Immigration Control

[Mossfinn]

The changing face of immigration control may suit those people who have suffered at the hands of impolite and rude entry officers, you may in future be faced by a computerized model instead.

Better or worse?

Link from the IoS

[yaketyak]

The changing face of immigration control may suit those people who have suffered at the hands of impolite and rude entry officers, you may in future be faced by a computerized model instead.

Better or worse?

Link from the IoS

Moss,

Link didn't work for me which MAY explain why no-one has replied?

Although unable to read the link , my comment would be that the Government should see to it that there are no rude or impolite entry officers , although the kind of people who choose to become such have always seemed to me to be of a certain type that are rude and impolite and unhelpful by nature. Just my observations.

There is no reason i can think of why the whole process of applying for a visa or entering a country having got one should ever be frightening or stressful . Yet as we all know , it is VERY frightening and stressful. The Government keeps it deliberately so.. for political reasons. Very wrong IMO.

Presumably the computerized model will scan your visa and admit you? In which case i would say its an improvement as you don't have to face sharp faced officials snapping questions at you and then treating your answers with contempt. Because they can .

IF thats what the link basically says , then i prefer it.

[7by7]

The link isn't working for me, either.

The implication that immigration officers are some sort of inadequate sociopaths who get their kicks exercising their petty power over people is ludicrous. They are merely people like you and me doing the best they can. It needs to be remembered that an immigration officer at a port of entry cannot delay or refuse entry to someone with a valid visa unless the officer has good reason to suspect that visa was obtained by deception and the holder is seeking entry for a purpose other than that stated.

However, if you feel that you have been treated badly or subjected to rudeness then take the officers name and make a complaint.

UK residents may be interested in a TV programme called 'UK Border Force' on Sky 1, starting Tuesday 9th September at 9.00pm.

[Mossfinn]

Try this one

This one definitely works.

Edited September 3, 2008 by Mossfinn

[7by7]

Thanks, that one is working.

On the whole, I'd rather deal with a human being, even one who is a bit brusque, than a machine.

[Mossfinn]

have always seemed to me to be of a certain type that are rude and impolite and unhelpful by nature. Just my observations.

There is no reason i can think of why the whole process of applying for a visa or entering a country having got one should ever be frightening or stressful . Yet as we all know , it is VERY frightening and stressful.

Presumably the computerized model will scan your visa and admit you? In which case i would say its an improvement as you don't have to face sharp faced officials snapping questions at you and then treating your answers with contempt. Because they can .

IF thats what the link basically says , then i prefer it.

The link is about face scanning, something different to retina/iris scanning and is in regard to the writer personally wanting a physical guard at he borders, because they can pick up body language as such.

However in response to your post, I have no idea how you enter at immigration but I have never had a problem and that is with a VV, SV and a step daughter in tow? Perhaps the old adage of a smile can go a long way and not wanting to cause a hassle that only one regime can win may also have some bearing, it may have been stressful but certainly never frightening.

Try this one

This one definitely works.

It would appear it has been cracked again, but it definitely worked earlier.

Thanks, that one is working.

On the whole, I'd rather deal with a human being, even one who is a bit brusque, than a machine.

Me too, I know what machines can do!!

Edited September 3, 2008 by Mossfinn

[yaketyak]

The link isn't working for me, either.

The implication that immigration officers are some sort of inadequate sociopaths who get their kicks exercising their petty power over people is ludicrous. They are merely people like you and me doing the best they can. It needs to be remembered that an immigration officer at a port of entry cannot delay or refuse entry to someone with a valid visa unless the officer has good reason to suspect that visa was obtained by deception and the holder is seeking entry for a purpose other than that stated.

However, if you feel that you have been treated badly or subjected to rudeness then take the officers name and make a complaint.

UK residents may be interested in a TV programme called 'UK Border Force' on Sky 1, starting Tuesday 9th September at 9.00pm.

I will be setting my Sky up to record the whole of this "UK Border Force" programme. Sounds fascinating. If its anything like the decade old immigration bits that featured weekly on "Airport" (only the early episodes) then all you people who say these immigration people are so lovely and wonderful will see what they are really like. What a nasty crowd they had in "Airport". Really talked down to the customers . Officers named Eric and Caroline i remember .. anyone else remember these two?

Having travelled abroad (mostly to Thailand) extensivally over the past 2 decades i have had a lot of experience watching immigration as i queue to get through the UK queue. I agree some of the immigration officers are pleasant (like the last one) smiling, scan your passport and say have a nice day etc. Then there are the ones like a while ago who scrutinised my passport and said in a meaningful way " you just spent 2 weeks in Thailand eh?" ... superfluous as the passport stamps clearly showed that. Then asked "did you stay entirely in Bangkok?" .. not in a chatty way but in a suspicious way. I snapped yes at him as if it was any of his business and wondered what he was implying . After taking 20 more seconds to look through the various stamps he gave it back to me without a word of thanks or apology for holding me and the rest of the queue up.

Now whats the point of that unpleasantness? THATS why i am convinced that some of them are plain nasty and just want to find fault if they can. Its one of my biggest regrets that i didn't take it furthur and complain.

Moss makes the comment that things run smoother if you are sweet and smiling at them. Why should I if they can't do the same to me first? He is right that only one regime can win though. My comment about the process being Frightening was not well phrased. I should have made it clearer what i meant was that applying for a visa should never be frightening or stressful and that entering the UK should never be stressful. That's what i should have said .. and in reality we all here know that the application process IS frightening and stressful... deliberately so. And yet you all put up with it as if its somehow acceptable.

[yaketyak]

Just read the link article from the Independant.

Overall i don't care either way .. human or machine . Remember there will still be humans around to override the machines when they malfunction which will happen occasionally.

I see the writer says from his experience the people manning passport control have greeted him with "gratuitous rudeness" .. so at least i am not the only one now who doesn't think these immigration officers are all sweetness and light.

[Mossfinn]

Now whats the point of that unpleasantness? THATS why i am convinced that some of them are plain nasty and just want to find fault if they can. Its one of my biggest regrets that i didn't take it furthur and complain.

There are ejits wherever you go in the world, I cannot defend a situation I have neither witnessed or encountered before, the only time I saw any serious questioning was on my last flight, when a grandmother had returned with her two young teenage nephews after two months abroad, no letter from the parents or any supporting evidence at all and all in school time. As I waited and listened and shook my head discreetly, I could almost ask the questions myself, which were delivered calmly and respectfully, just before they got carted off.

Moss makes the comment that things run smoother if you are sweet and smiling at them.

I never said smile at them. Just smile and remember you haven't been looking at a host of differing peoples faces all day, an endless stream of PP's where people can't even be bothered to have the right pages open, haven't filled in the boarding passes etc etc

Why should I if they can't do the same to me first?

Do you only ever reciprocate on all things in life?

He is right that only one regime can win though.

Genghis Khan never fought a battle he couldn't win, so don't fight a losing battle, it is just a matter of playing the game.

My comment about the process being Frightening was not well phrased.

No it wasn't.

I should have made it clearer what i meant was that applying for a visa should never be frightening or stressful and that entering the UK should never be stressful. That's what i should have said

.. and in reality we all here know that the application process IS frightening and stressful... deliberately so.

I am sure that will make some sense when I have had my second Single Malt

Listen my old friend, we have had this conversation on many days, over countless threads, interminable posts and have got nowhere, shall we call a truce?

Edited September 4, 2008 by Mossfinn

[Guest Bellini]

...people can't even be bothered to have the right pages open..

When I entered Thailand last year, on a tourist visa, I had my arrival card duly completed and placed it between pages 12 and 13 of my passport, my visa being on page 13. The first thing the immigration officer did was to pull out the arrival card from my passport. The immigration counter is deliberately high so that the arriving passenger should not see what the immigration officer is doing, but having some knowledge of immigration procedures I know that he opened it on page 00, where the machine-readable code is, and swiped it through the device attached to his computer.

In other words, nowadays it is no help to the immigration officer to open one’s passport on the page with the visa, or to insert the arrival card in the place where the visa is.

[Mossfinn]

In other words, nowadays it is no help to the immigration officer to open one’s passport on the page with the visa, or to insert the arrival card in the place where the visa is.

This thread in general terms is talking about arrivals to the UK, where you should at least have the page open showing your photograph if you are going through the Brit/Eu channel, I know I mentioned boarding passes and for the life of me I do not know why

Passport? Visa? No you have a plane boarding ticket 57e, 'Yes that will do nicely sir, please pass on through'

[yaketyak]

OK Moss ... truce !!.... on this thread at least