You must apply for an ESTA online to enter the USA after 12 Jan 2009

vivatifosi

dragonthoughts wrote: »

I suspect that this is an attempt at discrimination against people from developing countries, where only a very small percentage of people have access to the internet and have English as either a first or second language.

I don't think so, the scheme isn't available to developing countries anyway - they would need a full visa. ESTAs are available to the same countries as visa waiver, plus a few others - mostly the new EU members from Eastern Europe, plus Korea. The website is also accessible in 14 different languages.

The_Guv

We flew only a couple of weeks ago and were requested by Continental to fill out the form online before we flew, (the form also asks for the address where you are staying for the first night).

However despite submitting the information, we were still asked by Continental for address details in the USA at check in AND had to fill out the green I94 on the plane.

On arrival at Newark after a long wait we were asked again where we were staying before having the four fingers from each hand and two thumbs electronically finger printed and photographed a statutoiry obligation applicable to everyone.

This is enough to make you think you are entering a very frightened and paranoid country.

We were only staying one night before flying onwards to the Caribbean so on return at Miami had to go through the whole fingerprinting and photograph process again!!!!!!!!!!! aarrrggghhhh

Another thing if you are going remember to take a TSA padlock, these are padlocks that can be opened by security if they don't like your bag and then be repadlocked. For some bizarre reason my bag was opened, was it re-secured with the padlock, no just a cable tie !!.

Now I read of the US Embassy's reply to those that are not online, it really is laughable.

Lex555

ThreeNineThreeFive wrote: »

http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpandadvice/exoffenders/disclosure/

How long are my records kept on the Police National Computer?


Minor convictions from over 10 years ago are usually wiped from the Police National Computer (PNC). However, if you have been convicted of three or more crimes they can be kept on the PNC for 20 years.
The PNC record will be kept for life if you have been given prison sentences of six months or more, or if you were convicted of sexual crimes, violence, or serious drug crimes. For further info about wiping records, contact the NACRO Resettlement Helpline on 020 7840 6464.

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act doesn't apply to the US Government when they ask the question though, so convictions need to be disclosed. If the conviction isn't shown on PNC I can't think how they'd find out about it mind you...

Surely they would use the Criminal Records Burea to find out information about convictions as that is where it is kept. I thought the PNC computer just held intellgence information + information on arrests, cautions, vehicles and adresses of those who've come in contact with the police before? I would like to know just which databases are checked though and what information the US authorities, or whoever grants the VW's have access to.

I was actually arrested a few years ago on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice. However I wasn't guilty, there was no evidence, and i wasn't even charged or cautioned! But does it still say anyone who has ever been arrested has to apply for a visa and can't travel under the VWP? Surely this cant be so literal? I presumed it meant those who were actually guilty or given a caution etc? Also, i have traffic offence convictions which i had to attend court for, well chose to attend court for in some cases, mainly for speeding (several times), failing to identify the driver of a vehicle, (another 3 point offence which went to court but was dealt with in my absence), and another incident over 5 years ago (which i wasn't technically guilty of but thats another story, and i pleaded guilty), which involved offences of (i) Failing to stop at the scene of an accident, (ii) Driving without due care and attention, & (iii) Failing to report an accident. I had to attend court for these and the sentence was up to 6 months in prisonment, but i was given the minimum sentence, 5 points on my licence. Don't know if any of those come under "moral turpitude", or whether it has to be a criminal offence of moral turpitude, not traffic, to count. I also had to attend court for a driving disqualification under the totting up procedure. All the points would have expired from my licence by now though and the record of disqualification will expire next year.

I have never been cautioned or charged and have never been convicted of a criminal offence. Nor have i ever been sent to prison although technically i gather you could be sent to prison for a non criminal offence, and technically not have a criminal record? lol. Anyway, would i be eligable for the VWP and if so do i need to even bother mentioning any of that?

dzug1

dragonthoughts wrote: »

It will also act as a barrier to people who do not read and write (US) English fluently, so prejudices against less educated foreigners.

I suspect that this is an attempt at discrimination against people from developing countries, where only a very small percentage of people have access to the internet and have English as either a first or second language.

No - the web form is available in 15 languages


And people from developing countries are not eligible for the visa waiver - they have to get visas so it makes no difference to them.

dzug1

Lex555 wrote: »

But does it still say anyone who has ever been arrested has to apply for a visa and can't travel under the VWP? ?

No the ESTA website doesn't say that, because (despite the US London Embassy saying it) it's not true - it's crimes of moral turpitude (and a few other categories) that it mentions. None of yours sound like that to me - so you are eligible.

Candice-Marie

How do travellers buy tickets to the US in the first place? If it's online then clearly you can make an ESTA application, and if it's with a travel agent then they can make the application for you.

Am I missing a trick here? I do think it's bad when people who aren't online are disadvantaged, but I'm just not sure that this is an example of that?

And while I'm being a bit of a grouch :rolleyes: , when I did my application a couple of months ago, I thought the website clearly stated that anyone travelling before the changeover day would still have to do the green form...

Just me then!

chris5rules

title says it all...

it works on everything else, just not chrome.

It says:
This web page is not available.

The web page at null might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address.

More information on this error
Below is the original error message

Error 320 (net::ERR_INVALID_RESPONSE): Unknown error.

Anyone know why?

Maybe its just my pc... tell me if so...

Nyquist

dzug1 wrote: »

No - the system for you is unchanged. You still complete the white card and do not have to fill in the online form

I also have a visa and was wondering about this myself. thanks for the clarification

Nyquist

dzug1 wrote: »

Your brother was probably misled.


I don't see what the criminal record sheet has to do with it - as far as the US is concerned there is no time limit. They will still want to know about relevant crimes even if committed 60 years ago. OK they will probably ignore them, but they want to know.

It's worse that that. they want to know if you've ever been ARRESTED even if mistakenly and were not charged or cautioned and you'd done nothing wrong. my advice would be to just tick no to every question - even if it's not true. just my advice

Nyquist

dzug1 wrote: »

You could have problems if you still have the green one you were given last year. If you didn't turn it in when you left you will be on their books as still in the US and an overstayer.

If you still have it say so and I'll look up the procedure for getting things put right.

I'm sorry but this is not my experience. I travel to the states with work half a dozen times a year. When leaving the states the green paper return form is sometimes collected and sometimes they just leave it in there.

Once i even lost my green paper somewhere between chicago and NYC and when I came to leave the states no one said anything about it. On another occasion when entering the states the customs officer looked at my passport and found an old paper still there from last time. He looked at it briefly gave me a new one (so i now had two in my passport) and let me in to the country.

They don't really seem to care about the paper in the passport. even if they do say they do on their websites.

happy flying