ESTA travel not authorised, B2 application next

[JohnLocke 1]

Hey,


I recently filled in the ESTA application form and got a 'Travel Not Authorised' response. I was initially bemused and assumed that I probably made a mistake on the form, as all of my friends frequently visit the states and get their ESTA for accepted on the spot. I filled the form in a month later and got the exact same response

They go on a regular basis and I thought I'd tag along with them on this occasion. Unfortunately for myself, I was given the 'Travel Not Authorised' response.

The only option I have left is to get that B2 Visa form and go to my local embassy in London, England. I have absolutely no idea why I was given the 'Travel Not Authorised' response, so I'm a bit apprehensive in terms of applying for the B2 Visa.

I only plan on visiting New York for around two weeks or so. I've read that you need to prove that you have ties to England, so they know that you have intentions to actually return back to the country. My friends and family all live here, so I have no reason to leave. I'm also a property owner, so does that count as having a tie to the country? I'm self-employed and currently have a few thousand pounds in my account. I've got arrested before, but never once convicted. 

I can go to the HM Land Registry website and pay the £3 for an official copy of the register to prove that I'm the owner and I can bring my bank statements along with me.

I've been a frequent flyer in recent times and have visited Egypt, Thailand, Turkey and Dubai in recent times. I also applied for a Canadian eTA (their version of the ESTA) and it got accepted on the spot. 

I was born and bred in London and I have a British Passport. 

What do you think my chances are of getting it approved? What should I bring along with me to the interview?
What is the interview like? What sort of questions do they ask? If anyone has attended one of those interviews, can you shed me some light on what it was like and what questions they asked? And what they brought along with them?

Thanks for taking your time out of your day to reply to me. 

Much appreciated.

Regards,

John.

[EandH0904 1,184]

I think your travel history, your home are both really good things. 

You being self-employed, it probably depends on your job - on whether its something you could easily do remotely or not. 

Also your arrest - you certainly don't need to disclose what its for here, I'm not asking, but depending on what it was, that could be a deterrent or why your ESTA got denied. If you think there might be an issue, I would take papers showing it was dismissed. 

 

It's possible it was nothing major, maybe you just overlooked something small or forgot to click this or that. UK has a refusal rate for B1/B2 visas of only 20% - which is about the bottom third - so I would go ahead and apply for it, you don't have much to lose, right? 

 

I'm a UK/US citizen but have never had to get a B1/B2 so I dont know what the questions would be like, but if you look in the UK portal you can see reviews from the consulate and search for common questions asked. 

[Starkilla09 366]

The most probable reason why your ESTA application got denied is due to your run in with the law in the UK. The crazy thing is when it comes to U.S. Immigration is there’s no statue of limitation no matter how long something happened even for minor or dismissed offenses. This doesn’t mean that you’re ineligible to visit the U.S. though, it means it can adversely affect immigration benefits such as ESTA in your case. As a Brit with ties to the UK, you’ve got a much better chance of getting a visitor visa. Take ties with you on your interview. The interview is pretty brief for the most part under 3 mins with a few questions such as how long you plan on staying, who’s sponsoring your trip etc. also take records showing no convictions from the arrest.

[JohnLocke 1]

58 minutes ago, EandH0904 said:

I think your travel history, your home are both really good things. 

You being self-employed, it probably depends on your job - on whether its something you could easily do remotely or not. 

Also your arrest - you certainly don't need to disclose what its for here, I'm not asking, but depending on what it was, that could be a deterrent or why your ESTA got denied. If you think there might be an issue, I would take papers showing it was dismissed. 

 

It's possible it was nothing major, maybe you just overlooked something small or forgot to click this or that. UK has a refusal rate for B1/B2 visas of only 20% - which is about the bottom third - so I would go ahead and apply for it, you don't have much to lose, right? 

 

I'm a UK/US citizen but have never had to get a B1/B2 so I dont know what the questions would be like, but if you look in the UK portal you can see reviews from the consulate and search for common questions asked. 

Thank you so much for your detailed response. Much appreciated, mate.

 

Yeah, I buy items (toys, phone cases, etc) from a supplier for a relatively cheap price and sell it for more on eBay and Amazon. Yeah, I didn't even get convicted for any of those arrest. I was given an NFA for all of those arrests, as I didn't do nothing wrong. For one of the arrests, I attempted to help a young boy being assaulted by a police officer by merely approaching the Police Officer to try cool the situation down. He proceeded to turn around and assault me on the spot. I defended myself and got charged with ABH on the Police Officer. Again, I got an NFA, as I didn't do anything wrong. No conviction. No criminal record. Nothing.

 

Yeah, I'm with you on that one. I'm also under the impression that they rejected my ESTA application based on me being wrongfully arrested. I'm baffled as of why you need to declare your arrest even if you weren't ever charged. I understand declaring it, if you got charged, but if you weren't charged for the crime, then why do they care? Pretty petty IMO.

 

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and apply for that B2 tourist visa. I've had a brief look at the application and it asks you to jot down the address of place that you're going to stay at in the states. How would I know that if I haven't even booked it? 

 

Pretty weird.

 

Again, thank you so much for your response.

 

Have an awesome day! 

 

 

 

[JohnLocke 1]

1 hour ago, Starkilla09 said:

The most probable reason why your ESTA application got denied is due to your run in with the law in the UK. The crazy thing is when it comes to U.S. Immigration is there’s no statue of limitation no matter how long something happened even for minor or dismissed offenses. This doesn’t mean that you’re ineligible to visit the U.S. though, it means it can adversely affect immigration benefits such as ESTA in your case. As a Brit with ties to the UK, you’ve got a much better chance of getting a visitor visa. Take ties with you on your interview. The interview is pretty brief for the most part under 3 mins with a few questions such as how long you plan on staying, who’s sponsoring your trip etc. also take records showing no convictions from the arrest.

Yeah, that's probably the reason. Yeah, I don't know why they care about being arrested, but not charged. Why do you need to declare for something that you weren't ever charged for? If you're innocent, then it shouldn't matter in the slightest. EVERY TIME that I've been arrested, I was given an NFA. No conviction. Not charged. Nothing.

 

Yeah, I'm going to print out a letter that proves that I'm the house owner and I'll bring along all of my bank statements along with a police certificate that will prove that I wasn't ever convicted. 

 

It's so frustrating, as all of my friends got their ESTA application accepted and now they're all waiting on me to get a visa. All we want to do is visit New York and experience what it's like to live in New York. Even the little things, like interacting with the locals and socialising with the locals (playing football with them, visiting a local gym, etc). 

 

Yeah, I'll probably be sponsoring my trip. Do you think they'll ask me about my parents occupation? My mother is a Science teacher and I'm hoping that'll help me in my favour. 

 

Any other pieces of advice? Just so nervous about everything.

 

Thank you so much for your reply and have an awesome day!

 

Much appreciate, mate. 

[JohnLocke 1]

1 hour ago, EandH0904 said:

I think your travel history, your home are both really good things. 

You being self-employed, it probably depends on your job - on whether its something you could easily do remotely or not. 

Also your arrest - you certainly don't need to disclose what its for here, I'm not asking, but depending on what it was, that could be a deterrent or why your ESTA got denied. If you think there might be an issue, I would take papers showing it was dismissed. 

 

It's possible it was nothing major, maybe you just overlooked something small or forgot to click this or that. UK has a refusal rate for B1/B2 visas of only 20% - which is about the bottom third - so I would go ahead and apply for it, you don't have much to lose, right? 

 

I'm a UK/US citizen but have never had to get a B1/B2 so I dont know what the questions would be like, but if you look in the UK portal you can see reviews from the consulate and search for common questions asked. 

As I run my business on eBay, I'm given the option to put my account on holiday. I'll either do that or ask my brother to maintain it while I'm away. 

[Boiler 47,705]

VWP is for the squeaky clean.

[JohnLocke 1]

18 minutes ago, Boiler said:

VWP is for the squeaky clean.

 

Man, I'm so stressed out ATM. 

 

Such a pessimist. 

[Starkilla09 366]

3 hours ago, JohnLocke said:

Yeah, that's probably the reason. Yeah, I don't know why they care about being arrested, but not charged. Why do you need to declare for something that you weren't ever charged for? If you're innocent, then it shouldn't matter in the slightest. EVERY TIME that I've been arrested, I was given an NFA. No conviction. Not charged. Nothing.

 

Yeah, I'm going to print out a letter that proves that I'm the house owner and I'll bring along all of my bank statements along with a police certificate that will prove that I wasn't ever convicted. 

 

It's so frustrating, as all of my friends got their ESTA application accepted and now they're all waiting on me to get a visa. All we want to do is visit New York and experience what it's like to live in New York. Even the little things, like interacting with the locals and socialising with the locals (playing football with them, visiting a local gym, etc). 

 

Yeah, I'll probably be sponsoring my trip. Do you think they'll ask me about my parents occupation? My mother is a Science teacher and I'm hoping that'll help me in my favour. 

 

Any other pieces of advice? Just so nervous about everything.

 

Thank you so much for your reply and have an awesome day!

 

Much appreciate, mate. 

I hear ya. That’s exactly why I explained how U.S. immigration law works. Once you declare that you were arrested at anytime in your life doesn’t matter if it was 90 years ago, they have to get to the very bottom of it that’s why your ESTA got rejected. It could be a petty stuff but they still have do the digging to by law, and figure out what the outcome was to make sure the alien doesn’t pose a security threat to the U.S. if admitted. Good thing is the was no conviction so you’re pretty good on that end. If there was that’s where it gets problematic, as the charges now have to be weighed to determine how serious it is and if a waiver of inadmissibility is going to be needed for the alien to be eligible to enter the U.S. Don’t beat yourself chances are you’ll be fine it happens more than you think. Take your home ties and records of non conviction. By the way you must declare you were arrested though when filing out any future U.S. immigration application even your DS-160 non immigrant visa application, and be prepared to explain to the consular officer. Lying on it will constitute material misrepresentation which carries far serious immigration consequences including bars from ever visiting the U.S. By the way your parent’s occupation wouldn’t play any role on your application since you’re an adult applying on your own merit and not a derivative child accompanying parents. You’ll have to show your strong U.K ties to be eligible. Good luck!

Edited October 16, 2017 by Starkilla09

[Boiler 47,705]

Not any arrest, CIMT's.

[JohnLocke 1]

8 hours ago, Starkilla09 said:

I hear ya. That’s exactly why I explained how U.S. immigration law works. Once you declare that you were arrested at anytime in your life doesn’t matter if it was 90 years ago, they have to get to the very bottom of it that’s why your ESTA got rejected. It could be a petty stuff but they still have do the digging to by law, and figure out what the outcome was to make sure the alien doesn’t pose a security threat to the U.S. if admitted. Good thing is the was no conviction so you’re pretty good on that end. If there was that’s where it gets problematic, as the charges now have to be weighed to determine how serious it is and if a waiver of inadmissibility is going to be needed for the alien to be eligible to enter the U.S. Don’t beat yourself chances are you’ll be fine it happens more than you think. Take your home ties and records of non conviction. By the way you must declare you were arrested though when filing out any future U.S. immigration application even your DS-160 non immigrant visa application, and be prepared to explain to the consular officer. Lying on it will constitute material misrepresentation which carries far serious immigration consequences including bars from ever visiting the U.S. By the way your parent’s occupation wouldn’t play any role on your application since you’re an adult applying on your own merit and not a derivative child accompanying parents. You’ll have to show your strong U.K ties to be eligible. Good luck!

Thank you so much for your detailed response! 

[mindthegap 2,668]

12 hours ago, Boiler said:

Not any arrest, CIMT's.

Quite.

 

The current question is:

""Have you ever been arrested or convicted for a crime that resulted in serious damage to property, or serious harm to another person or government authority?""

 

 

[shell20 746]

The ESTA is a strange one, you could be arrested and get denied, it could be  your name, you might share a name that needs extra security, scrutiny, alternatively and this happened to my cousins husband who is a news reporter because he had visited  a few countries on their watch list I think he was also denied the  ESTA or had to jump through several hoops.  

 

 You have been to Egypt and such, so perhaps that raises alarm bells. I  don't know your name, but name also can cause alarm bells and  added security checks.  Perhaps it's  a combination of a few things and not just your misdemeanors. 

 

That said I would apply for a B2 asap if you want to go with your friends to NYC.

[JohnLocke 1]

1 hour ago, shell20 said:

The ESTA is a strange one, you could be arrested and get denied, it could be  your name, you might share a name that needs extra security, scrutiny, alternatively and this happened to my cousins husband who is a news reporter because he had visited  a few countries on their watch list I think he was also denied the  ESTA or had to jump through several hoops.  

 

 You have been to Egypt and such, so perhaps that raises alarm bells. I  don't know your name, but name also can cause alarm bells and  added security checks.  Perhaps it's  a combination of a few things and not just your misdemeanors. 

 

That said I would apply for a B2 asap if you want to go with your friends to NYC.

Yeah, it is pretty strange. Seriously? What did your cousins husband do after that? Jesus, he's a news reporter. What do they expect? It shouldn't be a surprise that he went abroad. What did your cousins husband do after that? Did he do the B2 visa thing? 

 

Yeah, I thought that my trip to Egypt and Turkey might have had an influence on the decision. Then again, I also went to Thailand and Dubai, so surely that also had an influence? 

 

It's also confusing because I applied for the Canadian version of the ESTA and they accepted within a matter of seconds. 

 

 

1 hour ago, shell20 said:

The ESTA is a strange one, you could be arrested and get denied, it could be  your name, you might share a name that needs extra security, scrutiny, alternatively and this happened to my cousins husband who is a news reporter because he had visited  a few countries on their watch list I think he was also denied the  ESTA or had to jump through several hoops.  

 

 You have been to Egypt and such, so perhaps that raises alarm bells. I  don't know your name, but name also can cause alarm bells and  added security checks.  Perhaps it's  a combination of a few things and not just your misdemeanors. 

 

That said I would apply for a B2 asap if you want to go with your friends to NYC.

And thanks for the reply! 

 

Much appreciated, mate. 

[Boiler 47,705]

Justin Trudeau‏Verified account @JustinTrudeau

FollowFollow @JustinTrudeau

More

To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada

1:20 pm - 28 Jan 2017