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My friend was caught with a passport in 2018 portraying name and nationality that differed from the one taken to the same USA embassy 8 years ago. She had her fingerprints captured at the USA embassy and was jailed for 6 months by ivory coast government for illegal citizenship . Now she intends applying for a UK visa with an authentic passport as per name and nationality.

Will this captured fingerprint create a problem or not? And do they run a fingerprint match against others taken elsewhere in Europe or America?

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  • Your question in unclear. Was she convicted of a criminal offence in a court of law? Who took the fingerprints?
    – user58558
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 13:46
  • @Honorary World Citizen It does matter. An immigration violation (which in this case may be a criminal offence) which has not been proved in a criminal court of law is a civil matter. A criminal conviction can be a mandatory ground for refusal in the UK. An immigration violation in another country is not.
    – user58558
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 13:58
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    @greatone No UK ECO is going to give an applicant from Nigeria a visa after admittedly committing immigration identity fraud with the USA embassy. It is as simple as that whether she was convicted or not so far as it was caught
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 14:00
  • @Honorary World Citizen There have been cases on Stack Exchange where people have managed to get visas for the USA after having being "caught" for similar violations in the UK. In theory, it could work the other way round.
    – user58558
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 14:12
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    @greatone With enough luck and resources anything is possible however hoping to slip through the cracks is not typically a winning strategy.
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 14:19

1 Answer 1

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Your friend was apprehended in 2018 for trying to apply for a visa at the USA embassy with a different identity from one she had used to apply to the same embassy in 2010. After being apprehended, she was fingerprinted by the USA embassy, convicted in court and jailed in Cote d'Ivoire for illegal acquisition of citizenship. Now she wants to apply for a UK entry clearance.

Will this captured fingerprint create a problem or not?

Yes it should. USA and UK share some immigration information via Five Eyes and other Treaties and have even taken steps in the last couple of years to share more.

And do they run fingerprints match against others taken elsewhere in Europe or America?

They do, to what degree nobody knows however it will be foolhardy to test the system.

Finally she has a criminal record which should be disclosed on all visa applications when asked although typically embassies do not verify criminal records before issuing visas.

If she applies and tells the truth, she is not going to get a visa. If she lies, it is unlikely the conviction in Cote d'Ivoire will be discovered by the UK embassy (unless she triggers a background check) however because hers was a criminal case it is more likely than average that she is in the USA database which is shared with UK

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    Currently, only 3000 fingerprints are shared per year and that too for asylum claimants. However, in theory, the UK does have access to USA immigration records where biometrics are on file. The USA has similar agreements with the FE countries and nobody else. The USA does not share fingerprint information with Schengen countries. However, if there was a criminal trial involved, things would be much worse.
    – user58558
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 14:15
  • I mean she was jailed for six month by ivoirien government for illegal acquisition of the citizenhood
    – Jamiu Oyewole
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 16:13
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    @Jamiu Oyewole A jail sentence of six months means she will be automatically refused for 4 years since the end of the sentence.
    – user58558
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 17:02
  • @greatone Have you a citation or reference for your assertion?
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 21:08
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    @David It is actually five years after the end of the sentence. It’s in the immigration rules. See travel.stackexchange.com/questions/85316/…
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 21:18

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