# Has anyone ever been caught after ticking "no" to drugs related UK criminal record on US visa form?



## Benedictg (Aug 11, 2014)

Or know of anyone who has ever been rumbled? Excluding those who have any kind of US or Canadian conviction, or who have at some point in the past intentionally or inadvertently made US immigration aware (e.g. abortive or rejected visa application).

Apologies if there's already a thread like this, I've seen a lot of threads on the subject on the forums and seen the many informed and rational arguments as to why it will almost certainly be absolutely fine as the US doesn't have routine access to UK criminal records, and many many examples of people who have indeed been absolutely fine. The threads are extremely long though and I've not waded through all of them to see if anyone had any counter-examples!

Also if anyone knows of any legal changes or operational changes that might mean that the US now has access to more information than it used to that would be of interest, I've seen some recent freedom of information requests (e.g. here) that suggest there haven't been any changes and that the UK does only share on a by exception / specific request basis, and the direction the EU is taking on data & privacy suggests that the UK would be unlikely to start sharing more, but keen to hear any expert input from anyone here who may be aware of something else.


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## 1927 (Aug 11, 2014)

Bagsy the pop corn and deck chair concession!


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## bmd (Aug 11, 2014)

Paging Pogofish


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## Manter (Aug 11, 2014)

Oh god, the thread that won't die is now breeding


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## ddraig (Aug 11, 2014)

fill yer boots!
http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...e-uk-to-the-usa-with-a-criminal-record.88652/
yeeeehaaaa


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## pogofish (Aug 11, 2014)

Benedictg said:


> Apologies if there's already a thread like this,



What, maybe like this one?

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...e-uk-to-the-usa-with-a-criminal-record.88652/


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## Benedictg (Aug 11, 2014)

Thanks, I know you're all heartily sick of this, I have read a number of pages of numerous threads on the subject, including the one posted. 

In my (probably flimsy) defense though, I am just trying to flush out any counter-examples where people have lied and got busted if they exist rather than wading through the 100+ pages of various monster threads to check that there aren't any (not only is it tedious work but there's also a huge amount of panic from various posters that I'm finding it hard not to respond to even though they're generally lacking in substance or demonstrably misinformed)

Anyway - even if you are sick to absolute death of threads of this type and would quite like to see me locked up after a thorough orifice rummaging by the fat, hairy fingers of an angry US border agent just for the crime of posting another thread of this type, I would be massively (if undeservedly) grateful for either any known examples of people getting rumbled or any confirmations from those who have lived through the many, many threads to date that they haven't ever seen a real example of someone getting caught


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## ddraig (Aug 11, 2014)

have a look at the last 5 to 10 pages


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## Benedictg (Aug 12, 2014)

Thanks ddraig, I did see waziname's story but that seemed to be relatively unusual one and unless I misunderstood it she was impacted by the type of crime (vaguely political in nature) and having applied for a proper visa rather than just a tourist visit.

Is that the only one or have you seen any others? A lot of the comments just refer to extremely low likelihoods of getting caught, which suggests (if I'm in a paranoid panic anyway) that there may be a small but not non-existent number of people who have been caught.


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## ddraig (Aug 12, 2014)

haven't read a report of anyone getting done afaicr, unless they're in gitmo and can't get to the computer


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## Cpatain Rbubish (Aug 12, 2014)

I've entered the USA with multiple convictions without any problems. I've never declared them on my entry form. Once by air and once on the border from Canada.

Depending on where you're going I would recommend just rocking up at the border rather than a direct flight if possible. That way they've no time to delve iykwim. 

One thing thing to bear in mind is that they don't have any equivalent to spent  convictions in the USA so if you declare anything then you'd have to declare everything or you'd be refused entry just for not declaring them.


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## Benedictg (Aug 12, 2014)

Thanks both, I will aim not to fly via Gitmo but may struggle to do anything other than a flight given I'm UK based.


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## 8ball (Aug 12, 2014)

It's all trick questions on that form - answer no to everything.  Especially the Auschwitz one.


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## Cpatain Rbubish (Aug 12, 2014)

Like I said, if your destination is close to the Canadian border I would enter there, rent a car and drive over the border but IME their not that hot anyway.

The nature and severity of convictions you have bearing on it though.


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## Benedictg (Aug 12, 2014)

I have got an ESTA successfully for this trip (can't get the Australian equivalent any more as I did foolishly tell them) and have been through before with a long enough stopover that I went landside, but that was probably around 2003 or so. The convictions would make a waiver of ineligibility application / visa application a real pain but almost certainly won't be the kind of thing that the UK would ever consider actively sharing with the US and I'll be travelling with wife and baby girl and look fully respectable so shouldn't trigger any personal checks from them.


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## skyscraper101 (Aug 12, 2014)

I should mention this in the other thread for those that don't know, but you can get pre-clearance for travelling to America by starting at Dublin airport if you want to alleviate the fear of the long journey (and the long journey back).


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## Benedictg (Aug 12, 2014)

I had debated that! Might solve for the flight issues, but wouldn't unfortunately solve for the expensive and by that point non cancellable elements of the trip


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## Bahnhof Strasse (Aug 15, 2014)

.


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