Am I ineligible for an ESTA/J1 visa after being cautioned for forgery?

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The exact question on the visa application (DS-160) is :

Have you ever been arrested or convicted for any offense or crime, even though subject of a pardon, amnesty, or other similar action?

Note that there is no mention of drugs in this question - it is for ANY arrest or conviction (unlike the ESTA application, where it is more specific). Also note the mention of "pardon, amnesty or other similar action", which includes UK Cautions, and thus you are required to declare your caution in response to this question.

This is confirmed by the website for the US Embassy in the UK, which states :

If you have ever been arrested, cautioned and/or convicted of an offense anywhere in the world, you are required to declare it when applying for a visa.

Answering yes to this question will most likely result in a denial for a ESTA application, however it will NOT immediately result in a denial for a visa application. All US visa applications require an interview at a US consulate, and during that interview you will be able to provide details of the incident, and the interviewer will determine if you are eligible to receive a visa, or if you are ineligible based on the offence.

If you are found ineligible for a visa then you may be allow apply for a "waiver of ineligibility", which, if approved, would allow you you be issued with a visa.

Entering false information on an ESTA/visa application is never a good idea, and can result in you being banned from travel to the US if you are found out. The fact you entered false information on your ESTA application will most likely NOT be held against you, as long as you correct it by entering the correct details on your new visa application.

There is also a second question on the DS-160 application which may be relevant to you, which is :

Are you or have you ever been a drug abuser or addict?

How you answer that question will obviously depend on your personal circumstances and in particular what legal proof exists of your former addition, however answering "Yes" to this question will almost certainly leave you ineligible for a visa (although as above, it may be possible to obtain a waiver of ineligibility to overcome this, depending on the circumstances).

Unfortunately for you, drugs addictions and crimes are one of the areas that US immigration is very strict about, and such history/offences can be very difficult to overcome.

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