A 70-year-old Scottish man ruined his holiday trip to New York City for which he spend around £2,000 ($1,807) by accidentally declaring himself a 'terrorist' on a crucial visa form.
John Stevenson and his wife, Marion, had planned to fly to New York City on December 3 and booked flights and accommodation for the trip. But the couple landed in trouble while filling out the Esta visa form online when Stevenson accidentally ticked 'terrorist' box. The couple is likely to lose all the money spent on the trip besides being denied entry into the U.S. forever.
"We were filling out the visa form and it kept timing out before we could tick all the boxes. Then it crashed and when it came back up, you start where you finish off," Independent quoted Stevenson as saying. The couple was denied visa because he was a 'terrorist'.
"One of the questions ask if you are a terrorist and it must have jumped from No to Yes without me knowing. I even called border control in the U.S. and gave them my passport details," Stevenson, a grandfather, said. "They looked up my Esta number and said 'you're a terrorist'. I told them that I was 70 years old and I don't even recognise what that means. It is the biggest nightmare I've ever had," he added.
Post the error, Stevenson tried to convince US officials that he was not a criminal and explained that he had only ever been in court for jury service. "I've never been in trouble in my life. The only time I've been in court was for jury service and now I've been treated like a criminal," he said, adding, "We can't even reschedule because I don't know if I'll ever get back into America."
Moreover, the couple had booked their flight tickets through United Airlines and were told the cost of the flights could not be refunded. "It's terrible, it's shocking and so stupid. I don't know why that question is on the form in the first place," Stevenson said. Adding that he was "devastated" by the mistake, the couple from Inverclyde in Scotland, is hoping to be able to fix the error by arranging an appointment at the U.S. embassy in London.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
