Travel not authorised under ESTA

[Rahm 0]

Hi,

I hope I have posted under the correct Topic. Please accept my apologies if I haven't.

I have been travelling to USA under a Esta for three years, first time it was approved and then I renewed it after the 2 years and continued to travel to the USA.

Reason I started to travel and have been travelling was because I met a USA citizen girl in the UK and the first time I went to USA we got engaged. Every time I entered I told the immigration that I was here to visit my fiancée.

I am British by birth and UK Passport Holder.

Today I got an email saying "Esta Status Change" when I logged in it said "Travel not Authorised under ESTA"

Only difference or change I know of is that this time I was there, due to unplanned circumstances we got married and then we went on a honeymoon the next day and returned after two weeks to the USA ( I re-entered with my esta) and then after about a week I returned back to the UK.

I have no plans ever on living in the USA, I don't want or need a green card, when I visit I do not plan on staying more then 1 month at a time.

For the time being my wife is still there until things are arranged with her work and studies and then she will move to the UK and live here with me, but in the mean time I need to be able to visit my wife and afterwards I would like to be able to travel with her to visit her family.

I have many properties here in the UK and business interest and also all my family.

Can anyone please help and advice on why my ESTA has been declined?

And what would be the best way to resolve this issue?

Your help and comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks

Edited July 30, 2013 by Rahm

[JohnR! 5,495]

Chances are your ESTA has been denied due to your traveling pattern, i.e. frequent visits. There is no rhyme or reason other than for some reason the US wants you to apply for a tourist visa.

It is nothing over which you should lose sleep and it should be nothing more than the inconvenience of scheduling an appointment for an interview and applying for a visa.

Good luck!

Edited July 30, 2013 by Gegel

[Merrytooth 5,748]

what is your travelling pattern? Have you been staying in US more than you staying out per year?

[alphaminah 1]

just like the rest of us who have had our esta privilege revoked, you have to go to the embassy and apply for a tourist visa each time you want to enter the us. and chances are, that would get denied, too. best you can do now is expedite your wife's move to the uk.

Edited July 30, 2013 by alphaminah

[Rahm 0]

Travel pattern is about twice a year for about 1 month at ago....

Why are the chances that my visa application would get denied?

Edited July 30, 2013 by Rahm

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

I was not aware that someone combs through ESTA randomly looking for people to revoke. I thought any checks on the account happened at POE. Anyone have any insight into this?

[JohnR! 5,495]

Travel pattern is about twice a year for about 1 month at ago....

Why are the chances that my visa application would get denied?

Nobody can answer that with any degree of certainty. If you have never overstayed - which seems to be what you indicated - it may just be a matter of showing your ties with the UK, thorough job, property, etc.

[Merrytooth 5,748]

Related to ESTA revocation:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-visa/20130530_webchat_transcript.pdf

Q. I am a British citizen from birth and hold a British passport. I applied for an ESTA and

received “"Authorization Approved”. A few hours before my flight I received an email saying

there had been an update on my application. When I checked the ESTA website it said "Travel

Not Authorized. You are not authorized to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver

Program". None of my circumstances changed.

Question 1 – Can I find out why ESTA was declined, when it was initially authorized (I am not looking for an answer from this webchat, just

who I should contact)?

Question 2 - What am I now supposed to do, as I still want to travel to the US?

A. The ESTA program is administered by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency. You

should contact them (www.dhs.gov/trip) for more information about your ESTA revocation. In

the meantime, if you wish to travel to the United States, you must apply for the appropriate

visa. If you will travel as a tourist, information is available from the Embassy website.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Merrytooth

[Noel194 53]

From CPB Website:

What should I do if I am not approved for travel through ESTA?

If an ESTA application is denied and you wish to continue with the trip, you will be required to apply for a nonimmigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Please visit the Department of State Web site for further assistance on visa applications.

Due to security/privacy laws, U.S. Customs and Border Protection cannot tell you the reason for your denial of ESTA authorization. However some of the most common reasons are as follows:

• On a previous visit, you stayed in the U.S. longer than you were authorized.
• On a previous visit, you came as a visitor, but engaged in unauthorized work.
• You were previously denied entry or a visa to the U.S. (See "Answers others found helpful" below).
• You answered incorrectly to another VWP eligibility question. (See "Answers others found helpful" below), or
• You are using a passport number for a passport that you previously reported lost or stolen (but later found).

In the first four examples, you may not be eligible to visit the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program, but you may be able to come with a visa. If the problem is with your passport number, it may be resolved by getting a new passport with a new number.

If you believe you were incorrectly denied ESTA authorization you may go to the DHS/TRIP Web site and file a redress request through the DHS Travel Redress Inquiry Program.

The VWP eligibility questions help us determine whether or not you require a visa to come to the U.S. In some cases, people check "Yes" to one of the questions without realizing that their situation is not a disqualifying factor, (in particular questions A and B). For instance, sometimes people answer yes to the question about communicable diseases if they have Pneumonia or a cold, when they should only answer yes if they have one of the diseases in the highlighted link.

Another common error is to answer "Yes" to the question about having been arrested or convicted for a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT). You can look here for a more detailed description of CIMTs.

If you think you may have answered "Yes" incorrectly and were denied as a result, we advise you to contact us so we can review your application. Send us an email (instructions below) explaining why you selected "Yes" to that question, (in other words, tell us what you were arrested and/or found guilty of, as well as the sentence you received, or what your communicable disease is) and we will advise you whether or not your denial can be reversed.

To send us an email, click on the "Email us your Question" button at the right side of this page, and in the question box, give us the original application number, if you have it; the full name; passport number; date of birth of the applicant; contact phone number (including country code), as well as a description of what you think was answered incorrectly. To expedite our response, please select "ESTA/Visa Waiver Program" and choose "I have been denied ESTA" or "cannot board." We do not recommend you try to reapply prior to contacting us.

Reapplying with false information for the purposes of qualifying for an ESTA could make you permanently ineligible for travel to the U.S.

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