Immigration London

[welshchris]

Hi there

On arrival to the UK i was just wandering if me and the wife have to go into seperate queues (me in the EU and her in the non EU), or is there a way that i could either join her in non EU queue or vice vera?

Only asking because even though she has her visa she is still a little nervous.

Cheers

Chris

p.s forgot to mention arriving at Heathrow

Edited February 23, 2005 by welshchris

[slimdog]

No problem in you joining her in the Non EU queue.

[Dragonman]

Sure as Slimdog says join her in the non EU line.They will probably ask a couple of questions you may have to answer.On a couple of occasions when the Thai lady has been alone I have had to translate, and some of the Immigration officials are not polite.

[GU22]

I would definitely recommend going through the non-EU queue with her. Have a read of these posts about the possibility of her being required to have a medical on arrival. Should that happen you will definitely want to be with her.

Once she has been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain, she will be able to join you in the shorter and quicker EU queue.

[Rinrada]

Assuming you have a UK -EU Passport(even if you are Welsh)and your wife has an indef.visa in her Thai PP then she can go through with you as ... husband and etc.via the UK-EU lane.

We did the seperate thing once and I stood hovering behind the immigration guy (actually trying to see what he was doing...no-no only kidding)when he turned and asked (very politely)if i was waiting for K.W.(among 12 million nigerian tourists she was obvious)

Anyway he waved her forward stamped her through and mentioned next go through the UK -EU lane together.(by then it...the UK line was empty)

[welshchris]

Rinrada, yep an EU passport and welsh to boot. You said if she has got an indef visa, well she has got the settlement visa but this will be her first time in the Uk, safe risking the EU line??

[the scouser]

Chris,

It largely depends upon how busy the EU queue is and the immigration officer you get. There is no harm in asking if he/she will see your wife in the EU queue but if it's busy and/or he's a grumpy git he may send you to the "others" control.

Scouse.

[GU22]

As she only has a settlement visa, not ILR, then it is unlikely she will be allowed to use the EU queue, especially if it is her first entry.

I would put her in the non EU queue while going and asking the IO at the EU queue if he'll let her through.

[peterzxr]

My GF arived in the UK on a 6 month Marriage Visa on her own and just waltzed through immigration with another Thai lady and her husband that she'd got chatting to on the plane.

There was no waiting in the Non EU queue, no questions asked, just a summary glance at her visa. I must say it was a relief not to have to spend all morning waiting outside for the Immigration Officers to finish questioning her!!

I would have thought therefore that if she is travelling with you, there'd be no problem waiting in the EU queue together especialy as the Airport Immigration Officials in this country are so understaffed (about 80% of what there should be) that they don't have time to care unless someone is unaccompanied.

Good luck, hope she likes it here - my GF is just crazy for the snow at the moment!

[slimdog]

Hi welshchris

Just a thought: If you go through the EU channel then your girlfriends passport will be looked at though normally they do not put entry stamps into the passport there. Not sure if this would be a problem or not. Maybe someone could advise you on this.

[peterzxr]

I don't think it will create problems as you wouldl have Thai exit and re-entry stamps showing the dates of travel. Good point though and definitely no harm in asking to get the passport stamped.

[Dragonman]

Came back to UK for weeks Hol. 2 days ago and Heathrow now has new queues for Settlement Visas,etc next to EU arrivals.

[Axel]

By all means, go with her together and give both p/ports to the officer.

Reminds me of an interview at Heathrow. My wife, already unhappy that son and me with EU-p/ports had passed easily while she had to wait in the non-EU queue.

We could watch and listen from behind the officers desk:

What are you going to do in this country?

Wife: You mean now?

Yes

Ah, going to sleep.

Why?

Because I am tired?

Ahem, what are you going to do in this country?

Smiling, shopping!

Short pause, 'how much money are you going to spend while shopping'?

Now I saw I sign of anger in wife's face:

"Probably more than your salary."

That was it. Chop. Next!

She took a risk, but stupid questions deserve stupid answers.

Edited March 1, 2005 by Axel

[srisatch]

Never seen a 'Settlement Visa' queue....SET(M) is something you get in UK, not abroad...Anyway if she is going for first time she is presumably going on 2 year visa??

You can both, if really married, and she has visa..'wife of' in passport?? just checking?" go to EU lane...they might want to do a medical...I have heard people avoid this by getting English Language medical from BKK..all they are really interested in, I am told, is TB...

[samran]

stupid questions deserve stupid answers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Reminds me of the time back in 1996 when the US embassy person in Bangers asked how I would guarantee that I would leave the US. I told him "well in Australia I get free medical care, a free university education and money from the government while studying.... I have no desire to stay in the US any longer than this holiday".

Chop!! 10 year multi entry visa granted.

It pays to be honest sometimes.

[bergerac]

Srisatch ,you are correct.

I returned with my wife in Nov.

She had a 2 year settlement visa with wife of inserted in her passport.

We joined the non-eu line and when reaching the desk and showing them we had a medical and chest x-ray we were directed to a bank of about 60 plastic seats and told by a man who was about 60 years late to be a guard to sit down.

After a wait of about one hour we were called to the desk of the reception doctor

where the full medical was presented,after a cursory glance at the chest x-ray

we were pointed back to immigration who welcomed my wife to England.

We then went to baggage reclaim and there where no bags on the caurosel.

But all was not lost as a customs man showed us a trolley with our luggage on

and we went through the green unmolested.

We got full medical at BKK-PTTY hospital for about £25 but available everywhere in los.