Passport not stamped at pasport control

[stmellon]

Greetings all,

My name is Simon and I work for a UK university.

One of my students has entered through Heathrow, but his passport has not been stamped. This means that he is in turn unable to register with the police, as required.

I have called Borders and Immigration repeatedly, who have passed me from pillar to post.

* Overseas Visitors Registration Office cannot register the student without a stamp in the passport

* Immigration at Heathrow Airport cannot stamp the passport now that the student has entered the country

* Passports agency cannot help as they deal with UK passports

All of the above keep giving me the number for BIA, who in turn fob me off to someone else. Any suggestions, please?

[Dawie]

From which country did your student fly in from? The only conceivable way in which your student could have possibly entered the country via Heathrow without being stamped is if he flew in from the Republic of Ireland. The UK considers flights from Ireland to be domestic flights and thus all arrivals from Ireland are done throught the domestic arrivals terminal.

I think you need to get some more information from your student about the exact circumstances in which he managed to evade immigration control. The main reason you are being fobbed off is because it is highly unusual for someone who is entering the UK for the first time not to be stamped if they are a non-EU citizen, especially one who is required to be registered with the police.

[SYH]

From which country did your student fly in from? The only conceivable way in which your student could have possibly entered the country via Heathrow without being stamped is if he flew in from the Republic of Ireland. The UK considers flights from Ireland to be domestic flights and thus all arrivals from Ireland are done throught the domestic arrivals terminal.

I think you need to get some more information from your student about the exact circumstances in which he managed to evade immigration control.

I have plenty of entries without stamps from Heathrow. Don't know what happened the first two years I was in the UK. Let me amend that by saying but not the EC, that was indeed stamped correctly. Thank god.

[Dawie]

From which country did your student fly in from? The only conceivable way in which your student could have possibly entered the country via Heathrow without being stamped is if he flew in from the Republic of Ireland. The UK considers flights from Ireland to be domestic flights and thus all arrivals from Ireland are done throught the domestic arrivals terminal.

I think you need to get some more information from your student about the exact circumstances in which he managed to evade immigration control.

I have plenty of entries without stamps from Heathrow. Don't know what happened the first two years I was in the UK

Your initial entry into the UK in whatever visa category you may be in is ALWAYS stamped. The UK did operate a policy a few years back when they weren't stamping visa holders after the initial stamp, but changed it again about 3 years ago. Most non-EU citizens are stamped now when entering the UK except, I think, for family members of EEA citizens.

[Christophe]

initial entry into the UK in whatever visa category you may be in is ALWAYS stamped.

That is the theory, but as we know with the Home Office the theory and the practice don't always match.

I have known people with missing stamps. I have also known someone (an aunt by marriage, in fact) who travels with an Australian passport with a right of abode certificate in it: she was once stamped into the UK at one of the Channel ports with the "Given leave to enter the UK for six months..." stamp - clearly an error.

So, unfortunately, mistakes with stamps do happen.

[Dawie]

initial entry into the UK in whatever visa category you may be in is ALWAYS stamped.

That is the theory, but as we know with the Home Office the theory and the practice don't always match.

I have known people with missing stamps. I have also known someone (an aunt by marriage, in fact) who travels with an Australian passport with a right of abode certificate in it: she was once stamped into the UK at one of the Channel ports with the "Given leave to enter the UK for six months..." stamp - clearly an error.

So, unfortunately, mistakes with stamps do happen.

Yeah, I agree they do. But I find it difficult to imagine that a student from a visa-required country (which this student probably is considering that he is required to register with the police) entering the UK for the first time through the UK's primary point of entry (Heathrow) would not be dealt with in the correct way.

[Christophe]

Yeah, I agree they do. But I find it difficult to imagine that a student from a visa-required country (which this student probably is considering that he is required to register with the police) entering the UK for the first time through the UK's primary point of entry (Heathrow) would not be dealt with in the correct way.

I agree, it's unlikely - but possible...

[SYH]

... The UK did operate a policy a few years back when they weren't stamping visa holders after the initial stamp, but changed it again about 3 years ago.

Well then that explains it because I couldn't get over how I had all these entry and exit stamps to European countries but no entry stamps into the UK.
Do you know what date exactly they started stamping again????

[stmellon]

From which country did your student fly in from? The only conceivable way in which your student could have possibly entered the country via Heathrow without being stamped is if he flew in from the Republic of Ireland. The UK considers flights from Ireland to be domestic flights and thus all arrivals from Ireland are done throught the domestic arrivals terminal.

I think you need to get some more information from your student about the exact circumstances in which he managed to evade immigration control. The main reason you are being fobbed off is because it is highly unusual for someone who is entering the UK for the first time not to be stamped if they are a non-EU citizen, especially one who is required to be registered with the police.

He flew in direct from China. We also have the same situation with an American student who also flew in through Heathrow, so I would counter that another conceivable way is that passport control staff are not doing their jobs properly!


Edit:
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Can I also add, Dawie, that this student did not "evade" passport control; he has other documentation such as a completed landing card that proves he has come through immigration legitimately, so there is little doubt in my mind that the fault lies with the staff, not the student.

[Dawie]

Edit:
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Can I also add, Dawie, that this student did not "evade" passport control; he has other documentation such as a completed landing card that proves he has come through immigration legitimately, so there is little doubt in my mind that the fault lies with the staff, not the student.

How could he have a landing card in his possession when the landing card is supposed to be handed in to an immigration officer?

[SYH]

He flew in direct from China. We also have the same situation with an American student who also flew in through Heathrow, so I would counter that another conceivable way is that passport control staff are not doing their jobs properly!


Edit:
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Can I also add, Dawie, that this student did not "evade" passport control; he has other documentation such as a completed landing card that proves he has come through immigration legitimately, so there is little doubt in my mind that the fault lies with the staff, not the student.

He has a completed landing card? Well I am sure he doesn't have it on him as that has to be turned in so that really doesn't help his case. Slip ups happen. If you search the bia site, it does discuss somewhere what to do when it heppens so I suggest you check it out.

I don't think Dawie meant evade in its negative sense, more like avoid or miss it. I'd like to know how he managed it. I'd love passport control to forget stamping my passport. and if there is a way to avoid the queue that would be fun too.

[Christophe]

Normally the landing card would be handed to the immigration officer, who keeps it. So either the immigration officer was woefully inadequate in his job (unfortunately quite possible) or else the student didn't pass through immigration.

HOWEVER, if he didn't I doubt very much that is his fault and I also doubt very much that it would have been deliberate on his part.

I also know of someone who was directed around immigration at Heathrow (with a whole lot of other passengers) by airport staff and ended up emerging through customs in the wrong terminal! (Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are all inter-connected.) This group of passengers (about 20 in all) had to do some swift talking to be admitted back into the right terminal because, of course, that was where their luggage was going round and round on a carousel.

All sorts of mistakes happen, unfortunately. In a way, it doesn't matter why it happened now: what is needed is some way of sorting it out...

[Dawie]

Based on the evidence presented so far (no entry stamp and student still in possession of landing card) it sounds as if this student somehow managed to emerge out of Heathrow without passing through any immigration control.

[SYH]

Based on the evidence presented so far (no entry stamp and student still in possession of landing card) it sounds as if this student somehow managed to emerge out of Heathrow without passing through any immigration control.

Is this landing card stamped
Maybe he just filled out two cards and gave one to immigration control?

[stmellon]

The landing card that he showed me has had the "For Official Use" section completed, and it is clear from the handwriting and the use of codes that it wasn't the student doing it himself.

He aslo has a Form IS81 - Notice to a Person REquired to Submit to Further Examination, stating that he was examined by a medical inspector - this form has been initialled and stamped by an offical.

Based on this evidence, I'm going with Christophe on "the immigration officer was woefully inadequate in his job".


Ranting aside, does anyone have any suggestion on how to remedy the situation?

[Markie]

the landing card along with passport at Immigration control.

- Immigration officer gets the landing card and duly aknowledges it by signing on it along with some other notes taken from passport...i.e. visa expiry date.
- then he should have stamped passport to reflect entry to UK.

Done this steps several times already. I have not missed any stamping at all.

Based on the evidence presented so far (no entry stamp and student still in possession of landing card) it sounds as if this student somehow managed to emerge out of Heathrow without passing through any immigration control.

Is this landing card stamped
Maybe he just filled out two cards and gave one to immigration control?

[SYH]

The landing card that he showed me has had the "For Official Use" section completed, and it is clear from the handwriting and the use of codes that it wasn't the student doing it himself.

He aslo has a Form IS81 - Notice to a Person REquired to Submit to Further Examination, stating that he was examined by a medical inspector - this form has been initialled and stamped by an offical.

Based on this evidence, I'm going with Christophe on "the immigration officer was woefully inadequate in his job".


Ranting aside, does anyone have any suggestion on how to remedy the situation?

Finally the rest of the story.
he just slipped through the cracks but it wasnt a simple take the card and stamp the passportgo to the bia site and use the search function.

[jes2jes]

The landing card that he showed me has had the "For Official Use" section completed, and it is clear from the handwriting and the use of codes that it wasn't the student doing it himself.

He aslo has a Form IS81 - Notice to a Person REquired to Submit to Further Examination, stating that he was examined by a medical inspector - this form has been initialled and stamped by an offical.

Based on this evidence, I'm going with Christophe on "the immigration officer was woefully inadequate in his job".


Ranting aside, does anyone have any suggestion on how to remedy the situation?

There was similar case of a student who came from Ireland but wanted prove of date of entry in the UK in their passport. This is what they did:

Send the ticket alongside the passport to BIA with an explanation note explaining the situation.

Include the landing card which the IO should have kept alongside this

Ask them to stamp your passport to reflect entry into the country.

I must say that I do not know if there is an application fee for this process but do call BIA and find out. You can google this board using entry from Ireland, I guess you would come across the post.

[Christophe]

The landing card that he showed me has had the "For Official Use" section completed, and it is clear from the handwriting and the use of codes that it wasn't the student doing it himself.

He aslo has a Form IS81 - Notice to a Person REquired to Submit to Further Examination, stating that he was examined by a medical inspector - this form has been initialled and stamped by an offical.

Armed with these two forms, the case does look like a pretty clear-cut case of incompetence, I agree, and is clearly nothing to do with the student himself: and even if he had wanted to circumvent immigration control or not pass in the forms for some reason he oughtn't to have been able to.

When you have spoken to the BIA, did you mention that the student has a landing card completed by the immigration officer and the the stamped medical examination form?

I suspect that Jes's advice is the right advice, but it would be good to get that advice from the BIA (of course, better yet to get it from them in writing rather than just over the phone).

[SYH]

The landing card that he showed me has had the "For Official Use" section completed, and it is clear from the handwriting and the use of codes that it wasn't the student doing it himself.

He aslo has a Form IS81 - Notice to a Person REquired to Submit to Further Examination, stating that he was examined by a medical inspector - this form has been initialled and stamped by an offical.

Armed with these two forms, the case does look like a pretty clear-cut case of incompetence, I agree, and is clearly nothing to do with the student himself: and even if he had wanted to circumvent immigration control or not pass in the forms for some reason he oughtn't to have been able to.

When you have spoken to the BIA, did you mention that the student has a landing card completed by the immigration officer and the the stamped medical examination form?

I suspect that Jes's advice is the right advice, but it would be good to get that advice from the BIA (of course, better yet to get it from them in writing rather than just over the phone).

Theres that student again repeating what someone else said. TSK TSK

[Christophe]

Theres that student again repeating what someone else said. TSK TSK

Actually, in this thread, and in the earlier one, I did elaborate on what had been said before.

If people don't like it, they don't have to read what I say...

[stmellon]

how to remedy the situation?[/quote] Finally the rest of the story.
he just slipped through the cracks but it wasnt a simple take the card and stamp the passportgo to the bia site and use the search function.[/quote]


What would you recommend that I search for? I've already tried this but all I can find is details of what is /supposed/ to happen - ie the passport is suposed to be stamped, but no information of how to remedy the IO's chicken-up.

[SYH]

Theres that student again repeating what someone else said. TSK TSK

Actually, in this thread, and in the earlier one, I did elaborate on what had been said before.

If people don't like it, they don't have to read what I say...

Don't worry you are roadkill of the week.

[SYH]

how to remedy the situation?

Finally the rest of the story.
he just slipped through the cracks but it wasnt a simple take the card and stamp the passportgo to the bia site and use the search function.[/quote]


What would you recommend that I search for? I've already tried this but all I can find is details of what is /supposed/ to happen - ie the passport is suposed to be stamped, but no information of how to remedy the IO's chicken-up.[/quote]
Well I am not going to do it for you
I know its there on the site because i have seen it before.
You just have to be persistent with the people you are dealing with
whether its the school or bia
good luck

[Christophe]

What would you recommend that I search for? I've already tried this but all I can find is details of what is /supposed/ to happen - ie the passport is suposed to be stamped, but no information of how to remedy the IO's chicken-up.

Actually, I can't imagine what you would search for, especially since everything I have tried has yielded nothing useful. But someone clever might have a better idea.

(At the apparent risk of being repetitive) I note that there is advice about how to contact the BIA on their website (which probably gives the contact details that you have been using), and also advice about complaints procedures. While this isn't exactly a complaint per se, it might be a way forward in that once a complaint is made the BIA is obliged to deal with it. Others might have better ideas.