Has my son blown his chances?

whatajoke2

USAVirgin wrote: »

Thanks also WAJ, when I read the link above, I think I got lost after the first paragraph

Basically its saying as hes under 18 he will have no problem getting a visa.

He may still get a visa in 5 weeks

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/wait_4788.html?post=London&x=49&y=20

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/wait_4788.html?post=Belfast&x=74&y=16

ferf1223

whatajoke2 wrote: »

Basically its saying as hes under 18 he will have no problem getting a visa.

Ifthis particular incident is the only reason he would potentially be denied a visa.

martindow

whatajoke2 wrote: »

He may still get a visa in 5 weeks

Is this optimistic? I've no direct experience of this but in other threads it seems to take months rather than weeks.

Voyager2002

Some posters have gone to the US mission in Belfast, where visa applications are processed more rapidly than in London.

whatajoke2

martindow wrote: »

Is this optimistic? I've no direct experience of this but in other threads it seems to take months rather than weeks.

Check the links above for waiting times. Its the processing time thats the killer, sometimes it comes back in 3 or 4 days, sometimes not. Actual application itself shouldn't be a problem. Its September, so the summer rush is over.

The holdup would be getting the required documents from ACPO (2 to 10 day turnaround depending how much you want to spend for a 70pence piece of paper that this private company charge £35 or £70 for). 7 days for the interview, 3 or 4 days turnaround on the passport, 3 or 4 days to get the passport back to you.

Possible, but a very tense (and costly) time for those involved.

Although all the above relies on the fact that the case is now closed and hes not due to attend court at any time soon..

USAVirgin

whatajoke2 wrote: »

Check the links above for waiting times. Its the processing time thats the killer, sometimes it comes back in 3 or 4 days, sometimes not. Actual application itself shouldn't be a problem. Its September, so the summer rush is over.

The holdup would be getting the required documents from ACPO (2 to 10 day turnaround depending how much you want to spend for a 70pence piece of paper that this private company charge £35 or £70 for). 7 days for the interview, 3 or 4 days turnaround on the passport, 3 or 4 days to get the passport back to you.

Possible, but a very tense (and costly) time for those involved.

Although all the above relies on the fact that the case is now closed and hes not due to attend court at any time soon..

Unfortunately he is waiting for a court date, so assume that there is no point applying for a Visa. We are hoping that he will get a final warning, as he had a caution last year for letting his mate borrow his scooter when his mate didn't have any insurance to ride it!!!!

I just hope that he is learning from these lessons and how it will have a massive impact on his life in the future.

Many thanks for all of your help, and the links attached. I really do appreciate it and now know that for sure he can't come on this holiday, but in the future when he is older (and hopefully wiser!) he could apply for a visa and still get to the States if he wants to.

CountryGoose

If this is his first appearance in the Youth Court, and he has the sense to plead guilty promptly if he did do it, the chances are he will come out with a referral order. If he completes the order, the matter is immediately counted as spent for most purposes (not US Visas, though).

More here: http://www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb/yjs/SentencesOrdersandAgreements/ReferralOrder/

His caution for allowing use of the scooter should also be declared in the Visa Application in future.

USAVirgin

CountryGoose wrote: »

If this is his first appearance in the Youth Court, and he has the sense to plead guilty promptly if he did do it, the chances are he will come out with a referral order. If he completes the order, the matter is immediately counted as spent for most purposes (not US Visas, though).

His caution for allowing use of the scooter should also be declared in the Visa Application in future.

Many thanks for the link Country Goose and what we can at least expect him to receive. Have been advised not to get a solicitor involved until we have the Court Summons.

Does that mean though that he could still apply for a visa in the future if he does get a Referral Order?

Sorry to ask so many questions, but this is all new to me, both in terms of going to USA on holiday and a son who has now been the wrong side of the law.

dizzybuff

If hes waiting for a court date , how much cannabis was he in possesion of .

Under UK law ( Im presuming your in the uk) Cannabis possession has 3 stages for juvenilles - they will be arrested

Cannabis street warning
PND and then Court .

You say he has a caution is this as a juvenille. If it is for letting an unlicenced driver borrow his sc0oter , It shouldnt really have been an issue.

Did he admit to having the cannabis on him . Has he been in possesion of cannabis before?

Unless there were other circumstances he isnt disclosing to you , Im surprised he wasnt given a street warning.

USAVirgin

dizzybuff wrote: »

If hes waiting for a court date , how much cannabis was he in possesion of .

Under UK law ( Im presuming your in the uk) Cannabis possession has 3 stages for juvenilles - they will be arrested

Cannabis street warning
PND and then Court .

You say he has a caution is this as a juvenille. If it is for letting an unlicenced driver borrow his sc0oter , It shouldnt really have been an issue.

Did he admit to having the cannabis on him . Has he been in possesion of cannabis before?

Unless there were other circumstances he isnt disclosing to you , Im surprised he wasnt given a street warning.

They said that he couldn't have a street warning because of his previous caution so had to arrest him and even though the CPS have said to give him a final warning, the Sargent is insisting that it goes to Court. We do not know why he has insisted on this and thought the CPS had the final say, but it appears that a Court Summons has to be served.

He is not hiding anything from us as the police officer came to our house and explained the situation. We are very puzzled by the situation ourselves.

He has never been caught with cannabis before (this is the first time) and had minimal amount on him. It was enough just to put in a rollie with some tobacco. As he was only 16 at the time I had to be present for the interview and saw the amount in the bag that they took off him at the time.

Can I just ask what does PND stand for?