visa's for new york if got criminal record???

mountainofdebt

I've had a quick look on at the US embassy website and thought this may be of use to you:

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/index.html

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

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

mountainofdebt

I also came across this...

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

tiffany925_2

i have just looked at the websites and it states

" a visa is issued by a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. A visa entitles the holder to travel to the United States and apply for admission; it does not guarantee entry. An immigration inspector at the port of entry determines the visa holder's eligibility for admission into the United States."

so even if I actually get allowed a visa there is no guarantee I can go to New York.

this is stupid I know it's my own fault (although I am a different person than when I was 18 and skint) but how many of terrorist/drug dealers etc have not actually got records they let them in willy nilly. surely most of their resources should go on searching people and cases etc (of which I would have no objection)

Sorry i am just venting cos i just dont know what way to do this.... do i worry up until and during the hol and take a chance or do i do the honest thing and apply for a visa (and even if I got it) be turned down when i get there

Alfie_E

tiffany925 wrote:

so even if I actually get allowed a visa there is no guarantee I can go to New York.

With a visa, you'd be no worse off than someone entering under the Visa Waiver Program. Apart from US citizens, no one has guaranteed entry to the US.

I need to point out the reference to people convicted of assault entering the US under the Visa Waiver Program is potentially misleading. The question on the I-94W Visa Waiver Form is, "Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offence or crime involving moral turpitude…?" If you see this Definition of Moral Turpitude, you'll see that simple assault isn't included there. So, someone convicted of assault could legitimately answer no to that part of the question, but someone convicted of cheque fraud has to answer yes. This information comes from the nice long thread Has Anyone Applied For A Us Visa Because They Have Been Arrested In The Past?.

Tiffany, if it's any consolation, at the same sort of age, Steven Fry did much worse, and spent three months in prison for credit card fraud. I don't think he's ever had any trouble in getting in to the US.

All the threads here and elsewhere suggest it's highly unlikely that you'd have a problem entering without a visa, but it looks like you're going to need to get one, to put your mind at rest.