American Visa With Criminal Convictions
Being convicted of a crime does not bar you from travelling to the U.S. for business or pleasure, but is usually an automatic disqualification for the visitor visa. However, there is a provision under which many people with criminal convictions can still get a visa — if they can prove that their trip is in the U.S. national interest or that they meet other special requirements.
If you were ever convicted of a crime, however minor, you may feel that you will be denied entry to the United States or that you won’t be granted a visa. However it’s important to understand the difference between the two visa categories and how past issues can affect your current situation.
Yours truly first on the list of services to be certified by the US authorities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has granted the access permission to utilize their official database and that means we can now submit I-485 application as well as help you with criminal background clearance again.
We do not recommend that travelers who have been arrested, even if the arrest did not result in a criminal conviction, have a criminal record, certain serious communicable illness, have been refused admission into, or have been deported from, the United States, or have previously overstayed under the terms of the Visa Waiver Program, 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.
Traffic offenses
If you have a minor traffic offense which did not result in an arrest and/or conviction you may travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program, provided you are otherwise qualified. If you are not sure whether or not you are eligible to travel visa free, the only way to resolve this question is to apply for a visa.
If the traffic offense occurred in the United States, and there is an outstanding fine against you, or you did not attend your court hearing, it is possible there may be a warrant out for your arrest, and you will experience problems when applying for admission into the United States. Therefore, you should resolve the issue before traveling by contacting the court where you were to appear. If you do not know the address of the court, the information is available from the Internet at www.uscourts.gov/links.html .