Declaration of criminal conviction (Switch to Tier 1 General

[grungium]

Dear all,

I know this has been asked many times and I have read many responses already but given the times are changing very fast with immigration policy nowadays I wanted to get some fresh opinions.

I am applying to switch into a Tier 1 General visa next Monday, switching from my current Post Study Visa. I have an in-person application at a Public Enquiry Office.

I have lost my driver's licence for 6 months between November 2009 - April 2010 (don't even know the exact dates) because of drink-driving in Turkey.

On any other day, I would have been clearly honest and declared this (although I don't even know the dates and have no record of it with me in the UK). However, given the extreme aggression by the Government on cutting the amount of visas issued, I am bit uncomfortable; given I can not see how they could check this record from Turkey.

Any advises, please?

Thank you very much.

[geriatrix]

What do you mean when you say "lost my licence for six months"?

The change regarding increase in criminality threshold will be implemented in April 2011, and as per information on date, only applicable to settlement applications.

Declare your offence, if there was any and if asked for in the application form. Else, you may be accused of deception.


regards

[mulderpf]

Don't lie. A 10 year ban will be a lot more uncomfortable. And think about how you will feel when you complete another visa application for another country and they want to know why you were denied a visa for the UK. Just declare it.

[grungium]

What do you mean when you say "lost my licence for six months"?

The change regarding increase in criminality threshold will be implemented in April 2011, and as per information on date, only applicable to settlement applications.

Declare your offence, if there was any and if asked for in the application form. Else, you may be accused of deception.


regards

Dear sushdmehta,

After a 12-hour work day, I must have done a literal translation from Turkish in my head; it basically meant my driver's licence was taken away for 6 months, along with a fixed-penalty; both of which have been spent now.

I agree with honesty and am rather happy to declare than not; however given the circumstances and the fact that the context in which drink-driving is treated is different in Turkey (the alcohol limit in the UK is 60% higher than in Turkey for the punishment to come into effect); it is a handicap when declared for an officer that may not know the full circumstances. This is not to say that the offence itself is not one to be ignored; but rather that the judgement they make upon it may be a different one than would be made in a different context.

Thanks for your responses. I will go ahead with the declaration and let you know of the result.

[grungium]

Declared, and got the visa. I said I would post an update here but I must have forgotten. Now, happy to announce that I had received my visa in December 2010.

What do you mean when you say "lost my licence for six months"?

The change regarding increase in criminality threshold will be implemented in April 2011, and as per information on date, only applicable to settlement applications.

Declare your offence, if there was any and if asked for in the application form. Else, you may be accused of deception.


regards

Dear sushdmehta,

After a 12-hour work day, I must have done a literal translation from Turkish in my head; it basically meant my driver's licence was taken away for 6 months, along with a fixed-penalty; both of which have been spent now.

I agree with honesty and am rather happy to declare than not; however given the circumstances and the fact that the context in which drink-driving is treated is different in Turkey (the alcohol limit in the UK is 60% higher than in Turkey for the punishment to come into effect); it is a handicap when declared for an officer that may not know the full circumstances. This is not to say that the offence itself is not one to be ignored; but rather that the judgement they make upon it may be a different one than would be made in a different context.

Thanks for your responses. I will go ahead with the declaration and let you know of the result.