Ihrtrvl

I know, I know, we did it backwards, but that being said, anyone out there have any issues getting approved for global entry once they've been TSA approved?

Randyk47

Notionally you shouldn't have a problem but the criteria for GE is supposedly more strict. I think some here have reported that they had PreCheck but failed GE but I don't recall the circumstances. You will get a new PassID/KTN as those are unique to each program. Mrs. K has a PreCheck KTN and a GE generated KTN and has changed all her records over to the GE number. Might add she didn't quite apply for PreCheck first then GE. She's a DoD employee and her PreCheck KTN came from that status. We both enrolled in GE for our personal travel so she technically has two KTNs.

SEA1K4EVR

No issues...totally separate processes. GE definitely more stringent..and if approved for that, use your GE/PassID number going forward for Pre.

Ihrtrvl

Dh and I were both approved with emails in our inboxes by the time we got to the car.

Conditional approval took about 10 days after initial application, and interview appointments were aplenty the next day at both international airports nearby.

One quick note: DH had a couple of arrests back in the late 80's but charges were sealed and expunged (or so he thought) so he checked "no" on his application. Well, they showed up during the interview After a full explanation, officer seemed unfazed, and approved him. ^

Yoshi212

Are you going to go for the Hat trick and get Nexus after?



Seriously, if you do qualify and can get to a Nexus enrollment center with general ease I suggest it. More benefits and half the price.

Ihrtrvl

Ha!

I need to read up on NEXUS. Not sure why I was under the impression it was for Canadian citizens. With the added benefit of TSA with GE, we just planned to renew GE after our 5 years was up.

Yoshi212

I signed up or GE and 3 years later got Nexus for increased travel to Canada. To me it made sense for the added Canadian benefit and renewing after 3 years for 50$ just made sense to me.

Sting.Ray

If you already have GE and you apply for NEXUS, will you have to go through the whole US enrollment process (meaning background check and interview) again? Or just the Canadian one?

Often1

An important point which arises time and again. OP's DH is extremely lucky. Many Officers would have summarily denied the GE application, not because they care about the old conduct, but because of the lack of candor at the interview.

CBP isn't asking questions in order to find out the answers. CBP already has the answers. The questions are asked to determine how truthful you have been. Criminal convictions are reported to and then collected by multiple databases. The chances that, sealed, expunged or whatever, they don't show up, is slim to nil.

The DH should have answered, "yes, but....."

GUWonder

That depends. I've repeatedly observed CBP asking questions of GE applicants where CBP had no clue about what the answers would/should be.

Yoshi212

Nexus is one application and the review is done by the Canadian & US gov't behind the scenes. When I went to the Nexus enrollment center at Fort Erie I met with 2 sets of each US & Canadian immigration officials. The GE interview was a bit more informal and quick but the Nexus interview was not any worse really. They verify the info you submitted for accuracy and ask you why you want Nexus...then you meet with people who explain the intricacies of the system and how you use Nexus. The guy I met with for this from the US (of which I am a citizen) was a bit of a pr&ck and gave me a hassle about why I had GE first and then Nexus. I bit my tongue and it was over within an hour from start to finish.

Ihrtrvl

I do agree with you and they do already have the answers, but the reason he answered "no" was he wasn't actually convicted of any of the minor offenses (if I remember correctly, the question does specifically ask if you've been convicted of a crime). Charges were dropped both times. When the CBP officer asked if he'd ever been arrested, he was very forthcoming about what happened. Did he get lucky with this CBP officer? IDK, because arrested is not the same as convicted. That being said, CBP officer was a very nice guy.

gobluetwo

I think the key is that he was honest and forthcoming during the interview about the arrests. Many people on FT have shared that they denied any arrests/convictions during the interviews b/c the records were sealed/expunged, but then were denied GE approval.

KevinDTW

It's not the crime, it's the cover-up. The problem is there's a lot of confusion about the effect of having an arrest or conviction record sealed or expunged. For example, the only state I have any knowledge of in this regard is NY. There, a criminal record can under certain circumstances be sealed, but NY does not expunge records. But even a sealed record might not be what you'd expect. They will still report the incident if the person concerned makes a request for the record (as opposed to an employer or other third party), and all they can promise to do w/re other LE agencies is to notify them that the record has been sealed. Whether those other agencies honor that or follow up to seal it themselves is another question. So people naturally are confused as to how they are entitled to answer questions such as "have you ever been arrested" when perhaps they were arrested and then all charges were dropped and the record ordered sealed. Attorneys sometime compound this problem by telling clients "it's as if it never happened" which is not always true. As others here have said, given the apparent capability of CBP/TSA to access all records, full disclosure is certainly the best policy here.

TWA884

Posts discussing which KTN to use by those who first signed up for PreCheck and later for Global Entry were moved to this thread:

Signed up for GE and PreCheck - which KTN to use?

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator