visa- criminal record

[royplumber]

please can anyone help im meant to be fyling out with a friend to florida the end of the month for 2 weeks flydrive break we both have criminal records ive got 1 for violence and thefts my mate for burgalry ive not been in trouble since i became a born again christian 15 years ago
My mate has been out of trouble for 7 years
i didnt realise i needed a visa for having criminal record for that long ago
please can anybody help with information and maybe give me a list of options

[msnsad]

[sandrac]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by royplumber
please can anyone help im meant to be fyling out with a friend to florida the end of the month for 2 weeks flydrive break we both have criminal records ive got 1 for violence and thefts my mate for burgalry ive not been in trouble since i became a born again christian 15 years ago
My mate has been out of trouble for 7 years
i didnt realise i needed a visa for having criminal record for that long ago
please can anybody help with information and maybe give me a list of options

[msnsad]
[/quote]Moderator can I reply to this on the forum, this is quite serious for these people, or would you like me to pm him.

Sandrac

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Feel free to reply Sandra ... your advice is always appreciated [msnsmile]

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

You both need to apply for a B2 visa and visit the US Embassy in London for an interview. You could risk travelling but the immigration in the US will refuse you entry if they see your criminal records.

There are a good few postings in the Ask The Experts part of the forum on the very topic you mention - have a dig round - there is some very helpful advice around [msnsmile].

[sandrac]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by royplumber
please can anyone help im meant to be fyling out with a friend to florida the end of the month for 2 weeks flydrive break we both have criminal records ive got 1 for violence and thefts my mate for burgalry ive not been in trouble since i became a born again christian 15 years ago
My mate has been out of trouble for 7 years
i didnt realise i needed a visa for having criminal record for that long ago
please can anybody help with information and maybe give me a list of options

[msnsad]
[/quote]Hello royplumber

There are several things you can still do, I wonder how long ago you booked your tickets. Your travel agent should have made you aware of the situations regarding passports and visas. We have been telling our passengers for nearly a year now about these restricrions and regulations, and how long it takes to get a visa.

If you can pm me I will give you some more details of what I think you should be doing. You definately must apply for a visa, but it does take a while probably longer than you have at them moment.

Sandra Colbourne

[royplumber]

sandra im not sure if it was you who said pm me or sandrac
but anyway i only booked the holiday 4 weeks ago and i asked about visa but she said you didnt need 1 with red passport but its 15 years ago since myself has been in trouble i didnt really think i needed a visa ive been using this forum for 4 weeks now and just came across a topic from a gentlman
Who done somthing very minor almost 20 years ago and still needed a visa so i thought i'd need maybe to just try and get on plane as a person who didnt know he needed a passport because that was the truth

[royplumber]

floridadreamvilla.co.uk

Does that mean ill have to goto europe

[royplumber]

what i mean was try and get on plane as it's a waste of time trying to get visa because i wont get 1 due to the serouiness of the crimes as im sure id have to tell them of my past (usa emmbassy) ive got nothing to loss because it seams as though ive lost at evey point im really thankfull for your reply's it's all helpfull many thanks
ill try and get hoilday put back but looks like ive lost

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I don't think you can assume you will not get a VISA but I would certainly be doing something now - at least guve the embassy a call and see what they say.

[blott]

There are some links on this thread to the US Embassy and also some other info about your situation http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3532

[Southsider]

How would they know if you had a criminal record anyway? how can they check?

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

They share information with the law enforcement agencies in other countries...amongst other things.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Southsider

How would they know if you had a criminal record anyway? how can they check?
[/quote]

[royplumber]

I will ring london emmbassey monday morning but i think ill have to take the risk with my mate

1, ive only got 3 weeks left

2, i dont think i'll get me money back of the hoilday

3, emmbassey have been porcessing in about 4- 11 weeks

4, most they can do i put me in gwantanamo villa's not as good as floridadreamvilla's i'm sure. Florida sure does look beautifull and would love to go there would it take a mirical

[chrizzy100]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by royplumber
I will ring london emmbassey monday morning but i think ill have to take the risk with my mate

1, ive only got 3 weeks left

2, i dont think i'll get me money back of the hoilday

3, emmbassey have been porcessing in about 4- 11 weeks

4, most they can do i put me in gwantanamo villa's not as good as floridadreamvilla's i'm sure. Florida sure does look beautifull and would love to go there would it take a mirical
[/quote]

Just hope they don't deport you ......:(

[phaedra]

I'm afraid that if you are refused entry you won't be put anywhere, you'll be put on the next available flight back to the UK. There is no appeals proceedure, no right to contact the UK embassy or redress to legal assistance, their decision is final.

I have loads of clients who ask me about this very thing (in my lawyer capacity not anything else!) could you please let me know whether you managed to get through immigation? 1 client has 2 drug convictions from 13 years ago I dont think they stand a chance although they got through 5 years ago

[amy]

It will depend how old they where when they got the conviction, where they a juvenille or adult, if the later they will need to apply fpr a visa at the US embassey.

[florida4sun]

Theyt can definately check and can go way back.....

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Southsider

How would they know if you had a criminal record anyway? how can they check?
[/quote]

[blott]

It doesn't matter how long ago it was, the visa regulations stipulate that anyone who has been arrested (even those that haven't been convicted) must apply for a visitors' visa and cannot use the visa waiver scheme.

[royplumber]

Well we tried to get me money of holiday and hire car with no result.
for u all out there who wanted to no if i got in to the county or not will need to pm me !

[royplumber]

I just thought i'd let you all what happend as messages have been left.
we decided not to go to emmbassy because we only had 4 weeks left (with our record's there is no way they would let us in) couldn't cancel the holiday would not give us the money back.
what i didnt tell you all was. I felt the lord telling me to go and take me old mate ive been out of trouble for 12 years when i worked it out properly.Since i became a christian.
15 plus years ago I punched my girlfriends brother in the face but i had a glass in my hand at time
and went to jail for it he only pressed charges cos he wanted money

My mate who i took is a drug addict and got loads of form i took him and he had methodone on him in his bag from the rehab centre he attends two weeks worth. I tell you i was not 2 happy he's got tatto's (union jack tattoed on his hand and ive got em all over me hands too) so we gets to the airport security is very tight but we got through passport boarded and set off. got to orlando then we were tired sick and didnt know if we'd get past passport control my mate filled in the passport waver form in 6 times before he got it right there was no people left they'd all gone he asked me what my job was and what i was doin here i said on vacation then let us through bingo i didnt feel i was lieying on visa waver because as my convictions in uk are spent and if he said out i'd of said i didnt know cos i didnt when i first booked hoilday but traveling nine hours and getting told to go back to uk i was hateing. We got in i belive it was a miracle but even better my friend is into jesus now and he nicked my bible and is working really hard on removing his addiction from his life so i say God bless america co's blessed me so much the moral of the story is get a visa if you can just like the expert's on here encourage you all so thanks for all the possitive help because most of the christians i know told me to not go God Bless hope you don't have to endure all i did better still don't get into trouble (by the way 1,600 miles around florida in a sebring was bliss have a nice hoilday !!!!!!!!

[steph_goodrum]

I'm glad you had a good holiday Roy but travelling in your situation without a visa was a big risk and not one any of us would recommend to anybody else in your situation.
It just goes to prove the inadequacies of the US immigration system that you and your friend were allowed in and especially as your friend was also carrying methadone with him. Even with a doctors certificate I don't think it would have been legal.
The reason I find it so frustrating that you were allowed entry is that a friend of ours who had lost his mother (who he had lived with alone since his father died) and nan within a week of each other a few weeks before Christmas (this was even pre 9/11 before security was supposed to be increased), a week later he was made redundant so as you can imagine was feeling pretty low and decided to spend 3 months in Atlanta with his aunts family before looking for a new job. He had no criminal record, not even driving convictions, but because he had a ticket for 3 months, had no mortgage on his flat and no job the immigration officer decided there was a risk he might try to look for work and overstay his visa. Non of which was his intention he just wanted to get his head together before he looked for a new job as he knew he wouldnt have the opportunity to have 3 months for a while.
He was kept in detention and put back on the next plane to UK, and it was not a pleasant experience. His first visa application was refused costin ghim even more money (apparently this is quite common if you have been refused entry - to "teach you a lesson" for trying to get past the rules - none of which he did) but the next was approved ok.
I'm glad you and hopefully your friend are trying to get your lives back on track but I hope other people do not follow your example and just take a chance rather than following procedure as another person may not find the same experience as you.