Re: Sauce for the goose?.
> Being a UK citizen we dont need a visa to enter the US
/pedant on
Actually, you do.
A visa is automatically created and granted in the visa systems, just because you didn't have to fill out any forms or see any specific paperwork, doesn't mean a visa hasn't been created and issued for you. Your entry and exit records will have a visa ID number associated with it. The Visa Waiver Program is not a waiver of having a visa for entry, it is a waiver on the standard visa application process.
/pedant off
The Visa Waiver Program is only applicable for certain types of less than 90-day visits. Therefore if you want to spend more than 90 days in the US or are travelling for one of the many non-applicable classes, then you need to apply for a visa.
And, note that this auto-allocated/granted visa only applies if you have an absolutely clean record. If you have ever been charged with anything, even if they were later dropped or the charges dismissed in court, you will need to go through the full visa application process. From the US embassies site:
We do not recommend that travelers who have been arrested, even if the arrest did not result in a criminal conviction, ..., attempt to travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to US visa law and spent convictions,regardless of when they occurred will have a bearing on a traveler’s eligibility for admission into the United States.
And:
Can you advise me if my arrest, caution, conviction will prevent me from traveling visa free and registering under ESTA?We cannot advise whether a traveler’s specific situation will have a bearing on their eligibility to travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program. Our advice is that if you have ever been arrested, cautioned or convicted you apply for a visa.
So that arrest for drunken and disorderly 30 years ago where you were released the next morning without charge - apply for visa.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
