Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

California

Country forums / United States of America / United States

Because my embassy is closed today can anyone answer my query> i have a petty Criminal Record

Are the Americans lenient when it comes to letting foreigners "in" ?? who have a criminal Record i have a very petty Criminal Record!
i want to go climbing in Yosemite for 2-3 months if you have any reverent information it will be gratefully appreciated

Your profile says you are in the UK. If you are a UK citizen, without a criminal record, you probably would be eligible to enter the US under the Visa Waiver Program—no visa needed. However, with a criminal record, you will need to apply for a full B2 tourist visa. The US Embasdy in London says:

If you have ever been arrested and/or convicted or cautioned of an offense anywhere in the world, we recommend that you apply for a visa before traveling to the United States. Please note that the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to U.S. visa law. You are required to declare the arrest/caution/conviction, regardless of when it occurred and your age at the time. Further information on applying for a visa and the documents required in support of the visa application is available here

If the offense is fairly minor, it is likely that you would be granted a visa, but you will have to show that it was indeed minor and that you have been a good citizen since then. Give yourself plenty of time—a couple of months or more—for Visa processing.

P.S. I have asked the moderators to move this to the US branch

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Hi @shaveoff01988053, I've moved your topic to United States of America: United States branch.

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i want to go climbing in Yosemite for 2-3 months

Aside from your visa issue, you won't be spending 2-3 months in Yosemite.

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/campregs.htm

"There is a 30-night camping limit within Yosemite National Park in a calendar year; however, May 1 to September 15, the camping limit in Yosemite is 14 nights, and only seven of those nights can be in Yosemite Valley or Wawona."

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If you're applying for the B2 visa things become more complicated. You will be expected to prove you have ties to the UK (I.e. job, own a house, family etc.). The visa B2 visa doesn't specify entry/exit dates so I wouldn't recomend saying you want to stay 2-3 months which will just lead to further questions and requiring you to prove you have sufficient funds. Just say you want 1-2 week trip in California for sightseeing. Then once you get the visa you are free to enter for up 6 months usually.

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