Have i made a huge mistake?

[madtownguy 164]

That would suck if it does make a difference, in the U.S. you are a minor and there would be no record of it. I wish I committed more crimes when I was younger, damn my parents for teaching me to obey the law.

[JCV 5]

That would suck if it does make a difference, in the U.S. you are a minor and there would be no record of it. I wish I committed more crimes when I was younger, damn my parents for teaching me to obey the law.

I know, i hate British laws... it is ridiculous this is stressing me out as much as it is.

[Unidentified 2,930]

So, when i was 14 a group of friends i was with shoplifted make up in a store, and we all got taken back to the police station and arrested for 'group theft' despite not stealing anything i was with the wrong people at the wrong time. Anyway i have never thought much about it as it happened when i was a child and it was so...minor

Now... i have been on a j1 visa for 1 year and also on VWP a few times. i can't remember exactly, but most likely i didn't say i had a criminal record on the j1 visa. surely they do background checks so i would of got denied if it was on there? I am bit confused...

i haven't actually applied for a police cert yet, so i am not 100% it is even on there, but reading over posts i believe it is.

Now, will the 'crime' won't be an issue itself as i was a minor and my only time being in trouble, but now that i may have lied i am bit worried...

please any advice would be appreciated!

What did you do on your J1? I was on a J1 as an Au Pair and I remember having to send in police records to either just the company I worked for or the embassy. So they should have discovered it then if it was an issue?

[JCV 5]

What did you do on your J1? I was on a J1 as an Au Pair and I remember having to send in police records to either just the company I worked for or the embassy. So they should have discovered it then if it was an issue?

A business work placement for my degree, i didn't need to send any police records

[Unidentified 2,930]

A business work placement for my degree, i didn't need to send any police records

Oh, okay.

[Danielle and Jake 24]

I'm only going by what I know from Canada's laws regarding this,

but if you were a minor while this happened should you not be forgiven of the charges now that you're in your adult years?

[MissPearls 38]

So, I had a charge from when I was a minor, and I just received my police check back a few days ago, and it's clean. Anything prior to your 18th birthday should be hidden away and you should be fine.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

So, I had a charge from when I was a minor, and I just received my police check back a few days ago, and it's clean. Anything prior to your 18th birthday should be hidden away and you should be fine.

For US immigration purposes, when they say "have you ever...they mean EVER in your whole life, even prior to your 18th birthday. For the OP, a UK police certificate will say "no live trace" if something is hidden...meaning it is no longer "live" but a record exists. The Embassy in London will know there is a hidden record by looking at the police certificate and will want documentation on the hidden offense. They send people away from the interview to order the record and submit it. The actual offense will not cause a denial, but the embassy in London will want the whole record before they approve.

He says his worry is that the visa interviewer will dig into his past visa and use of VWP. His choice to worry if he wants to I suppose. Or he can order a police certificate and find out if he actually has a record or if it says "no trace" which means he was never charged.

[raven52 233]

I do not think you will have a problem. It seems like a very minor item. Just explain it, just as you have here and the reasons for your answers.

To me, you did some thing very minor, I seriously doubt there is any record of such a thing. Especially you being a minor. That record if there was one, is probably gone.

You seem honest, and forth coming, good luck you will be fine.

[Jawaree 717]

Our neighbor son stole a DVD on camera at Walmarts 14 yrs old

he's now 19 they have asked him about it when he traveled, and CBP

told him its not a prob he was a minor but he or his parents should get it

expunged..... (my thoughts) he was not born in the US, so maybe that will

prevent him going to secondary everytime he travels, he works nothing came up

[JCV 5]

Thanks for all the responses. I seem to discover a new thing to stress about every month! I will order all details of the potential record and simply explain that I did not believe anything was even on it. I have heard people have been denied because of misinterpretation, however it doesn't say what crime they committed and I am sure it was something abit more serious than mine that someone wouldn't simply forget. I also believe that if I was to AOS that this would be more of an issue. So this definitely isn't an option for me anymore, of course we considered it like everyone else and so lucky that we didn't do it now!

[JCV 5]

Wondering if anyone can help? Received the documents back - i was never convicted (phew) i received a reprimand, which is a verbal warning. Anyway, i still shoyld have ticked yes to ever being arrested on the J1 form, i was ok on the vwp as it isn't a cimt as it is juvenile, and was never convicted anyway.

I had a meeting with a lawyer today, he told me that if i were to get in trouble for misrep on the J1 that i can apply for the waiver, even if i was doing this on the AOS with VWP (i am here now and he mentioned it), i thought that on the VWP you have no rights so would not be allowed to apply for a waiver??? so confused!!

i am most likely just going home as i have a lot of important work but i am just wondering if this is correct?

[Boiler 43,426]

I know that a Conviction is the same as a Caution but I have never heard of a reprimand?

Shoplifting is a CIMT

Age is immaterial as far as the questions of a J and VWP are concerned, a mitigating factor in deciding a waiver or deciding if it is required.

[JCV 5]

I know that a Conviction is the same as a Caution but I have never heard of a reprimand?

Shoplifting is a CIMT

Age is immaterial as far as the questions of a J and VWP are concerned, a mitigating factor in deciding a waiver or deciding if it is required.

He told us that it was juvenile and since i was not convicted it is impossible to be a CIMT. Not sure what you mean by the last sentence!

[Boiler 43,426]

Juveniles by definition can not commit CIMT's?

That is a very odd comment, thought if that was the case then it would have been mentioned somewhere. Any supporting documentation? Anyway you only have to worry about Convictions and Cautions, the former is proven guilt, the latter agreed guilt.

Reprimands sound like nothing at all.