If you have a criminal record, you may need a US Travel Waiver in order to enter the United States. The most common reasons for being denied entry in this circumstance are:

If you have a criminal record of multiple convictions;
- Currently a single impaired driving conviction is not grounds to deny entry into the U.S. however, multiple impaired driving convictions or an impaired driving conviction in combination with other misdemeanor offences can make a person inadmissible and require a waiver prior to entering the United States.
If you have a criminal record for crimes of moral turpitude. The list of crimes of mortal turpitude is vast but some of the most common types are murder, manslaughter, prostitution, rape, forgery, fraud, aggravated battery, theft and bribery.
If you violated any law or regulation relating to a controlled substance including but not limited to trafficking in a controlled substance;
If you have trafficked in persons;
If you have been involved in money laundering;

Information about the application process can be found at: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/admission-forms/form-i-92-application-advance-permission-enter-nonimmigrant. The process is tedious and can be overwhelming. At RyMa we provide assistance in gathering the required court documentation; preparing the necessary forms; providing direction regarding your personal statement; and suggestions for supporting documents.

The process to apply for a US Travel Waiver recently added an option to file applications electronically. However, you will still need to attend at a Designated Port of Entry for the fingerprints and photograph (biometrics) portion of the application. There are limited Ports of Entry available for this service. See https://e-safe.cbp.dhs.gov/resource/1628093143000/eSAFE_AvailablePortsOfEntry for options.

NOTE: The average processing time for US Travel Waiver applications is currently 6-12 months after submission to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The timeframe for gathering the other required documentation to be included in the application package is usually 2-4 months. The entire process can take up to 18 months to complete.

RyMa cannot guarantee a US Travel Waiver will be granted. The ultimate decision lies solely with US Customs and Border Patrol. RyMa’s goal is to assist you in building the strongest application package possible!