Police issue after esta completed

[Oh Toodles]

Daft question time. What would happen if they didn't admit to the caution ( for the Esta ) and just went?
Would the whole party be denied entry, or just the son?
Would it then cost them to be sent back to the UK?

[joblot]

Originally Posted by Oh Toodles

Daft question time. What would happen if they didn't admit to the caution ( for the Esta ) and just went?
Would the whole party be denied entry, or just the son?
Would it then cost them to be sent back to the UK?

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The U.S Govt would not know, they do not have access to the Police National Computer (PNC).

[Persnicketty]

Originally Posted by Oh Toodles

Daft question time. What would happen if they didn't admit to the caution ( for the Esta ) and just went?

See more...

It's an awful predicament and if it were me, I'd force the young person involved to read this entire thread and ponder the pain he/she has caused their family over one silly bad decision.

Some of us have a more flexible approach to often-unfair rules or laws than others. But even we want the best for young family members. So setting the right example matters.

The bigger dilemma facing the OP ..or any of us in that situation... is, just because their family member could almost certainly get away with entering the USA on a false ESTA declaration, what sort of message does that send from the family to the young person involved?

Becoming complicit in a dishonest act to avoid the consequences of the first mistake? How does that help?

Good luck OP. If it were me, I'd force the person to apply for a VISA and live with the outcome. Tough love, I know.

[bighal]

I wouldn't have even mentioned it. I know people who lied on their ESTAs and had no problem going to the US, they have even been several times on the same ESTA. Not saying I agree with it though.

Must admit I've never seen anything that says you need to reapply/inform them if convicted etc on the ESTA site...

[mickchick]

It is never a good idea to ask the border people or homeland security of the American embassy for guidance, because they will all say you should apply for a visa, no matter what the circumstances. It is their default response. That's why it is best not to ask them. The US government takes any drug offence very seriously, no matter what class of narcotics is involved and even though in this case it ended up as a youth caution, it is enough to raise concern. If you do apply for a visa, it certainly will take months and will involve a lot of expense - a medical screening and drug tests will be needed and these will be very expensive, and add to the waiting time. You and only you can decide whether to confess all, in spite of knowing that the immigration people have no access to police records here and therefore cannot possibly know that a caution is in effect.

[aladdin]

I just want to point out that my brother lied on his visa after being told that he would be fine to just 'lie, they don't have access to anything' this year and was stopped at security and then deported back here and banned from travel within the US for a set amount of time. He was caught vandalising a garage when we was 17 and caused criminal damage. So a small crime in the grand scheme of things but because he didn't declare it and got caught somehow he can no longer accompany us on holidays. It's really not worth the risk. Just apply for the visa.