Written by Garry Sam
Hello to all,
I am so glad I found this community. I am an Indian national who loves to travel around the world while I work in different countries. However, on my latest stay in USA (Jan 2020-August 2021) I ran into problems and ended up being convicted of a Class A Misdemeanor (Sexual Battery). It was a no-contest plea that resulted in 18 months probation which I was allowed to serve from my home country, hence I returned to India right after my sentencing. My passport does not indicate any of this.
It was my dream to live the nomadic life and to maintain the work-life balance and now I feel like all my dreams have been crushed and I feel stuck. I know this forum is mostly for and by US nationals but if anyone can help me out or give me any relevant info that would be a huge help.
Since I have an Indian passport, I have to get a visa beforehand to visit most of the countries. I would love to go to Germany again for a longer duration (I have lived there for 6 months before) but the visa application form directly asks me about my criminal history. And I am guessing as soon as I put it down it’s game over for me anyway.
Other option would be to apply for a study/work visa in other EU countries where they do not have such column in the forms – like Spain or France – but I am scared that I might get denied on the border which would be a huge loss of time and resources that I would have spent on getting the visa (takes upto 6 months).
So, my questions are as follows:
1. what is the probability that Germany would give me a visa regardless of my criminal history.
2. What would happen if I just do not share that information on visa application, I am guessing they would still be able to see it if and when they do a background check.
3. What are the chances of getting denied entry at airport in Spain/France.
4. What are other places I can consider moving to within Europe.
5. How can I run a background check on myself to know exactly what my record says?
I look forward to your responses. Thankyou so much.
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