i have booked a family holiday in the u.s. for next august. a friend recently told me that if you have ever fallen foul of the law you need to get a visa (cost£67) and attend an interview in london. i have a caution from 10 years ago for a minor offence and cannot afford to travel over two hundred miles for what seems a little bit of an ott system. can anyone offer any advice or have they had any experiences of the new system?
derm

Hi,

Well you could do what everybody else does - just fill in a visa waiver form on the plane to the States. Problem is, when you enter the US the immigration officer will tap your details into his computer ... and who knows what might come up? Personally, I wouldn't risk it.

Rather than take your friend's word for it, I suggest you check with the US authorities - try www.unitedstatesvisas.gov . They make the rules, so if you want to visit their country you'll have to dance to their tune. But, if your misdemeanor was so minor and so long ago, I'm sure you'll manage to persuade them that you visiting their country won't be a threat to their security.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

Pete