Travelling to US with a criminal record in the UK

ajvirtue, have you read this thread in its entirety?

Cheers,
Terry

Hi Terry,
I have read some of it, but not the entire thread from beginning to end. I will do so, and if I have any more questions I will come back.
Thanks

Hi again Terry,
Sorry to be a pain, but there is so much information it can be a little overwhelming. You mentioned that DUI is a minor offence and there shouldn't be a problem. However another person said that if you have two convictions then the answer is a definite NO.
What do you think?

UPDATE:at around July I posted concerning my brother

he got arrested for a minor offence and was due to go to court, He didnt accept a caution and decided to fight it out in court. I wrote on here that he was due to go to america prior to the court date .

Upon reflection he decided not to go to america.

Thankfully the CPS decided to drop the case as they felt they didnt have a chance of winning the case; so my brother didnt have to go through a trial. No trial conviction or caution.

Now here lies the dilema

he travels alot with work and they are due to go to New york next month- because he is working he still has to apply for a visa at the embassy and go for an interview.

Although he wasnt convicted or cautioned and the case was dropped he was still ARRESTED ..

Its easy to lie on the waiver form- but he has to go for an interview... but if he doesnt declare his arrest at the interview what are the chances of them looking at the PNC seeing his record ? Does the embassy in London have easy access to the database as opposed to being at the airport in america?

He has applied for a police certificate and it says no cautions- convictions or reprimands- Nothing on the arrest.

Any advise?

[ Edit: Edited on 09-Dec-2011, at 08:09 by Randywood303 ]

Can I just give anyone that is reading this thread my experience . After reading all your posts in the last 8 months after applying for a esta and finding out that if you answered the questions truthfully you prob not get in to the us . Yes I was arrested yes I had my fingerprints nd DNA taken but was not convicted. I had been worried for 8 mounths thinking would the send me back on the next flight . The form tht you fill in on the plane is a joke . Have you worked on a farm and even have you been in contact with soil and snails ?when you get to the airport yes I was bricking it . Y you get fingerprinted and eyes photographed , the only thing the immigration officer asked was where you where staying and how long for. Thnkyou very much you are in. So my advice to anybody worried about going to the us is do it And don't worry about it . We flow into JFK . Hope thi helps people like the previous post have helped me . Unless you are on the FBI wanted list they don't want to know . I think the esta is just a money making racket.

Magpie,
Thank you for your post. It basically back up what 'Cheers Terry' likes to say: READ POST #22!! The UK has not shared it database with US Immigration. Unless you have committed a serious crime, your record is not on their computer. I hope ESTA is making money, we are running huge deficits!

Maybe this thread can finally die now...

Cheers,
Terry

but what about the embassy in London? do they have direct access to the PNC?

No one has answered that question and post 22 does not address that !

Personally, I don't see where 'letting this thread die now' helps anyone. Yes, there have been 106 posts but better that than 50 new threads all asking the same/similar questions and getting the same/similar answers. At least this one can be referenced back to particular replies. Chances are, the next person to post a new thread about the US and a criminal record will receive responses directing them to here.

Seriously Terry, I'm not purposefully targeting your response. I just feel one thread with a lot of replies on the issue is better than a bunch of sporadic ones that end up being repetitive in nature. Yes, it will still happen, but less often.

What I meant Isadora is that 99% of the queries are really straightforward and really simple: Basically, your criminal record from anywhere except Canada is a non-issue.

When I said I hope the thread dies I meant I hope the same questions that get asked over and over and over again finally stop. This thread has done its job and only needs to exist as a reference tool.

Randy @ #106: When you mention an Embassy please specify which one you're referring to. Also, don't use an acronym... many people won't know that PNC means Police National Computer.

Cheers,
Terry