Hi all,
I am a 22 year old British guy. I was born here in the UK, have lived here all my life, have two jobs, big family, big social network etc. I don’t think the social ties part is what’s causing me issues though.
I’m a massive wrestling fan - whenever WWE or AEW comes to the UK, I’m there. I’ve also travelled to Toronto, Canada recently for a WWE event. With that in mind, it’s my dream to go to the U.S. for WrestleMania. I had plans to attend this year’s event in Las Vegas with friends, who have still gone, but due to visa issues I had to stay home.
I applied twice last year at the U.S. Embassy in London, once in July and once in October. I originally applied for ESTA and had it authorised however I later realised I’d misread the arrest question as “arrested and convicted”, to which I was truthfully answering No, rather than “arrested or convicted”.
Upon realisation I contacted U.S. CBP and advised them I’d answered this question wrong and asked them to revoke my ESTA which they did and I applied for the visa at the Embassy.
For context, I was arrested when I was 14 on suspicion of arson (I didn’t have any involvement, it was a friend at the time who was a complete idiot and set a small fire. We were kids. The police quickly determined it wasn’t me and I received NFA.)
I was arrested four years ago after a woman falsely accused me of rape. Again, very quickly the police sussed her out and it was clear I had not committed such a disgusting act and so the investigation was closed with no charge, NFA.
In my first interview it didn’t seem to go too badly to begin with, I had a gentleman interview me who seemed understanding of my arrests not resulting in any further action. I didn’t have a Subject Access Request though, only an ACRO Police Report which stated No Trace, so he had to 221g me and I needed to send in the SAR which I did. A couple of weeks later I was refused under 214b and was told that the consular officer and the reviewing supervisory officer found that my “lack of disclosure regarding my complete criminal history along with the other evidence presented” was not sufficient to satisfy the legal requirements for visa issuance.
I was completely baffled as I clearly had declared my arrests else I wouldn’t have been there in the first place, which is why I reapplied a few months later. That interview on the other hand was a disaster from the start, I had a woman interview me this time who was extremely abrupt and didn’t want to hear my explanations for anything or see any documentation (references, itinerary etc) that I had brought along. She also didn’t 214b me on the spot though, gave me a 221g slip again with no further information required, then a few days later my status changed to Refused. They didn’t send me a fresh refusal letter though so I had to ask a Senator’s office to enquire for me as I was getting no real answer for months, they then were told by the Embassy that upon review of my applications following my visa interviews, the adjudicating consular officers were not satisfied that I “had made a credible showing of my intention to abide by the conditions of the visa, maintain lawful status, and adhere to U.S. federal law” and as such the consular officers were required by law to refuse my applications under Section 214(b) of the INA.
I just don’t know where to go from here. I’m not inadmissible, clearly, but I also can’t get an ESTA - all of this despite having no criminal record. I have a great life here in my home country, I don’t ever intend to do anything more than visit the U.S. and see the spectacle of pro wrestling that is WrestleMania.
I know on paper it sounds like I’ve had a couple of run ins with the police but neither time was my fault and neither time occurred in any criminal outcome. I even work with the police from time to time in my job. What can I do?
