usa visa

[lammy]

do you know what type of criminal records are accepted into the us as my partner has a record for driving with no licence or insurance and i have booked for florida next year. thanx

[kempie]

Under United States visa law people who have been arrested are not eligible to travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP); they are required to apply for visas before traveling. If the arrest resulted in a conviction, the individual may require a special restricted visa in order to travel. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to United States visa law. Therefore, even travelers with a spent conviction are not eligible to travel visa free; they must apply for visas.

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/ add_crime.html

[mushroom25]

the back of an i-94w form is here - http://206.241.31.142/ImageCache/cgov/content/ travel/id_5fvisa/i94w_5fback_5fhires_2egif/v1/ i94w_5fback_5fhires.gif

you need to be able to answer "no" to all the questions, and question B is the one that concerns you.

for a definition of "moral turpitude", see http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ moral+turpitude

[Buenchico]

(Multi-part post):

As Kempie states, your partner is required to apply for a visa to enter the USA. Each application is treated individually but I doubt that there would be any problems (apart from the usual time, cost and inconvenience issues) in obtaining a visa.

Kempie has provided the relevant link but finding all the information you need on the US embassy site can be rather difficult. Here's what your partner should do:

1. Complete the electronic visa application form, DS156. Print it out, sign and date it:
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/ electronic.html

2. If your partner is male and between 16 and 45 years of age, he should download the additional form, DS157. Print it out and complete it:
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/77 69.pdf

3. Download the Police National Computer Subject Access form. Complete it and send it to your local police force. Await arrival of the information:
http://www.met.police.uk/dataprotection/forms/ 3019b_rev.pdf

[Buenchico]

4. Get hold of a passport photograph, meeting these requirements:
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/ photo.html

5. Phone [phone] to make an appointment to attend the US embassy for interview (Calls are charged at �1.20 per minute from landlines, possibly more from mobiles. Lines are open 0800-2000 from Monday to Friday and 0900-1600 on Saturdays). When your partner phones he/she should have a credit card and his'her passport to hand. (NB: It must be a credit card. Debit cards are not accepted). Your partner will be given a date and time for the interview and probably asked to pay the $100 application fee. (This is a trial payment scheme. If he/she is not asked to take part, they'll have to wait until he/she attends for interview. He/she will then collect a form from the embassy and take it, with payment, to a nearby bank).

6. Attend the US embassy, in London, for an interview. Your partner should take his/her passport and all of the paperwork referred to in paragraphs 1 to 4, above. Also take 'evidence of sufficient funds to cover all expenses while in the United States' and evidence of some 'ties' with the UK. (i.e. evidence that he/she is likely to return here, such as proof of employment, property ownership, etc).

[Buenchico]

7. While at the embassy, pay an additional �10 charge to purchase a pre-paid envelope for the return of the passport (by courier). This payment can be made in cash or by either debit or credit card. According to the embassy wesite, the interview process takes 'two to three hours' but several contributors to AB have suggested that it would be wiser to allow for most of a working day.

8. Wait to hear the outcome of the visa application. Note that the US embassy website quotes a MINIMUM time of 14-16 weeks for the process. Allowing additional time to get hold of the information from your local police force, plus the time waiting for your interview appointment, means that it would be wisest to allow AT LEAST 5 MONTHS from start to finish.

NB: From the date of the interview until your partner hears the result of the application, your partner's passport will be held by the US authorities. This means that your partner will effectively be barred from travelling outside of the UK for several months. Don't schedule the interview in the months prior to an overseas holiday!

Chris

[Buenchico]

Just a post script:

I've noticed that, for some strange reason, AB hasn't highlighted the ends of the links above. To get them to work, just copy the whole link and paste it into your browser's address bar.

Chris