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Refused U.S.A holiday visa

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megan07 | 13:10 Wed 07th Feb 2007 | Travel
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My partner has two minor motoring offences, So he applied for a visa from the American embassy in london. They refused him a visa as he was out of work and on sick pay. They said he had no strong ties to the U.K because he was on the sick. What i would like to know is.. Has anybody been refused because the U.S.A embassy stamped in big red letters (scanned) on the back of his passport. Could some one please tell me, Would the American airports be aware that they have scanned his passport in london?

First time user on a computer i apologise if i am slow at replying back to people, Just learning the ropes. But thankyou for any replys.
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What did they stamp and/or scan 'in big red letters' in his passport?

Irrespective of that, I'd fully expect that Immigration at port of entry in the US would know that you have been refused a visa. And if so, you'd be denied entry. In fact as you would have to provide Advance Passenger Information before departure, they would have flagged you up before you even arrive. If you were trying to sneak in on the Visa Waiver Scheme you'd had have to have lied on the form which asks if you have ever been denied a visa. In that case I'd expect at least a 10 year, if not life ban from visiting the US so it is a lousy idea.

The 'strong ties to the UK' is a bit of a box ticking exercise. If the applicant has no job, no home (owned) etc... the embassy staff will assume there is a risk the visitor might seek to remain in the US. What you need to do is prove otherwise.
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dear jonnogenie thank you for the advice i was thinking the same i think i just needed to hear from some one else what their opinion was lots of L U V megan07 thank you
The stamp on the back of the passport may or may not get noticed.

A bigger worry is if the London Embassy has entered the visa refusal in the database that US immigration will scan the passport against on arrival. I don't know for certain that they will have done so but it seems very likely. (The Visa Waiver application form asks if you have ever been refused a visa BTW so he could be in big trouble if they find out.)
why oh why go to the US embassy over 2 minor driving offences ? its too late now, but I have known pals with a lot worse than that [ but no drugs involved] who have sailed through by filling in the card on the aircraft.
Sometimes doing the "right thing" doesnt pay off, presumably you will never be able to go there now.
The only way round this would be to get a new passport, but his info has probably now been entered in their data base so its too late.
Mexico may be for your next hols ?
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Hello all thank you for your feedback i do appreciate it we just thought we should be honest but it did not get us anywhere i do agree with you guys we are at a loss what to do now because we had been asked over to the U S A by two friends who live there weare so frustrated i some times still cry about it i even sent aletter to tony blair and hi s secretary sent me a letter back to say they had passed it on to the foreign office but i did not hear nothing back from them but thank you all for geting back to me i do appreciate your advice lots of love to all megan07 thank you
presumably you will never be able to go there now.


No it's not forever. If at a future date he can demonstrate ties to the UK (a job, house maybe) he can apply again for a visa with a much higher chance of success.

He will be barred from the visa waiver scheme for as long as the rules are as they are now.
It sounds like you might be an unfortunate victim of the confusion over visa requirements.

The US embassy say you you must have a visa if you have ever been arrested for anything (charged or not).

The Visa Waiver Scheme ignores minor crimes, as long as they do not constitute moral turpitude (see other posts on this subject).

The sad irony is that on the face of it, you could have legitimately entered for a holiday on the Visa Waiver Scheme. But in applying for a visa (which would confer significantly greater rights to visit/stay in the US), your application failed on the 'close ties to the UK' requirement.

A tourism B1/B2 visa is valid for up to 10 years, and allows individual stays of up to 6 months at a time. Such a six month period can be extended to one year. You will find plenty of sites on the web detailing precisely how to get your Green card and residency, starting off with a B1/B2 and then extending it after 3 months in-country etc.

If I were you I'd write to the US embassy, and explain that you simply want to visit for a holiday. Ask them what you can present (given the circumstances) to establish in their eyes, that you intend to return. And ask them if it would be possible for them to issue you with a visa with restrictions on it such that you could not do whatever they apparently fear you might. Perhaps a single trip one month B1/B2 visa? I expect such a visa might still confer rights to extend though, so it might not be possible.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If the Visa Waiver scheme was not an option for anyone who had ever been arrested, I reckon the Florida Tourism industry would collapse overnight.

p.s. A new passport won't help. The US embassy took your fingerprints.
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Dear jonnogenie thank you for that bit of info like i said i do appreciate all the feedback you are all sending me iam going to wright to the U S A embassy just to see how we stand about reapplying for a visa well i will speak to you all later as i have the grandchildren coming soon and they keep me on the GO i hope you all have a good weekend lots of love to all megan07
You have grand-children in the UK. Well that is a 'close tie' in my book. Maybe you are active in helping out and taking care of them? Another tie. These are the kind of things you need to list to build your argument.

Incapacity benefit... you depend on it I assume. Presumably it is also no longer payable if you are out of the UK for a certain period of time? Do you own your home? If not presumably you couldn't go off to the US and maintain a rented home in the UK for ever and a day as well?

While writing to the embassy, I also think you should do some Googling on what kind of things 'Close ties' encompass, and trying to prove you meet the criteria as best you can.

Good luck, have a good weekend.
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Dear jonnogenie and all thank you for your reply iam a young active grandma ( mar-mar ) and i adore my grandchildren these are good points my partner and i do appreciate your advice we also have the support of are local MP jonnogenie would you or anyone ells know who would be the best person to wright to at the embassy my friends in the US also sent a letter of invitation to my partner so he could take that to the embassy UO their cartoon is finished and they are teasing the basset hound i must go enjoy the weekend lots of love megan07

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