Will I be denied entry to the US for a criminal charge?

Upvote:4

Next time, you need to bring your court papers to show them

They told you that. I gather you did not misunderstand, since you repeated it here.

"Am I now flagged"? Yes, you might have made a common error of assumption: that immigration is a bunch of stupid border guards who have never heard of computers.

Yes, every US border guard you encounter may instantly call up your history with all US border guards. Expect the guard to see a comment like

2009/8/5 decl past charge sec screen discl 2002 settl obstruct justice.
2009/8/5 told to bring court papers next visit

I expect this to be no big deal. Since, if it was a big deal, they would've refused you 11 years ago, when the crime was fresher, at the highway crossing where it's super easy to turn people away -- Canada has to let you back in, and no expensive airline itineraries have been disrupted. (not true if you fly into JFK and are refused there; it gets messy fast.)

But, the formality should not be neglected. You do not want immigration to think you consider immigration law unimportant. They are trusting you to abide by the terms of your visa or waiver.

More post

Search Posts

Related post