We face the same when trying to get a visa or when we enter the USA, read on...
I'm Mexican and I applied for a visa to travel to USA on 2005. I was told by the officer, that I qualified for the visa and they would actually give it to me, but there were some other two guys with my name, weight and height that had commited some crimes in the USA, so they had to make sure it wasn't me (Imagine my surprise, it was completly unexpected to me). They took my fingerprints (anyway they take your fingerprints when you request the visa, but they asked me to take them for a second time and in another office in the USA Embassy) and sent it to the FBI, which would confirm the result (negative, of course) and they sent the visa.
But there's some interesting points about this: 1. You have to pay an extra fee to get your fingerprints sent to the FBI. 2. They make you feel like you're a criminal by sending your information to the FBI to "confirm" you're not a bad guy. 3. My lastname isn't very common in Mexico (actually it's very rare), so it's really strange to find someone with the same fullname, weight and height TWICE, and they both criminals. 4. Many people face the same process.
When you get into the USA they also take you fingerprints (I don't know what they do with them, anyway).
I've been in Europe and it isn't the case, actually, Mexican citizens do not need a visa as we need it for the USA. We're free to enter and leave EU member countries and there isn't any fingerprint scanning.
I'll be there in three weeks, I hope things haven't changed.
Bottom line: It's difficult for a Mexican to get a visa to the USA and we receive a different treatment there, than we receive in other countries, like those in Europe.
Slashdot Mirror
We face the same when trying to get a visa or when we enter the USA, read on...
I'm Mexican and I applied for a visa to travel to USA on 2005. I was told by the officer, that I qualified for the visa and they would actually give it to me, but there were some other two guys with my name, weight and height that had commited some crimes in the USA, so they had to make sure it wasn't me (Imagine my surprise, it was completly unexpected to me). They took my fingerprints (anyway they take your fingerprints when you request the visa, but they asked me to take them for a second time and in another office in the USA Embassy) and sent it to the FBI, which would confirm the result (negative, of course) and they sent the visa.
But there's some interesting points about this:
1. You have to pay an extra fee to get your fingerprints sent to the FBI.
2. They make you feel like you're a criminal by sending your information to the FBI to "confirm" you're not a bad guy.
3. My lastname isn't very common in Mexico (actually it's very rare), so it's really strange to find someone with the same fullname, weight and height TWICE, and they both criminals.
4. Many people face the same process.
When you get into the USA they also take you fingerprints (I don't know what they do with them, anyway).
I've been in Europe and it isn't the case, actually, Mexican citizens do not need a visa as we need it for the USA. We're free to enter and leave EU member countries and there isn't any fingerprint scanning.
I'll be there in three weeks, I hope things haven't changed.
Bottom line: It's difficult for a Mexican to get a visa to the USA and we receive a different treatment there, than we receive in other countries, like those in Europe.
Sad but true.
Miguel