Help! Immigration Advice
Jan 9th 2002, 8:49 am
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 4
I'm really starting to despair and some help and advice would be nice. I am putting the final stages to accepting a job in the US to teach in a university. However, my past is coming back to haunt me.
I'm 33 now. In my 20s, while a student, I went through quite a bad time emotionally, and found myself arrested three times for being in the wrong place at the wrong time: once for 'soliciting' and twice for 'gross indecency', i.e. being caught with another male in secluded cruising areas. These were minor offences and were dealt with by the way of small fines. They are all spent convictions bar the last one, which was four years ago. Since then I have had counselling, and I have put all this behind me and moved on, changing my lifestyle and coming to terms with myself.
The problem is that I now have to obtain a H1B. I'm not sure what they require, but I believe a police certificate may be one of the essentials. I don't know what to do, as on one level these offences are not serious: they are not crimes of violence or drugs. Should I simply not reveal them in my application, or would that be a serious mistake? The problem is that I obviously don't want to be refused entry. Furthermore, this involves questions related to my sexuality. My employers do not require any information about previous offences, but would they have to find out via immigration if I come clean? This is unfair, as I have worked hard to make a career for myself, and if my employer found out I was gay and had these minor transgressions, then I would probably lose my job.
I am a law-abiding citizen, and as you can imagine, I am very, very distressed about this whole situation. If anyone can offer me any advice, it would be gratefully received.
I'm 33 now. In my 20s, while a student, I went through quite a bad time emotionally, and found myself arrested three times for being in the wrong place at the wrong time: once for 'soliciting' and twice for 'gross indecency', i.e. being caught with another male in secluded cruising areas. These were minor offences and were dealt with by the way of small fines. They are all spent convictions bar the last one, which was four years ago. Since then I have had counselling, and I have put all this behind me and moved on, changing my lifestyle and coming to terms with myself.
The problem is that I now have to obtain a H1B. I'm not sure what they require, but I believe a police certificate may be one of the essentials. I don't know what to do, as on one level these offences are not serious: they are not crimes of violence or drugs. Should I simply not reveal them in my application, or would that be a serious mistake? The problem is that I obviously don't want to be refused entry. Furthermore, this involves questions related to my sexuality. My employers do not require any information about previous offences, but would they have to find out via immigration if I come clean? This is unfair, as I have worked hard to make a career for myself, and if my employer found out I was gay and had these minor transgressions, then I would probably lose my job.
I am a law-abiding citizen, and as you can imagine, I am very, very distressed about this whole situation. If anyone can offer me any advice, it would be gratefully received.
