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Original poster

ESTA problem please help

62 replies

ESTAproblem · 16/05/2016 20:48

Regular user, name changed for this.

Due to travel to USA in 10 days time. The relative I am travelling with has had ESTA declined. No idea why, frequent traveller to USA, previous ESTAs no problem, no contentious answers.

Only option now seems to be apply for Visa but requires interview at embassy, and takes time to process.

This trip isn't going to happen for him is it? There is no way of fast tracking this stuff as far as I can tell. No phone number that gets you through to a human. It feels like if you don't get an ESTA they make it very hard for you to visit.

So upset about this. And before anyone piles in yes he shouldn't have left ESTA application so late but that ship has sailed.

Any ideas at all...

OP posts:
Original poster
ESTAproblem · 17/05/2016 05:57

So last ESTA expired about 18 months ago.

I have suggested the passport thing we have nothing to lose now!

Looked into travel to Canada, cost was ok for flight and train but train v long 12 hours so would lose day of 5 night trip. Also could they not stop him from entering at US Canada border if they are convinced there is a problem.

Going to go through application with fresh pair of eyes today. Thanks all.

OP posts:
Original poster
ESTAproblem · 17/05/2016 05:59

Herecomethepotatos I told him that if you keep pressing zero you will eventually speak to someone so going to try that too.

OP posts:
MillionToOneChances · 17/05/2016 06:29

Not pressing anything often works too.

Tigresswoods · 17/05/2016 06:50

We had this 3 days before flying. It turned out to be the mistake of the ESTA people. Our travel agent helped us sort it out so I'm afraid I can't help but wanted you to know it could be their mistake.

Original poster
ESTAproblem · 17/05/2016 07:44

That is good to hear Tigress

OP posts:
Picturesofmatchstickmen · 17/05/2016 07:58

Go on The Dibb and search in forums for ESTA, there are loads of threads about exactly what you have experienced.

goldierocks · 17/05/2016 08:11

Hello OP....I remember watching a news article about this about 6 months ago. Family of 3 that had previously been to the USA, the father had his online ESTA renewal declined.

It turned out there had been a mistake by US immigration and he was listed as an over-stayer. The family left the USA on (something like) 10-06-2014, i.e. 10th June but the date was recorded in the system as 6th October, after the expiry date of the ESTA.

The US Embassy were able to explain what had happened and after the chap provided copies of travel documents & proof he was back in the UK (his employer confirmed this in writing), he got a new ESTA.

Good luck Smile

littlebrownbag · 17/05/2016 08:50

Dont expect to ring the US embassy and get good advice over the phone. They are not experts on every situation and have frequently given incorrect information.

I would seek advice on the British Expats US forum, this situation happens quite often.

kittykarate · 17/05/2016 08:52

Or fly to Canada and drive to where you want to go in U.S. Don't need esta for land crossing

I drove from Vancouver to Seattle a year ago - at the border they made me update my ESTA, and also made my husband apply for one. So while you do not need to have one in advance, they do something ESTA related.

Original poster
ESTAproblem · 17/05/2016 08:59

So you can find out your arrival and departure details here so going to get him to do this and see if he is down as over stayer

i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/consent.html

OP posts:
PanGalaticGargleBlaster · 17/05/2016 09:08

if an ESTA has been declined I don't think the Embassy will issue a visa.

Simply not true, you can still apply for a full visa and said application will just be subject to a higher level of scrutiny/security, in short you will be treated the same as every other nationality that is not part of the ESTA agreement.

A failure to get past the ESTA application could be due to visiting certain countries in the past, being arrested (not convicted) at some point or being a member of certain 'groups' or considered untrustworthy (i.e. you have no intention to leave)

Whatever you do don't get the relative to fill out the ESTA form again or change answers from previous applications, bullshitting the forms and getting caught guarantees that you will not get to travel to the US ever again.

I have failed the ESTA application in the past due to my job having taken me to certain countries, I applied, and got the full visa no problems. Despite the added hassle I was eventually issued with a 10 year multiple entry visa that has the added bonus of allowing any visits to the US to be longer then 3 months and I don't have to arse about with any future visa applications. Give the London embassy a call/email and ask when the earliest available interview is and make an informed decision based on that. A full visa application costs $160 so you don want to spend that money unnecessarily if the interview dates don't work within your timeframe. I thought the embassy staff were very helpful, polite and efficient. Good luck

MrsHathaway · 17/05/2016 09:24

It turned out there had been a mistake by US immigration and he was listed as an over-stayer. The family left the USA on (something like) 10-06-2014, i.e. 10th June but the date was recorded in the system as 6th October, after the expiry date of the ESTA.

DH got embroiled in this at work. From memory you may need to come up with proof of his flight dates - the the official record might show eg 3/8 and 10/8 which will be calculated by the system as 8 March to 8 October but you might have date-stamped photos of him at Disneyland in August, or perhaps a corresponding hotel booking (check your email).

Do not rely on logic and say-so. If this is the apparent issue, it may speed up matters to have "evidence" easily to hand.

Good luck. If it's a known problem it should be easier to solve.

Original poster
ESTAproblem · 17/05/2016 09:24

Well I have checked the travel history on the I-94 website and it doesn't have him down as overstaying, his last trip is correctly recorded as being 6 days in December 2014....so that can't be the reason.

I told him about the Canada thing but he is too nervous to do that.

We are at a loss. I think we may be beaten, we will put the visa application in but there is no way it will be processed in the time scale that we have.

OP posts:
NoMoreGrimble · 17/05/2016 09:28

Was he born in a country like Iran, Iraq or Sudan? There are a few countries that now require visas (introduced in 2016). Regardless of the passport you hold, it's the country of birth that determines eligibility for ESTA.

Original poster
ESTAproblem · 17/05/2016 09:31

No born in the UK. Very British sounding name.

He has travelled extensively in the Middle East but we are talking over 30 years ago, he has been to USA many times since then on ESTAs.

OP posts:
Original poster
ESTAproblem · 17/05/2016 09:34

We have also put in an inquiry on the travel redress section of the Homeland Securities website, which you can apply via if you think you were incorrectly denied but this takes 7-10 days...worth a shot though.

OP posts:
littlebrownbag · 17/05/2016 09:36

Bingo. Even if it was 30 years ago, i bet it's the Middle East travel that has flagged him, due to the new rules the US introduced a couple of months ago. He'll need to apply for a B2 visa and it won't be granted before you travel, sorry.

Original poster
ESTAproblem · 17/05/2016 09:38

Do you think that is it. It must be that, he lived in the Middle East, but I think we just assumed that because he has always had ESTAs before it didn't occur to us there would be a problem. Aghhhhhh! Thank you. Well I had better bear than in mind when my current ESTA expires which I have had for over a year as I lived in the Middle East too.

OP posts:
PanGalaticGargleBlaster · 17/05/2016 09:40

he has been to USA many times since then on ESTAs

They are always tweaking the questions to reflect current security concerns, I had travelled plenty of times on ESTA prior to my refusal. They recently introduced a new question asking if you had been to Syria, Sudan, Iran and Iraq since 2011. I had been to two of those place with work so failed the ESTA.

OP, do call/email the embassy now, they operate a 3-5 day turn around for visa applications so you might be able to sneak in.

howtorebuild · 17/05/2016 09:43

Good grief, which ME countries are a problem?

purplefox · 17/05/2016 09:45

I have two friends 1 had recently travelled in the Middle East and the other lived there for a short period years ago and both were recently rejected for ESTAs despite having them previously

Dixiechickonhols · 17/05/2016 09:48

Yes the ESTAs have changed this year and are more in detail requiring parents details, employment details and whether you have travelled to some middle eastern countries.

Just because you have had an ESTA before doesn't mean you will be eligible for a new one.

I suspect the issue is his previous travel. If you go on the dibb florida trip planning forum there is a long thread. Person refused as they had done volunteer work in Iraq years ago. They had enough time to get an apt at embassy in Belfast and visa was granted but they had longer than your friend and only just made it even with the travel the belfast with the shorter embassy apt wait time.

I'd accept friend not going and alter plans. If he is on a non refundable ticket he should be able to reclaim tax.

Dixiechickonhols · 17/05/2016 09:51

The position is you need a visa for US travel. Most people are eligible for the visa waiver or ESTA but it is not a given.

It costs $14 for an ESTA and lasts 2 years. So no reason to delay doing it.

Baboooshka · 17/05/2016 09:51

As on Jan 2016, past travel to Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria became an issue.

I think technically you're only ineligible for a visa if you've been there in the past 5 years, but ESTA is entirely at the US's discretion, so it wouldn't be very surprising if any travel there caused an issue.

You're also ineligible for ESTA if you're a national of any of those countries, even if you're currently a full citizen of a VWP-eligible country. My friend has a kiwi passport, grew up in America, and lives in the UK... but now has to apply for B visas to travel to the States, because she was born in Iran.

exWifebeginsat40 · 17/05/2016 13:15

in my experience of moving multinational crew around the world, even a name can trigger a visa refusal from the USA.

I wouldn't recommend trying the Canadian border as an alternative if an ESTA has been refused. you will flag up as a previous refusal and they will deport you just as happily. as previous poster have said, a 'proper' visa will need to be applied for.

I worked in travel for years and the USA remains one of the most obstructive nations for visa arrangements.