Two questions... ESTA, and Ireland WH?

I'm looking over the ESTA application before I have my UKC DB fill it out, and now I'm nervous... he's been arrested (but not convicted) a couple times for drug possession - he's been clean for a few years now, but is this going to affect his chances of getting into the USA?  Would it be better if I just continued to be the commuter in this relationship?  I do so LOOOOVE spending hours in airports and on planes and all

Question number two - I'll be applying for the Ireland Working Holidaymaker [nofollow] visa in the spring of next year but I can't seem to find much online about peoples' actual experiences with applying, moving... anything!  I can't possibly be the first person to do this!  Is there any sort of Americans in Ireland forum?   Google is surprisingly unhelpful.   

Thanks for any insight anyone may have!

I'm looking over the ESTA application before I have my UKC DB fill it out, and now I'm nervous... he's been arrested (but not convicted) a couple times for drug possession - he's been clean for a few years now, but is this going to affect his chances of getting into the USA?  Would it be better if I just continued to be the commuter in this relationship?  I do so LOOOOVE spending hours in airports and on planes and all

This is a tough one, because although I think the ESTA form only asks for convictions, the US Embassy website/visa form states that anyone who has ever been arrested for anything, even if not convicted, is not eligible to use the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA) and must apply for a visa in advance of travel. However, he may be able to truthfully answer all the ESTA questions and be allowed to travel on the VWP (but if the ESTA application is denied, he will have to apply for a visa if he wants to travel to the US).

I have a DUI on my record and I was told by the US Embassy that am not eligible to use the VWP/ESTA and I will need a visa for the US for the rest of my life (I was about to apply for a US student visa when it happened, so I had to tell them about it anyway). Drugs offences are taken much more seriously than DUIs in terms of US visas, although I'm not sure what difference it makes if he was never convicted.

If he does need to apply for a visa though, it's likely to take 2-4 months to get it. For visa interview appointments due to an arrest, the waiting time is usually 2-3 months, then it can take a couple of weeks or more for the visa to be issued after that (I called mid-Sept 2007 and the earliest appointment was late-November 2007 (student visa), and I also called mid-April 2009 and the earliest they could fit me in was July 1st 2009 (visitor visa)).

From the US Embassy website (http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/add_crime.html):

Additional Administrative Processing : Criminal Convictions

Under United States visa law, people who have been arrested at anytime are required to declare the arrest when applying for a visa. If the arrest resulted in a conviction, the individual may be permanently ineligible to receive a visa. In order to travel, a waiver of the permanent ineligibility is required. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to United States visa law. Therefore, even travelers with a spent conviction are required to declare the arrest and/or conviction.

Question number two - I'll be applying for the Ireland Working Holidaymaker visa in the spring of next year but I can't seem to find much online about peoples' actual experiences with applying, moving... anything!  I can't possibly be the first person to do this!  Is there any sort of Americans in Ireland forum?   Google is surprisingly unhelpful.   

Thanks for any insight anyone may have!

The only thing I'd say about this is that the Irish economy is not doing too well at the moment, unfortunately.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/10162176.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10150007.stm

If you post about your work / education experience in the jobs board and that you're applying for this programme in your post header, you may get better replies regarding your area of work experience and the people on UKY in Ireland may respond better to your query. 

I'm an American living in Ireland (Dublin) and I can assure you, the economy is not good here right now. I have been trying to get a job for over a year now. How will it be next spring when you apply? No idea, but keep in mind it's quite behind the US in terms of recovery.

As far as I know there isn't a group like UKY for people in Ireland. There are TONS of Americans here though. You can find blogs written by some of them here: http://www.expat-blog.com

You can keep track of the job market by looking at the jobs section of the Irish Times:
http://www.irishtimes.com/jobs/

Or this website is really helpful:
http://www.irishjobs.ie/

If you think you'll come over and just get a job in a shop or a pub, these are pretty much non-existent, at least in Dublin. I imagine the rest of the country is worse.

Sorry to be a bummer, but that's the reality of things here right now.