Arrivals and Embarkation Controls - please update

[Chess]

For those who have travelled recently could you please update the forum on arrival and emabarkation control.

I will start by updating.

Travel date - 13th July
Airport - Manchester (on flight to Dubai)
Embarkation Control - No exit controls; evening flight

Arrival date - 23rd July
Airport - Manchester (from Dubai)
comments - passport machine read/scanned and IO asked me how long i had been out of country... time spent talking to IO was about 30 seconds

other comments
All UK and non UK passports were being scanned
Also all tarvellers details were taken by airline staff prior to departure from 'origin' country

IO's seemed to be tough talking and gruelling most travellers. In one instance one individual was shouted at and stopped from talking on his mobile phone

[British]

Hmm - what sort of country is UK turning into????

Police officers can kill people (under the shelter of mistaken identity) and never even get prosecuted, but immigrants and citizens get "shouted at" by immigration officers, just for using a mobile phone! hmmmm!
I don't believe anymore that we are, that good old "Britain". Its becoming worser than 3rd world countries.

Very Funny!

I have never seen these sorts of barbaric behaviour by Immigration officers, ever, in India.

Now more and more as i stay in Britain and visit other western countries, i am realising how great India is, compared to all these "so called" first world countries!!! Quite frankly. No offence meant to Britain here, but the Police state of affairs in western countries in appalling.

[Dawie]

IO's seemed to be tough talking and gruelling most travellers. In one instance one individual was shouted at and stopped from talking on his mobile phone

I always fight back by giving them the most contemptuous look I can muster while they ask me questions. It drives them mad but there's nothing they can do.

[Marie B]

For those who have travelled recently could you please update the forum on arrival and emabarkation control.

Travelled with my husband (who has a Spouse visa) to Athens via Munich on 14th April from Heathrow Terminal 2. Husband's passport was scrutinised by check in staff and passport control but no questions were asked. On transit through Munich husband's passport was checked for schengen visa and stamped. On arrival at Athens there was not an immigration official in site and we walked straight through.

On exit from Athens on 23rd April check in staff checked for uk visa but asked no questions, still no immigration officials in site, passport not checked or stamped on exit. On transit through Munich husband's passport was scrutinised and schengen visa was stamped. On walk down gangway onto plane German immigration officials pounced on husband as soon as they spotted his passport. IO was very rude and asked lots of patronising/un-PC questions, had to bite my tongue from shouting 'he's with me!'

Arrived in Heathrow terminal 2, husband was asked usual questions and 'have you overstayed'? Thought IO meant had he overstayed his schengen visa so answered no. IO went to check computer. Came back 10 minutes later and asked 'have you overstayed?' Again said 'no, the visa was valid for 25 days'. Then she finally said 'no, I meant did you ever previously overstay in the UK before being issued with a spouse visa' (why didn't she say this before??), so he said yes and she stamped his visa. Thought that was a bit of an odd question.


Flew from Gatwick South to Rep. of Ireland on 21st July. Spouse visa and Irish visa both checked by check in staff and IO but no questions asked, passport was not stamped. On walking through passport control was asked to look at the camera on the wall and a bar code was stuck on boarding pass. At departure gate bar code was scanned and picture was checked (in case people were giving away boarding passes??)

On arrival in Ireland IO questioned husband as to reason of stay etc, and visa was stamped. Departed Ireland on 24th July, check in staff looked at passport but passport control only interested in boarding pass. No exit stamp from Ireland. Arrived at Gatwick south and decided to queue for 'other passports' to get entry stamp. IO shouted that anyone arrived from Ireland was in wrong queue and should go to 'Ireland / Channel Islands' queue instead. Again IO only interested in blue boarding pass stub, collected this and paid no attention to passports. Could have given boarding passes to anyone and they would have got straight through from Ireland to UK - Common Travel Area and all that.

(I know you asked for UK entry and embarkation controls but thought it was quite interesting how different european controls are - Germany scrutinising documents even though not setting foot outside airport - Greece couldn't seem to care less who was arriving)

[British]

Hi,

I am bringing my wife (and my new born kid) after she has been there in India for about 6 months straight. We decided to have the delivery in India and so.

She came to UK last year and stayed with me for 11 months and at teh end of 11 months she flew to India for delivery. She had to fly well before delivery date because the airlines would not allow her to fly to India after a particular number of weeks of pregnancy.

When we come back to the UK, would she have any issues - i.e. would we be asked why we decided to have the baby delivered in India, etc.

The main reason was the medical facilities in India is excellent (UK cannot even come close to it) with doctors personal attention, etc (having paid huge indian currency on doctor fees). Also she will have the 24/7 (literally) care from our parents and relatives. In UK, its just me and her and we have no relatives. Its just two of us and i work full time (contracting ), she being alone at home (House wife).

So we decided we will have the delivery in India, but we decided for her to be there for 6 full months (ultimately since it was not a natural delivery as well).

I have got all the BT bills where it records i have been in constant touch with my wife - direct BT international call records.

Plus, there is a doctors certificate advising that she had to take rest for at least 3 months after delivery/operation (since the baby was a couple of weeks pre-mature as well).

I have Indian entry/exit immigration entries in my British passport when I visited my wife and family for at least once in 2 months in the 6 months period
I also have photographs from Baby naming ceremony function etc. during these visits.

I have visited my wife and child 3 times in the past 6 months.

Recently, we had also sent across to British HC, our photos of being together in India (when in my visits) with our new born baby, when we applied for our daughter's british passport.

I guess, if we walk-in with all these documents ready to hand, entry should be smooth for my wife into UK even if she had been away from UK for 6 months!!! Her Spouse/Marriage visa is still active and goes upto next April.

Any comments/thoughts invited.

Thanks.