Chris edwards1

Hi guys,

I'll give a brief background and see if anyone can help or advice.

My grandmother passed away last Nov and left everything she had to my father.

Unbeknown to me her dieing wish was that my father took my family on holiday to Disney.

When my father finally got his inheritance first thing he did was to book the holiday and pay for it in full.

He came to me in Feb and said this is what he had done and that we needed to get passports for myself, my partner and our 3 children.

This we did, and then we were told when we get our passorts to apply for ESTA's.

Now because I had convictions I found I had to apply for a B2 tourism Visa, which I did and had my interview yesterday.

After the initial handing in the forms and taking finger prints i waited another 30 mins or so where i was called to a different window.

The lady behind the counter asked me a few more questions like, what is the purpose of the visit, how long etc and asked about my convictions 13 years ago, to which i replied silly mistakes and being in with "the wrong crowd".

She then passed me a letter saying they could not issue me with a visa because i have been found ineligable for admission under section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) : crimes involving moral turpitude. And that i could get a waiver of ineligibility for 1 year.

I tried to ask what this meant but was met with "We'll contact you by E-mail" and it would take 6 months (by this time the next person called to the window was stood behind me so i couldn't ask anymore questions).

Now this is where I confussed, They know when my holiday is booked as it was in the application, does this mean I will have to get my dad to cancel the holiday as its booked for July 31st 2015.

I cant seem to find any info if i can fast track the application for a fee, as this will probably be the one and only holiday we can take our children on (we cant afford a 3 week all inclusive holiday with all the extras that my dad has booked).

It's just devistating as about 9 years ago i visited the USA and had no problems getting in as i just filled in a form on the plane if i remember and spent 3 weeks travelling around with my father and unlce (before i met my partner and had kids).

I'd understand if i was recently in trouble with the police but i haven't, I have a full time job where i have been for 7 years, I have a mortgage to pay and a family to support so im not looking at overstaying my welcome over there, I just want to take my kids to disney.

Hope someone can help with what all this means and what i can do other than wait and pray it comes in time.

Also the last date the holiday can be cancelled is 9th May is there any other "Visa/Waiver" i can apply for jsut for the 3 weeks?

Hope someone can help.

Nutmegger

Check out this thread. It may give you the info you need. But I think you will need to postpone the holiday.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/us-im...cation-713051/

ian-mstm

No - it means only that you won't be going with them.


You can't fast track the application. It will take anywhere from 24-30 weeks to get approval on the waiver... which is to say, it'll take that long for your file to get to the top of the pile because there are already a lot of people ahead of you also waiting for approval.


This suggests you deliberately lied when completing the green I-94W.


This is all in your favor, and suggests that the waiver will be approved. Unfortunately, it will not be approved in time.


No.

Ian

scrubbedexpat099

Do you not need Passport info to book a holiday involving international flights?

Did you father not know about your past indiscretions?

Chris edwards1

No. Booked with Thompson and they never asked for a passport number - Even my dad had to renew his passport and he booked/paid for the holiday.

He does but as we had no problem before getting in he didn't think to check.

And i only found out i needed a visa when applying for an ESTA through Virgin Atlantic.

Nutmegger

Look at it this way -- it will give you the opportunity to rebook at a better time of year. You are all going to wilt trailing around Disney in the heat and humidity of August in Florida!

materialcontroller

Break the news to your dad that either you won't be joining everyone else on the planned holiday or he has to cancel the trip and reschedule for a later date once you've received your visa.

scrubbedexpat099

Do not book anything until you have a visa in your passport.

Guindalf

This - golden rule on this board!

July is about the worst time to visit Florida anyway as it's so hot and families usually are miserable.

As already stated, you need to tell your Dad that you won't be going so he can either cancel or make plans without you (I suspect the latter, although I don't know what the cancellation policy/penalty would be).

S Folinsky

In reading OP's post, the letter "s" kept popping out to me -- the plural for convictions. The "petty offense exception" applies to only a single offense. If I had been the consular officer, I would not have been impressed with OP describing his offenses as "silly." I would not have minded the use of "silly" in the description of his younger self in the sense of "I was young and stupid." I think the "wrong crowd" is a good thing perhaps it is accompanied by "I no longer hang out with those people, it would be stupid to do so." The idea is to show some remorse for the younger self and redeeming one's self.

username.exe

The other alternative is visiting Disney in Paris, Hong Kong or Tokyo. All really fantastic places to visit, too.

Best of luck whatever you decide.