UK Border Control being difficult

[virtualm]

So my Thai gf recently arrived in Heathrow, it's her 2nd visit to the UK on a 6 month visit visa. The UK border control made it very difficult for her asking her why she is her, I even had a letter typed and printed for her to hand over explaining her visit, our relationship, my address etc. We did the same last year and they didn't even look at it. Eventually they stamped her passport and said have a nice holiday. 

 

I know they are doing their job, but just wondering why would they do this? Surely, her having already been granted a visit visa has already verified her lifestyle and reason not to overstay. I've heard you can still be rejected even when arriving in the UK, just wondering what they are looking for so we can learn from this next time. Makes me wonder if Brexit is going to make things all the more difficult as well.

 

Curious if you guys have any similar feedback?

[theoldgit]

Yes you’re correct, the Border Force Officer was just doing their job, they needed to be satisfied that there had been no material change in her circumstance, the visa wasn’t obtained fraudulently and that she was a genuine visitor who would return home at the end of her trip.
Whilst a visa doesn’t guarantee admission to the country the Border Force Officer would have needed to satisfy a superior that there had been a material change or the visa had been fraudulently obtained for her to be refused entry.
Whilst I can understand your reasoning behind supplying a letter, your girlfriend is the person who applied for the visa and it was her that needed to satisfy the officer that she was a genuine traveler who would leave the UK at the conclusion of her trip. The letter may have rung alarm bells, the BFO may well have been concerned that she was not aware of what was in her application and was being prompted as to what to say.
At the end of the day she was landed, the officer wished her a nice trip, and that’s what she needs to do.


 

[virtualm]

Thanks, so do you think not to supply a letter in the future then? Just learning what to do right so it's an easy process for her. By the way, they didn't even ask her to show proof of her return flight which seems odd considering their concerns.

[Jip99]

1 hour ago, theoldgit said:

 
Whilst I can understand your reasoning behind supplying a letter, your girlfriend is the person who applied for the visa and it was her that needed to satisfy the officer that she was a genuine traveler who would leave the UK at the conclusion of her trip. The letter may have rung alarm bells, the BFO may well have been concerned that she was not aware of what was in her application and was being prompted as to what to say.
At the end of the day she was landed, the officer wished her a nice trip, and that’s what she needs to do.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

 

I think we all know that at least 50% of Thais traveling to the UK (at least those with British partner sponsors) have no idea what is in the online visa application.

 

Thais get flustered with authority at the best of times - let alone with authority where they can barely speak the language. The letter is a sensible back up - as is a letter if the Thai is entering without a return flight.

 

Border Force are only doing their job - and many do it well. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that a much greater number of single Thai travelers are questioned, for longer, than any Thai arriving with their partner.

[rasg]

If she has already used the visa once, how long did she stay for? How long is this current trip? How long was the trip that she requested when she was originally granted the visa?

 

My wife, (then girlfriend) was quizzed for 40 minutes on her first trip. On her second trip, bearing in mind she stayed for 14 weeks on the first, they simply asked her why she was here. She said, six weeks for Christmas and New Year with me and my family and they waved her through. That was in 2015/2016 and we simply went for settlement. It only took 15 days back then.

[George Aylesham]

Out of curiosity, I asked my visa agent here in Chiang Mai which was the most difficult country to arrange visa applications. Straight back her reply was the UK, followed by the USA then Schengen.

[Mavideol]

the majority in at TV are complaining about Thai IMO being harsh with foreigners, don't you think it would be fair to expect same from other countries towards Thais, what goes around comes around no surprise here

[samsensam]

 

sounds like border control are did its job in a professional, efficient and polite way, as they should and, i would suggest, as the British public want them to.

 

i have many thai friends who have visited the uk multiple times without any issues at all. it could be there is more to the story, your gf may have said or done something that resulted in the questions or it could have been a spot check. all understandable.

 

i was stopped, questioned and searched once entering the uk, i had done nothing wrong and i was happy to comply.

[baansgr]

My last visit to the UK, pp control asked how Long I intended staying, what was I doing in Thailand and where would I be staying in the UK.....i am a UK citizen with a UK passport....i wouldn't look too much into it if I was you

[samsensam]

1 hour ago, George Aylesham said:

Out of curiosity, I asked my visa agent here in Chiang Mai which was the most difficult country to arrange visa applications. Straight back her reply was the UK, followed by the USA then Schengen.

 

it may depend who is applying, my thai friends, non using an agent, have never had any issues or problems obtaining uk visas, but then a visa agent would want to say it's difficult as that is good for their business

[Jumbo1968]

We arrived at G.F and son, the fella at Border Control was very pleasant asked for the Flight Itinerary, cleared Border Control in 5 minutes.

Same at Newcastle except they never asked for anything, checked the Landing Card/Visa again through in 5 minutes.

[NoshowJones]

20 hours ago, theoldgit said:

Yes you’re correct, the Border Force Officer was just doing their job, they needed to be satisfied that there had been no material change in her circumstance, the visa wasn’t obtained fraudulently and that she was a genuine visitor who would return home at the end of her trip.
Whilst a visa doesn’t guarantee admission to the country the Border Force Officer would have needed to satisfy a superior that there had been a material change or the visa had been fraudulently obtained for her to be refused entry.
Whilst I can understand your reasoning behind supplying a letter, your girlfriend is the person who applied for the visa and it was her that needed to satisfy the officer that she was a genuine traveler who would leave the UK at the conclusion of her trip. The letter may have rung alarm bells, the BFO may well have been concerned that she was not aware of what was in her application and was being prompted as to what to say.
At the end of the day she was landed, the officer wished her a nice trip, and that’s what she needs to do.


 

I think that particular UK Border Force Officer has had to many trips to Thailand. ????

[roquefort]

"The UK border control made it very difficult for her asking her why she is her".

 

An existentialist immigration officer?

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Mavideol said:

the majority in at TV are complaining about Thai IMO being harsh with foreigners, don't you think it would be fair to expect same from other countries towards Thais, what goes around comes around no surprise here

I'm almost certain that Thailand is the only country in the world with this ridiculous 90 day reporting nonsense. If that is not being harsh then I don't know what is.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, baansgr said:

My last visit to the UK, pp control asked how Long I intended staying, what was I doing in Thailand and where would I be staying in the UK.....i am a UK citizen with a UK passport....i wouldn't look too much into it if I was you

and what if you did not know where you would be staying at that particular time? Maybe just going to find a hotel on a temporary basis while looking for a permanent place to stay. Or maybe the person you are going to stay with does not want you to give their address to any sort of officials.

So you being a UK citizen and having a UK passport would be refused entry into your own country while all the

immigrants are queuing up????.

So you not being allowed into your own country, and maybe not having a visa to go back to where you came from, what do you do?

Also, what has it got to do with the UK PP control what you were doing in Thailand?

[Jaxxper]

My wife has had three UK visas. First time no problem with entry. Second time we got some jobs worth that got upset that we were both going through the European Union channel ( Which we did on the advise of the lady directing travelers through immigration), then he got upset because when he asked why we were in that queue I told him that his colleague directing traffic at the back of the queue had directed us here. He snapped back that that individual was not his colleague and all she did was direct people , she was not his immigration officer colleague. Could see he was getting ruffled so I said fair enough , we'll both go down to the "Other Passports" line, and when we were through I was going to ask to see the shift supervisor. He looked at me and virtually snatched the passports from me, glanced through and within a couple of minutes we were through. I guess he'd had a bad day !

Third time through we were processed quickly by a middle aged lady , and the experience couldn't have been better. Very welcoming , and she even knew a little Thai language.

I think although they have a job to do at immigration , there are ways to do it without antagonizing people that have just got off of a 12 hour flight. If you don't like the job then leave.

 

 

[CharlieH]

I think that just as with immigration officers anywhere, or many services really, its the luck of the draw on the day. Who happens to be stood in front of you and their approach to their job etc.

 

Some you fly pass, others not so straight forward. People are people, we are all different and influenced in our approach to others by many things.

[superal]

4 hours ago, George Aylesham said:

Out of curiosity, I asked my visa agent here in Chiang Mai which was the most difficult country to arrange visa applications. Straight back her reply was the UK, followed by the USA then Schengen.

Only if you try to enter legally

[superal]

3 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

it may depend who is applying, my thai friends, non using an agent, have never had any issues or problems obtaining uk visas, but then a visa agent would want to say it's difficult as that is good for their business

May I ask if your Thai friends who secured a UK visa are professional people with decent jobs and bank accounts , or otherwise ?

[Traubert]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

and what if you did not know where you would be staying at that particular time? Maybe just going to find a hotel on a temporary basis while looking for a permanent place to stay. Or maybe the person you are going to stay with does not want you to give their address to any sort of officials.

So you being a UK citizen and having a UK passport would be refused entry into your own country while all the

immigrants are queuing up????.

So you not being allowed into your own country, and maybe not having a visa to go back to where you came from, what do you do?

Also, what has it got to do with the UK PP control what you were doing in Thailand?

The BFO didn't want the information he wanted the conversation. It's a security trick to make sure the passport belongs to the person standing in front of him and that that person is actually familiar with his home country and fluent in it's language. The OP was never going to get refused entry but if he'd given any dodgy answers that raised suspicion he'd have been taken aside for further questioning.

[NoshowJones]

13 minutes ago, Traubert said:

The BFO didn't want the information he wanted the conversation. It's a security trick to make sure the passport belongs to the person standing in front of him and that that person is actually familiar with his home country and fluent in it's language. The OP was never going to get refused entry but if he'd given any dodgy answers that raised suspicion he'd have been taken aside for further questioning.

Yes your right, They could not refuse him, if it was me and I was asked anything about Thailand, I would just have told him it is none of his business. I have had enough hassle from Thai immigration without UK Immigration Officials butting in.

[rasg]

It seems like an innocuous question to me. Why have you been in Thailand? Visiting my wife's family (my family too) and having a holiday. What's hard about that? It would exactly be a state secret.

[theoldgit]

4 hours ago, baansgr said:

My last visit to the UK, pp control asked how Long I intended staying, what was I doing in Thailand and where would I be staying in the UK.....i am a UK citizen with a UK passport....i wouldn't look too much into it if I was you

On my last trip into LGW I never saw a Border Force Officer, just a bank of machines where I scanned my passport and the gate was opened.

[GreasyFingers]

4 hours ago, possum1931 said:

I'm almost certain that Thailand is the only country in the world with this ridiculous 90 day reporting nonsense. If that is not being harsh then I don't know what is.

It may be but try getting a 12 month visa to Australia. Thailand is easy compared to them.

[7by7]

2 hours ago, superal said:

May I ask if your Thai friends who secured a UK visa are professional people with decent jobs and bank accounts , or otherwise ?

My step son was a university student when he first visited us in the UK. 

 

He now works in insurance and his wife in banking, they have visited us twice since their marriage.

 

My sister in law does have a bank account but has never had a decent (whatever that means!) or verifiable job. Neither does she own any property. She has also visited us in the UK twice.

[richard_smith237]

My Wife has always done her own visa applications - I just get involved with a letter of invitation and I think thats about it. 

Even with a 10 year visa my Wife is still asked a handful of questions on our Biannual UK visits. 

The questions are usually.... Why are visiting? how long are you staying? Where are you staying?... perfectly normal...   I'm sure if these questions are not asked correctly there may be some further questions - its just the immigration officer doing their job. 

 

 

[cme]

Yes, they are being a pain.

My Thai wife who also holds a German Permanent Residence card, has applied and been granted a UK tourist visa for a months holiday every year for the past 8 years. Normally, from application to return of Passport with Visa has taken no more than 2 weeks. Last year in took 4 months! Nothing has changed in our circumstances and as always we were going to visit family. Impossible to get any sense from anyone in the UK and although the Visa was finally granted, no letter or explanation. I even wrote to the Ombudsman and MP for help. In the meantime the Government has set up a review board to look into many complaints received and have written to me for my input.

[Jip99]

1 minute ago, cme said:

Yes, they are being a pain.

My Thai wife who also holds a German Permanent Residence card, has applied and been granted a UK tourist visa for a months holiday every year for the past 8 years. Normally, from application to return of Passport with Visa has taken no more than 2 weeks. Last year in took 4 months! Nothing has changed in our circumstances and as always we were going to visit family. Impossible to get any sense from anyone in the UK and although the Visa was finally granted, no letter or explanation. I even wrote to the Ombudsman and MP for help. In the meantime the Government has set up a review board to look into many complaints received and have written to me for my input.

 

That is nothing to do with Border Control.

 

I suspect last year's application got caught up in the transfer to India processing.

[sandyf]

22 hours ago, Jaxxper said:

My wife has had three UK visas. First time no problem with entry. Second time we got some jobs worth that got upset that we were both going through the European Union channel ( Which we did on the advise of the lady directing travelers through immigration), then he got upset because when he asked why we were in that queue I told him that his colleague directing traffic at the back of the queue had directed us here. He snapped back that that individual was not his colleague and all she did was direct people , she was not his immigration officer colleague. Could see he was getting ruffled so I said fair enough , we'll both go down to the "Other Passports" line, and when we were through I was going to ask to see the shift supervisor. He looked at me and virtually snatched the passports from me, glanced through and within a couple of minutes we were through. I guess he'd had a bad day !

Third time through we were processed quickly by a middle aged lady , and the experience couldn't have been better. Very welcoming , and she even knew a little Thai language.

I think although they have a job to do at immigration , there are ways to do it without antagonizing people that have just got off of a 12 hour flight. If you don't like the job then leave.

 

 

My wife has made 11 entries to the UK now and after a few times stood in the foreign passports queue an immigration officer at Heathrow told me that if we were married we had the right to use the UK desk.

The next entry was at Manchester and the UK lanes all went to gates. I said to the woman on the lanes that we needed to get to the UK desk as my wife had foreign passport. She tried to say we had to go to foreign passports but I said I had been told otherwise and she reluctantly moved the barrier and we went to the only manned UK desk.

Talk about sods law, the IO was a trainee. He did my passport ok and then a look of horror came across his face when he realised my wife had a Thai passport. He stared at it for a few minutes and then called the supervisor, whispered something to the supervisor who said "haven't you been trained in foreign passports", the guy just shook his head.

I thought, foreign passports here we come, but no. The supervisor picked up my passport, looked through it and asked a couple of questions about me. He said ok, asked if I wouldn't mind being patient and proceeded to talk the guy through the procedure, what questions to ask, what to check in the passport etc. All very straightforward, just a bit slow.

Your IO was certainly out of order and as you say there is normally a supervisor to fall back on.

[silentnine]

reminds me of my 1st time ever in Thailand 15 years ago . 
i was fortunate enough to of persuaded the company that i was working for that i they would fund a 4 days break for me in LOS on my way to Los Angeles USA.. so flew BIRMINGHAM-DUBAI-BANGKOK-TAIPAI-LOS ANGELES with a the 4 days 1st trip ever to Pattaya.

The Immigration officer in LA/USA took great interest in my passport .. i think he must of suspected at least a little bit that i could of been running drugs from Thailand .. so he asked a lot of questions.. luckily he was a man ???? .. i gave him a in depth review of pattaya go go bars and confessed to be newly divorced and having the time of my life. ..  he was happy with my replies and he even said .. 'your not going to have that much fun here !' ... he was right ????