Can American visit UK without problems?

[Rob and Jill 82]

You're feisty Jill.

(I have no idea what that smiley is supposed to be, but it's kinda cute.)

Well, when I see someone with a fiance/husband from a country other than the U.K. giving advice about the U.K. embassy on the U.K board, and it's not 100% correct, it annoys me!

Just because it SAYS you canm attend the interview does not mean the border guards will let you in!

[camerons 0]

For any regular visitor, suggest you register on departure from the UK with IRIS the retinal scan entry system, assuming the machine works then no need for conversations with Immigration.

[maxT 0]

My husband and I will be filing for the IR1/CR1 soon. He is in the UK and I am in the US. We know once we file that he would have trouble visiting the US so we don't plan to attempt that, but would there be any trouble for me to visit him in the UK during his pending immigration?

Thanks

As long as you have the visa for 6 months for UK visit you should be ok,my wife visited twice to UK with 6 months visa with a 6 months "break" cos NVC decided to rip the p*

by making me wait 2 years for a visa.If you decide to return to visit UK during the 6 months "break" they get suspicious and they might kick you back out.

[Fandango 1,439]

Meh, I was detained for like 8 or 9 hours in Gatwick. Never say never!

[Dodi 69]

It's weird that everyone else seems to be having trouble with Manchester. I got rerouted to Manchester instead of Bristol due to heavy storms in Atlanta on the way out. Manchester was a breeze! I told them I was meeting my fiance's family for the first time, just spending a week, huge grin on my face the whole time. The guy there said, "Congratulations," stamped my passport good for 6 months, and I went on my merry way to my connection flight to Heathrow.

[Justine+David 218]

Okay. Manchester was a really weird experience for me...

I usually fly through Heathrow since it is cheaper from D.C. but we went to Scotland in April so I flew through Manchester up to Inverness.

For some reason, I was never put through the immigration border patrol. I just followed everyone else and got my connecting flight and there was no one to talk to about it. I got to Inverness and there was nothing there either. I even asked one of the security guards, "Um...I never went through immigration. Shouldn't I get my passport stamped?" but he said it was fine

It seems like this would be a humongous security risk. Anyone had this experience?

It just now occurs to me that I wonder if this will cause problems in the future. Maybe I should go over and ask UK-Yankee.

[Rob and Jill 82]

"Um...I never went through immigration. Shouldn't I get my passport stamped?" but he said it was fine

It seems like this would be a humongous security risk. Anyone had this experience?

It just now occurs to me that I wonder if this will cause problems in the future. Maybe I should go over and ask UK-Yankee.

WOW. Haven't had that experience...I am assuming you have other records to show you visited there without the passport stamp right? Well, you have to based on your spot in the visa process. Did they say anything about it when you came back into the US?

It's weird that everyone else seems to be having trouble with Manchester

Perhaps it was because I was going to Scotland instead of England. Apparently, if you're from a place where public transportation is the norm, they find it odd if you want to take a train ride to see the country...LOL.

Edited August 13, 2010 by Rob and Jill

[Dodi 69]

Justine, were you saying you were traveling from Manchester to Inverness?

You wouldn't have to go through immigration to get from England to Scotland and back. Only when you first entered the UK. They're considered one entity to immigration. While I was visiting we flew from Bristol to Edinburgh to visit Peter's brother and his family. No immigration stamps their either. Your entry stamp when you entered the UK was good for the time allotted and you didn't need another stamp for Scotland (or Wales, or Northern Ireland).

Hope that helps!

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Justine, were you saying you were traveling from Manchester to Inverness?

You wouldn't have to go through immigration to get from England to Scotland and back. Only when you first entered the UK. They're considered one entity to immigration. While I was visiting we flew from Bristol to Edinburgh to visit Peter's brother and his family. No immigration stamps their either. Your entry stamp when you entered the UK was good for the time allotted and you didn't need another stamp for Scotland (or Wales, or Northern Ireland).

Hope that helps!

Justine's point was she arrived from the US at Manchester where she should have gone through UK immigration. But instead, she was shuttled along with a group of passengers making a connection to Scotland.. So her trip USA to UK, never had immigration stamps or record of her entering the country.

Edited August 13, 2010 by Nich-Nick

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

For some reason, I was never put through the immigration border patrol. I just followed everyone else and got my connecting flight and there was no one to talk to about it.

Sounds like there was an error. You should have been stamped at Manchester before continuing on to your connecting flight to Inverness. However, if you've been back to the UK since with no issues, this is nothing but a curio and a tale to tell. If you've not been back yet, it might be good to follow up with the IND (or whatever they're called these days).

Edit: and Nich beats me to the punch!

Edited August 13, 2010 by elmcitymaven

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

it should be similar to the US - you go through passport control at your POE and then on to your domestic transer. I have never heard of such a thing happening in the UK. However, if you arrive in Dublin and go through Irish border control and have a connecting flight to the UK you will not go through UK border control.

[marlea 84]

When I was re-routed through Manchester once, I was given the third degree. Though I was also refused entry at Heathrow once as well (long story, not my fault, it was an #######-for-tat disagreement between the US and UK, and I'm serious about this) and so I will have to apply for visas to enter the UK for the rest of my life, probably.

But, I digress. I can see how it was possible to miss going though immigration at Manchester when transferring flights. Yes, I got the third degree, but it was just one guy sitting at a little desk, not the proper big immigration hall. If, for some reason, that guy had taken a 5 minute break, I wouldn't have realized that was the immigration point.

[goonergirl 2]

it should be similar to the US - you go through passport control at your POE and then on to your domestic transer. I have never heard of such a thing happening in the UK. However, if you arrive in Dublin and go through Irish border control and have a connecting flight to the UK you will not go through UK border control.

I recently read an article (can't find it now...) about people coming into the UK illegally by buying a ticket for a flight from Northern Ireland on someone like Ryanair and printing off the boarding pass so that when they arrived at the airport (on a flight from some other country) they waited until the Ryanair flight was there and just followed those people through the non-passport controlled 'Channel Islands/N. Ireland' entry and never went through regular immigration. I can imagine they will probably change that process soon in some way to prevent this sort of thing. But if people aren't paying attention, I could see somebody getting through that line accidentally.

[Justine+David 218]

Justine's point was she arrived from the US at Manchester where she should have gone through UK immigration. But instead, she was shuttled along with a group of passengers making a connection to Scotland.. So her trip USA to UK, never had immigration stamps or record of her entering the country.

Yeah. Oh man. Hearing about how bad US immigration can be with this kind of stuff (knowing people's plane tickets and the like despite no I-94s), I'm wondering how stringent the UK people are. Guess I technically entered without inspection? Hubby thinks I'm being silly. UGH.

Maybe my IRIS will still work at Heathrow when we go in December...

In any case I've never spent more than a week at a time when going to the UK and my flight records would clearly indicate this. And I am always going to be traveling with hubby if we go to the UK from now on (although he'll have to be in a separate line, of course) and am guessing it will be easier to get through if he's just right there.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

In any case I've never spent more than a week at a time when going to the UK and my flight records would clearly indicate this. And I am always going to be traveling with hubby if we go to the UK from now on (although he'll have to be in a separate line, of course) and am guessing it will be easier to get through if he's just right there.

This reminded me of when we went back to the UK the first time together in May. He was through his line way faster than me. I don't even remember what I was asked. They've never asked me much in 10 trips so I've kinda quit paying attention to it. Anyway I think I mentioned I was married to a British citizen so he said "Where is you husband?" I pointed over his shoulder and said, "he's behind you waiting for me to get through this line." I believe he also asked if my husband lived in the US now. In all those trips through Gatwick and Heathrow, I've never mentioned a relationship. My answer was always "I'm here on holiday" and "I have some friends here." And I was never given any further questions. I think two week trips probably aren't as suspicious to them either.

Edited August 13, 2010 by Nich-Nick