Please help me, Visiting the UK (Scotland) for the first time for 3 months.

[Boiler 48,097]

Have you thought about staying for maybe just a month or so or maybe less? This might be better from a border perspective, but also because staying with someone else so long without helping out financially can be quite a burden on them. I assume you are young, but very extended houseguests are expected to buy groceries and contribute in a monetary capacity. I'm a little worried that despite what they've said to you about this, that it might be perceived rude not to.

Just some food for thought.

That was my thought.

[Scott & Kath 0]

Personally, I would get a letter of sponsorship from your girlfriend. My husband (then fiance) came to the UK to stay with me in England for 4.5 months last year (he is American), and he is unemployed. He did so the previous year also for 3 months. The first time the UKBA guy was really lax (my husband forgot my address the first time around) and let him through. He asked him how he'd be supporting himself and he said he had a credit card for emergencies but room and board would be paid for by me.

The second time, we were a bit more cautious and I scanned into my PC and sent him a signed letter of sponsorship from me, saying I would be paying all of his expenses, my employment information, how much I earn, the reason for our stay and that we would be returning to the US together. I put my mobile number and told them to call me if they needed anything from me when he passed at the border. I also put I would be waiting for him at the airport as the UKBA site recommends that I do. Sure enough, the Border Agent called my mobile when I was waiting at the airport, took my husband into secondary and grilled him. He has bad social anxiety so he panicked and froze up and couldn't answer the questions properly, so they called me and grilled me instead. Even asked how we will support ourselves in the US when we get out there and what our immigration plans were. Asked if he had to be in England "so long" to finish up my K1 visa process. Probably to make sure my man wasn't trying to stay in the UK illegally. In the end he just said "thank you, you've answered all of my questions" and then hung up. My husband came through the gates about 20 minutes later at which point I was freaking out and my mum was shouting at the airport staff and threatened to go through the "No Entry" gate to find out what was going on XD.

So, word of advice - as you're unemployed and just to be safe, get a sponsorship letter from your girlfriend and have her pick you up at the airport. The UKBA website recommends this. You can also find other suggestions on the UKBA website. I spent an hour or two looking at it before hubby flew up and sent him everything/brought everything with me that they could possibly ask for. If they hadn't had my phone number and been able to speak to me, my husband is certain he wouldn't have been allowed in. You could get through easily, but there is always the chance you could get someone with their nuts in a twist like we did the second time.

Really appreciate the help, thank you. Her and her mother will already be at the airport waiting for me, but the sponsorship is a good idea so we'll especially try that. I wish they could've been allowed up as I can be a bundle of nerves socially at times, but hopefully I'll be alright (and don't end up with someone who had a bad day) as I have nothing to hide. Definitely glad to hear you both were able to get through with a similar situation, I could use all the confidence I can get at this point. lol

Have you thought about staying for maybe just a month or so or maybe less? This might be better from a border perspective, but also because staying with someone else so long without helping out financially can be quite a burden on them. I assume you are young, but very extended houseguests are expected to buy groceries and contribute in a monetary capacity. I'm a little worried that despite what they've said to you about this, that it might be perceived rude not to.

Just some food for thought.

We had thought about it, but felt it'd be too emotionally draining on the both of us to have waited so long only to visit for such a short time, and then have to wait long again for the next visit (and make things harder on an emotional level). I understand what you mean though and I don't intend to be a moocher/leech as I plan to aid in various necessities regardless such as groceries etc. as much as I can. Because as you stated it would feel rude, and honestly I prefer to help out as much as i can, so I'll see what else I can do about the money. I would've been happy to work over there locally, but it's illegal, so I can't.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Scott & Kath

[QueenOfBlades 224]

Really appreciate the help, thank you. Her and her mother will already be at the airport waiting for me, but the sponsorship is a good idea so we'll especially try that. I wish they could've been allowed up as I can be a bundle of nerves socially at times, but hopefully I'll be alright (and don't end up with someone who had a bad day) as I have nothing to hide. Definitely glad to hear you both were able to get through with a similar situation, I could use all the confidence I can get at this point. lol

We had thought about it, but felt it'd be too emotionally draining on the both of us to have waited so long only to visit for such a short time, and then have to wait long again for the next visit (and make things harder on an emotional level). I understand what you mean though and I don't intend to be a moocher/leech as I plan to aid in various necessities regardless such as groceries etc. as much as I can. Because as you stated it would feel rude, and honestly I prefer to help out as much as i can, so I'll see what else I can do about the money. I would've been happy to work over there locally, but it's illegal, so I can't.

Make sure she puts a contact phone number on her sponsorship letter so if they do need to check out information on it with her, they can; also if you do struggle with nerves (which my husband did, he said he was so scared when they took him into secondary that he struggled to answer questions he knew the answers to) then they can contact your girlfriend and they can get the information they need from her. It helped us tremendously in a situation that is almost identical to yours. We got through it twice. You should be fine.

Edited February 11, 2014 by QueenOfBlades

[Scott & Kath 0]

Make sure she puts a contact phone number on her sponsorship letter so if they do need to check out information on it with her, they can; also if you do struggle with nerves (which my husband did, he said he was so scared when they took him into secondary that he struggled to answer questions he knew the answers to) then they can contact your girlfriend and they can get the information they need from her. It helped us tremendously in a situation that is almost identical to yours. We got through it twice. You should be fine.

Will do and thank you very much, it really means a lot.

Also was there any financial requirement that needed to be met for the sponsorship?

Edited February 11, 2014 by Scott & Kath

[Shiobhan 235]

Definitely not enough money for 3 mths , also you are

unemployed, gaining entry is no problem as long as

there's no past criminal records anywhere, however

they will ask if you have a credit card and will let you pull a

balance statement from it, if you shows up with no job to

return to I think saying you;ll be getting engaged will cause

more questions, its no different than those visiting the US

go to YOUtuBE type in "UK border Security" and you will

get my drift.also definitely agree with Nola, see, overstaying

ones welcome can ruin or cast a bad light on you as a man

even though you seem young.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Shiobhan

[Scott & Kath 0]

Definitely not enough money for 3 mths , also you are

unemployed, gaining entry is no problem as long as

there's no past criminal records anywhere, however

they will ask if you have a credit card and will let you pull a

balance statement from it, if you shows up with no job to

return to I think saying you;ll be getting engaged will cause

more questions, its no different than those visiting the US

go to YOUtuBE type in "UK border Security" and you will

get my drift.also definitely agree with Nola, see, overstaying

ones welcome can ruin or cast a bad light on you as a man

even though you seem young.

I'll do what I can about the money as I mentioned before, and they'll sponsor me. I'm not intending to do much "tourism". No criminal history at all in my record either so that's nothing I'm worried about and the bank statement I can manage. I'm sure it'll raise eyebrows that I'm currently unemployed, but considering others who were as well and also got through, fingers crossed I'll get to explain the situation truthfully and they'll understand. With my return ticket, bank statement, etc. and intent to apply for the K-1 visa so she can immigrate over, I need to return to America and apply for work, so overstaying isn't even remotely in my mind as I'm well aware of the consequences it'll have and how it can ruin our future plans. Whether me being young (24, going on 25) has any affect on my chances is just something I'll have to deal with when the time comes, but.. hopefully it won't.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Scott & Kath

[QueenOfBlades 224]

Will do and thank you very much, it really means a lot.

Also was there any financial requirement that needed to be met for the sponsorship?

Check your PMs, I've gone into more detail there and sent you a number of links on the UKBA website about what it recommends you bring with you to support your visit.

[JulieandDanny 7]

I think you'll be fine.

Just be prepared and breathe deep.

Queen of Blades is giving you very good advice.

Always better to have evidence of sponsorship and ties to US in case asked.

Like me when I've visited my fiance, you will fingers crossed be very lucky and get asked hardly anything.

*However* I felt extra glad that I had documents and knew what to say to back myself up if it hadn't worked out that way. Forewarned is fore-armed. It's just a bonus if you don't need to show what you got.

P.S. I think you sound honest. Honesty is always the best policy with IOs (Immigration Officers)

BUT-- I would not repeat your comment 'I won't be doing much tourism'...

You will be being issued technically a 'tourist' visa... and that's what it's primarily for.

You can do all the stuff you want to do and I totally get what you meant by the comment...

But you also 'are' a tourist... You even mentioned some of the sights you'll drive and see etc...

Basically if asked you want to be able to rattle off a couple of touristy things you'll be doing...

and you want to be happy to be doing them-- don't say you're not! An IO could take that the wrong way.

I hope you understand what i mean.

Good luck on EVERYTHING and Congratulations on your upcoming engagement.

[Robert&Karen 264]

On my few trips to the UK I'd take about $1000 for a week, and it goes VERY fast. Especially if you buy gasoline/petrol. Plan on it being 3-4x what it is in the US. Everything else is also more expensive than the US, plus the sales tax is betwen 17-20% right now. All I knew if I flew there a half dozen times and always came back broke no matter how hard I tried to save money. You will find that two Dominos pizzas and some soda may be priced around $45 US.

[Camelot13 63]

I took a 3 month trip to Scotland to visit my boyfriend this past summer. I came into the Edinburgh airport. I was fairly freaking out about the immigration checkpoint beforehand, so I went super prepared. They didn't look at all my documents though. I brought with me a letter from an employer saying they expected me to start a job on a certain date in the US, however I was only asked if I had a job to which I said, "Yes." I also had a letter from my boyfriend saying that I could stay with him for those dates. They asked me what his date of birth is and they copied down his phone number onto a separate notepaper, but didn't call him. They also looked at my return ticket. I had saved up about $4500 for the 3 month stay, but they didn't ask to see my bank statement.

That amount of money you mentions seems like it may not be enough for 3 months, from the IO's standpoint. They'll likely never ask, but if you can bring along a credit card statement showing a limit of a few thousand dollars, even if you never intend on using it, it may make the IO feel satisfied that you have sufficient funds.

If you don't want to do that, perhaps you can book your flight for a only few weeks and then if you get a 6 month stamp (standard for most visitors) then you can later change the date of your flight. If you could bring along any other ties to the US, that would be helpful too. Even if you don't have a rental lease, perhaps you could have an ongoing cell phone bill and health insurance in the US. I even brought a letter from my mom saying that she'd be having surgery the month I returned and was relying on me for her recovery care. This never came up, but I just wanted even more to show I was definitely going home. They primarily want to know that you're not going to work in the UK and you're going to return home. You seem like a genuine person, but being young, in a relationship with a UK citizen, and not having a job to return to are potential red flags. Just make sure to establish your financial resources and ties to home and then I'm sure you'll be fine.

If you have started the K1 process, bring any documents to back that up. If you haven't started, I wouldn't recommend talking about the engagement unless specifically asked because there's no way of proving you're planning on doing the immigration process in the US & it may just complicate things.

[Scott & Kath 0]

Check your PMs, I've gone into more detail there and sent you a number of links on the UKBA website about what it recommends you bring with you to support your visit.

Thanks, I really appreciate it and replied to it.

I think you'll be fine.

Just be prepared and breathe deep.

Queen of Blades is giving you very good advice.

Always better to have evidence of sponsorship and ties to US in case asked.

Like me when I've visited my fiance, you will fingers crossed be very lucky and get asked hardly anything.

*However* I felt extra glad that I had documents and knew what to say to back myself up if it hadn't worked out that way. Forewarned is fore-armed. It's just a bonus if you don't need to show what you got.

P.S. I think you sound honest. Honesty is always the best policy with IOs (Immigration Officers)

BUT-- I would not repeat your comment 'I won't be doing much tourism'...

You will be being issued technically a 'tourist' visa... and that's what it's primarily for.

You can do all the stuff you want to do and I totally get what you meant by the comment...

But you also 'are' a tourist... You even mentioned some of the sights you'll drive and see etc...

Basically if asked you want to be able to rattle off a couple of touristy things you'll be doing...

and you want to be happy to be doing them-- don't say you're not! An IO could take that the wrong way.

I hope you understand what i mean.

Good luck on EVERYTHING and Congratulations on your upcoming engagement.

No worries, I fully understand what you meant and I'll be sure to word what I say carefully when I'm there. Thanks as well.

On my few trips to the UK I'd take about $1000 for a week, and it goes VERY fast. Especially if you buy gasoline/petrol. Plan on it being 3-4x what it is in the US. Everything else is also more expensive than the US, plus the sales tax is betwen 17-20% right now. All I knew if I flew there a half dozen times and always came back broke no matter how hard I tried to save money. You will find that two Dominos pizzas and some soda may be priced around $45 US.

Yeah, the conversion of USD to GBP is pretty brutal so I'll see what I can do about that. We really don't want to do a much shorter trip (lower than 2 months), but if it's what it'll have to come to then we'll just have to make do.

I took a 3 month trip to Scotland to visit my boyfriend this past summer. I came into the Edinburgh airport. I was fairly freaking out about the immigration checkpoint beforehand, so I went super prepared. They didn't look at all my documents though. I brought with me a letter from an employer saying they expected me to start a job on a certain date in the US, however I was only asked if I had a job to which I said, "Yes." I also had a letter from my boyfriend saying that I could stay with him for those dates. They asked me what his date of birth is and they copied down his phone number onto a separate notepaper, but didn't call him. They also looked at my return ticket. I had saved up about $4500 for the 3 month stay, but they didn't ask to see my bank statement.

That amount of money you mentions seems like it may not be enough for 3 months, from the IO's standpoint. They'll likely never ask, but if you can bring along a credit card statement showing a limit of a few thousand dollars, even if you never intend on using it, it may make the IO feel satisfied that you have sufficient funds.

If you don't want to do that, perhaps you can book your flight for a only few weeks and then if you get a 6 month stamp (standard for most visitors) then you can later change the date of your flight. If you could bring along any other ties to the US, that would be helpful too. Even if you don't have a rental lease, perhaps you could have an ongoing cell phone bill and health insurance in the US. I even brought a letter from my mom saying that she'd be having surgery the month I returned and was relying on me for her recovery care. This never came up, but I just wanted even more to show I was definitely going home. They primarily want to know that you're not going to work in the UK and you're going to return home. You seem like a genuine person, but being young, in a relationship with a UK citizen, and not having a job to return to are potential red flags. Just make sure to establish your financial resources and ties to home and then I'm sure you'll be fine.

If you have started the K1 process, bring any documents to back that up. If you haven't started, I wouldn't recommend talking about the engagement unless specifically asked because there's no way of proving you're planning on doing the immigration process in the US & it may just complicate things.

Sounds like a good idea and I should be able to get a more acceptable amount of funds without spending much of it with the help of my parents. Not sure how I feel about the date changing after entry though, for one I don't know how much the fee will be for that. I can bring an ongoing cell phone bill and I do have health insurance as well, so that's a plus. I'll see if we can come up with anything else in the form of ties.

We haven't started the K1 process yet as this will be our first time meeting in person, but I'm still nervous about the engagement ring as even though I could simply not mention it, it feels like it'd be awkward for them to find the ring and then wonder why I didn't bother mentioning it to begin with when asked intentions (coupled with my situation).

[QueenOfBlades 224]

Thanks, I really appreciate it and replied to it.

No worries, I fully understand what you meant and I'll be sure to word what I say carefully when I'm there. Thanks as well.

Yeah, the conversion of USD to GBP is pretty brutal so I'll see what I can do about that. We really don't want to do a much shorter trip (lower than 2 months), but if it's what it'll have to come to then we'll just have to make do.

Sounds like a good idea and I should be able to get a more acceptable amount of funds without spending much of it with the help of my parents. Not sure how I feel about the date changing after entry though, for one I don't know how much the fee will be for that. I can bring an ongoing cell phone bill and I do have health insurance as well, so that's a plus. I'll see if we can come up with anything else in the form of ties.

We haven't started the K1 process yet as this will be our first time meeting in person, but I'm still nervous about the engagement ring as even though I could simply not mention it, it feels like it'd be awkward for them to find the ring and then wonder why I didn't bother mentioning it to begin with when asked intentions (coupled with my situation).

If you had a credit card, that could help as that's what my husband had when he came up the first time. It may not be a breeze getting through, but honestly, I think you should be ok as long as you have your documents in order. Look at those links I sent you and have everything that they recommend. Also, like another member said, if you do start the K-1 process, if you visit again, bring supporting documentation for that as we had all that the second time too to prove we were far in the process. Chris said the second time, the guy looked at my letter of sponsorship, our NOA2 and our letter from the NVC saying it'd been forwarded to the London Embassy. Didn't look at any bank statements or anything else. It was the intent and duration of stay (July 23rd to Dec 10th) that bothered him the most. That may have been as we were engaged though and it may have raised red flags as "may try to stay in the UK". Bear in mind for our first visit though (as boyfriend/girlfriend, not engaged) for 3 months, we didn't have squat and we still managed alright.

If it was me personally, I would not cut my trip down nor would I change flights - I would simply be as prepared as possible and have all of the stuff they recommend you bring.

P.S Put the ring in your suitcase or something. They're not gonna go digging through trying to find it and then use it at the border to question your intentions. I entered the US with no intention to propose to my US husband, told the CBP guy that I was staying with my boyfriend for a couple of weeks, then I just decided to go for it and asked him to marry me 2 days later - I went home and we started the K-1. You won't get in trouble for proposing to her as long as you intend to leave when you tell them.

Edited February 12, 2014 by QueenOfBlades

[Scott & Kath 0]

If you had a credit card, that could help as that's what my husband had when he came up the first time. It may not be a breeze getting through, but honestly, I think you should be ok as long as you have your documents in order. Look at those links I sent you and have everything that they recommend. Also, like another member said, if you do start the K-1 process, if you visit again, bring supporting documentation for that as we had all that the second time too to prove we were far in the process. Chris said the second time, the guy looked at my letter of sponsorship, our NOA2 and our letter from the NVC saying it'd been forwarded to the London Embassy. Didn't look at any bank statements or anything else. It was the intent and duration of stay (July 23rd to Dec 10th) that bothered him the most. That may have been as we were engaged though and it may have raised red flags as "may try to stay in the UK". Bear in mind for our first visit though (as boyfriend/girlfriend, not engaged) for 3 months, we didn't have squat and we still managed alright.

If it was me personally, I would not cut my trip down nor would I change flights - I would simply be as prepared as possible and have all of the stuff they recommend you bring.

P.S Put the ring in your suitcase or something. They're not gonna go digging through trying to find it and then use it at the border to question your intentions. I entered the US with no intention to propose to my US husband, told the CBP guy that I was staying with my boyfriend for a couple of weeks, then I just decided to go for it and asked him to marry me 2 days later - I went home and we started the K-1. You won't get in trouble for proposing to her as long as you intend to leave when you tell them.

I don't have a credit card at the moment, but I can look into that for sure. I may or may not visit during the K1 process as I don't know how my spare money will be at that time, but if I decide to I'll definitely bring all the appropriate documents to back us up. Yeah, I don't think I'm going to go with the trip cut and flight change, I'd rather not make things any more complicated than they already are (but to Camelot13, I do really appreciate the advice). I'll bring everything I can for the UKBA and then some, better to be safe than sorry, and I'll put the ring in a safe place in my suitcase.

Thanks again and as well to everyone else, I wasn't expecting to get so much help on this and it truly does mean a lot, so thank you again everyone. Hopefully everything will go okay for us and we can have a great time together.

[Camelot13 63]

Totally understand! I've never booked a shorter flight and changed it either, but I've heard other people mention this in the past so I thought I'd pass it along in case it made sense for your situation. You seem like a nice guy - best of luck and have a wonderful trip.

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