that you will have NO chance of being let in,they do not reconise the fact that it is spent like us.i would apply for a visa and see,if you just fly and lie,i dont know,but you will be gutted if they turn you away.

[maggie01]

I believe I read somewhere that in America a criminal conviction is never spent. I wouldn't like to lie. I'd be too scared if they found out. Not sure how they would treat it.

[dzug]

They can not only send you home, but ban you from having a visa for many years to come.

The rules say that in cases like yours you must apply for a visa - allow plenty of time for this; I doubt if you would get one by May. Normally it takes 3 or 4 weeks but they say allow another 12-16 weeks in cases where there is a conviction to consider. (US law says you can't have a visa - so they have to apply back home for permission to ignore this law.)

If you lie on the form you may or may not get in. I don't know how much info they hold on UK criminal records. My guess is only the more serious cases, but you never know. If they are getting computer records from us then it's as easy to send the lot as to weed some out.

If you say yes on the form you certainly won't get in.

[leedsfinest]

Thanks everyone who responded to the question. I am in a really difficult situation now! If i lie on the forms, i run the risk of being deported and refused entry to the US on subsequent occasions. If i apply for the Visa, i also run the risk of not getting it in time for May or even worse, a refused Visa and also no chance of lying.

DOH!

[jon1968]

A friend of mine had a criminal record for drug possession - not dealing or anything, didn't declare it and was promptly thrown in a cage with loads of undesirables for 36 hours before being sent back home!! This was just after 9/11 and the septics were being a bit harsh on everyone though!
Oh how the rest of us laughed on the golf course !!
Hope this helps!

[Steve_Luts]

I'm not sure what 'help' you are wanting? I've read and re-read your question and just don't see why you are asking!

From the way I've interpreted it you made a FLIPPIN' BOMB HOAX, but "hey, its OK, I didn't plan it and I 'fessed up when it all got a bit serious"

So that makes it all fine and dandy does it? Done my time, spent conviction blah de blah de blah de blah - whatever!

Try this: Don't go round doing bomb hoaxes, getting found out and sent down, then wondering all coyly why Uncle Sam won't welcome you with open arms 8 years later!!!

Presumably one of the reasons they are so tough is that they don't want the kind of people who make "unplanned" bomb hoaxes just rolling into town for some well earned R&R? Them being trigger happy and all that.....

[rcl1]

dont know if you are still subscribed to this but for your own info i just got back from a short break in new york 2 weeks ago and they now take your finger prints and photo when you go through immigration, dont know when this was introduced but i didnt have to do it in 2003 so it is fairly recent, may now be in all states.

and to steve - did you never do anything stupid when you were 16?

[leedsfinest]

Thanks rcl for the info.

Regading Steve Luts' comment... It's quite simple really. He doesn't know much.