VWP could be scaled back - Visa's for all Brits

[AlanUK]

The main difference is that for a visa you are required to supply a copy of your criminal record (or lack of one)

How do you supply eveidence that you have no criminal record?? Do I just pop down the local police station and ask for a certificate?

Again it would seem a fairly simple exercise to cross check a list of passengers against a list of people with criminal convictions. Of course there is no evidence to suggest that any would be bomber would already have got themselves a criminal record so the check would be largely pointless.

 

[patdavies]

How do you supply eveidence that you have no criminal record?? Do I just pop down the local police station and ask for a certificate?

Again it would seem a fairly simple exercise to cross check a list of passengers against a list of people with criminal convictions. Of course there is no evidence to suggest that any would be bomber would already have got themselves a criminal record so the check would be largely pointless.

Effectively, yes. Altthough it is a bit more than a 'pop down' - it takes some time.

WHo do you suggest would do this checking? It obviously has to be an authority with access to UK criminal records - which rules out the US authorities and the airlines.

 

[carolfoy]

An ideal question designed entirely to trip up any potential bombers

seems along the lines of 'Has anyone asked you to carry anything for them?'
Yes - that nice Iraqi gentleman, I can see why when he's so weighed down with all those packages strapped all over him!

 

[lizzysmith]

It would be interesting to know
a) How many visitors Florida gets in a year
b) How many are Britons/Arabs/Muslims

In 2005 there were 84 million visitors to Florida of which only 1.5 million were British. About 95% are US/Canadian. Likely to be slightly more visitors this year but probably fewer Brits.
No idea how many Arabs or Muslims but I bet there are not so many.

 

[steve_rob]

How do you supply eveidence that you have no criminal record?? Do I just pop down the local police station and ask for a certificate?

Again it would seem a fairly simple exercise to cross check a list of passengers against a list of people with criminal convictions. Of course there is no evidence to suggest that any would be bomber would already have got themselves a criminal record so the check would be largely pointless.

It's my understanding that the list of passengers and all their 'data' that gets transmitted to the US authorities at the moment, can only be sent once the plane has departed from the gate (for legal reasons). There is no pre-checking the list of passengers allowed, which might explain why you occasionally get flights turned back to the UK once they are already in the air.

I guess their thinking is that if everyone had to apply for visas, they would be able to know in advance about who was flying and when and could do these checks before the flight takes off.

 

[AlanUK]

WHo do you suggest would do this checking? It obviously has to be an authority with access to UK criminal records - which rules out the US authorities and the airlines.

I would suggest that it's our intelligence agencies that do this checking (if they don't already, which would surprise me) as they are responsible for the security of flights leaving the UK. I am sure our laws allow for them to access flight rosters in order to screen them for known threats.

It's my understanding that the list of passengers and all their 'data' that gets transmitted to the US authorities at the moment, can only be sent once the plane has departed from the gate (for legal reasons). There is no pre-checking the list of passengers allowed, which might explain why you occasionally get flights turned back to the UK once they are already in the air.

I guess their thinking is that if everyone had to apply for visas, they would be able to know in advance about who was flying and when and could do these checks before the flight takes off.

This may be able to help prevent potential terrorists entering the US although I would have thought anyone likely to cause the authorities concern would try and gain entry through one of the more permeable borders such as via Mexico.

As I understood it the issue was to try and make airline travel into the US safer not just to try and secure the borders further. It's really this that I question whether Visa's would make any safer for flights leaving the UK for the US, as I see it the only way I can see this happening is for our own security services to keep working hard and to keep being lucky enough to ensure our safety.

 

[mark&sue]

We are DVC members so I guess we would have to get the VISAs!!!!

With the news at the moment with so many potential terrorists around it would be more dangerous to travel to London to get the VISA than fly to US!



Susan

 

[jen_uk]

seems along the lines of 'Has anyone asked you to carry anything for them?'
Yes - that nice Iraqi gentleman, I can see why when he's so weighed down with all those packages strapped all over him!