Advice Needed About Arrival In Uk

[Richard croucher]

Hello Everyone.I am not sure if i should be posting in this area of thr Forum about this topic,and I am sure thar I will be redirected if need's be,but I have now taken on a whole new set of things to worry about.

Lek will arrive in the UK at LHR on the 3rd of November,and I have stated to worry Myself stupid about the process she will have to go through upon arrival.I suppose My Questions are as follows

1 what process does she have to go through

2 is it possible to be with Her to make it easier for Her

Kind Regards

Richard and Lek

[GU22]

She will have to join the queue for non EU nationals. How long this is depends on when her flight arrives. If she arrives just after a couple of flights from India or Pakistan; it will be long.

When she gets to the front of the queue she will present her passport to the Immigration Officer. S/he may ask her a few questions. The IO may also direct her to see the Medical Officer before allowing entry. Showing her TB cert to the IO probably wont do much good, as the IO will simply tell her to show it to the MO. Make sure the cert is in her hand luggage show she can produce it if required.

How long this takes depends on how many others are there before her. I have heard people say that they were in and out of the medical centre within 10 to 15 minutes. When my wife arrived we had to wait nearly 2 hours to see the MO!

is it possible to be with Her to make it easier for Her

Only if you fly in with her. If so then you can be with her throughout the entire process.

If you are already in the UK and will be meeting her at the airport, then you will not be able to do so until she has cleared immigration and customs. However, make sure she has your mobile number so if there is a problem or hold up she, or an immigration officer, can contact you.

Edited October 2, 2006 by GU22

[vinny]

See also What happens on arrival in the UK.

[atlastaname]

Richard, why are you worrying? She has done the difficult bit , got the visa, now the easy bit.

GU22 has summed it all up for you just about perfectly, its as simple as that . My partner was only 5 minutes in the Medical Centre..very fast .

She will probably get asked a few simple questions about her trip and maybe you too, so get her prepared with the answers. Its that easy really.

Just be there to welcome her to the UK .. and relax!!

[slimsam]

One point worth mentioning which gets forgotten (or at least did by me) is that she will have to fill in a landing card before getting to immigration (Usually on the plane). Therefore she will need to know the UK address where she will be staying. Sounds obvious but if she is not used to writing this in English it is worth making sure she has it written down clearly so she can copy it.

Also sometimes they do not allow people to make calls to their partners who are waiting for them. You can however call Immigration using the internal phones at Heathrow. They may be able to tell you if she has been sent to the health centre. After waiting for an hour or two it nice to know that your wife hasn't got lost or accidentally got back on the plane !

best of luck.

[johnb]

HI

My girlfriend has been coming to the UK for the past 7 years - twice a year and has never had to go to the medical centre - is this a new thing or is she just lucky?

Johnb

[slimsam]

Only required if the VISA enables you to stay longer than 6 months.

[johnb]

Only required if the VISA enables you to stay longer than 6 months.

Many thanks

Johnb

[gbswales]

If at all possible fly into a provincial airport like Manchester, Birmingham or even London Gatwick but certainly avoid heathrow if you possibly can