Friend turned away at Heathrow for a visit to BF, needs advice please!

Youth probably has something to do with it. I was 37 when I started going over and I made two dozen trips in the next ten years without the slightest hassle.

mirrajay, the point of my faq article is that unaccompanied American women who transit UK immigration controls should ALWAYS be on the alert and fully prepared.  Each and every time.

Whatever people here may think, for a woman to quit her job and travel 9 hours to a foreign country to spend 2 - 6 months with someone she never met is a signal to IO's that she is desparate to start a new life in the UK and will do ANYTHING to make it happen.  

Perhaps it's true, perhaps not.  But it's "what is".  And I totally promise they are not going to change their minds.

The closest to any scrutiny I ever received was last summer when I came to stay just under 2 months. The IO asked for my return ticket and I explained that I would pick up my physical ticket on the day of my return and he could see my itinerary if he wanted. He declined and saw on my little slip that my occupation was teacher...he asked when school started back and I told him the day after I returned, and the questions stopped from there.

Also, I always travel in blue jeans and my Ohio University hoodie, despite any suggestions to dress business-like. I don't know if my confidence that I didn't plan to overstay was enough to always convince the IO, but I wonder too if some of these young women coming through get a bit shaky in their voice and skittish at the questions. I suppose the IO's may try to shake you a bit.

 I've flown into Gatwick and Birmingham and never had an issue. Is this happening more frequently at certain airports? Also, does the US bounce as many people when their SO comes to visit them?

A friend of mine on an LDR community had planned a two-month visit to the UK to be with her boyfriend. She's 23 and quit her job in order to be able to come for a long visit.

Immigration was quite nasty to her and the woman apparently treated her badly and accused her of lying and denied her entry. 

From what I've been told, the officer didn't like that she didn't bring her bank statement with her, and didn't like that she and the bf hadn't met prior to this visit. The officer also twisted her words when she was trying to explain they met online, and when the officer called her bf and the bf said they hadn't met yet, she got accused of lying. 

bf is not employed and lives with his parents, who support the relationship and were okay with the long visit.  The officer wouldn't call the bf's parents when my friend offered the number, and didn't like it that she didn't know what his parent's did for a living.

So, she's devastated, her bf and his parents are outraged at immigration, and she's not sure what to do.

When she goes back, what should she bring/say?  I suggested both a letter from her bf and from his parents since she'll be staying with the parents....as most of you know, I just entered for 2 months and once I showed the letter from Tim, I got a stamp and a wave. 

I also suggested dressing nicer...does that really help?  She told me she was wearing a hoodie and jeans.

She's contemplating a visitor's visa, but someone on another forum (LJ) told her that you'd still get hassled if you apply for a visitor visa before you get there.

Does anyone have any advice for her? 

If she goes and meets her bf in Prague and they both fly back to the UK together, will she have an easier time since she'd be able to point him out in the UKC line? 

She will definitely have to apply for a Visitor visa now since she was bounced. Even then there are no garauntees she won't be bounced again.

Her first mistake was mentioning the online relationship. Had she said "Tourist" as a reason for visiting I'm sure she wouldn't have had a problem.

The next mistake was her plan to stay for 2 months. It just looks suspicious. 2 weeks looks innocent. But 2 months... she better prepare for some tough questions if she says 2 months. She should have told the IO 2 weeks, had a return ticket to confirm it and if she wanted to stay later she could always call the airline and have it adjusted.

Another mistake was she didn't bring her bank statements. If she said she was going to stay for 2 months, she better be prepared to show the IO that she had the funds readily available to support herself in the UK for her visit.

Finally, the one big mistake she made is quiting her job just so she could go for this visit. She needs to show ties to the U.S., aka reasons for her to return to the U.S. after her stay. Online relationship, never met, desired 2 month visit, no bank statements or evidence of funds, little or no ties to the U.S. ... it is no surprise she was denied entry.

Sorry about your friend but she should have done more research.

Hmm.. I'm not sure I like Junior Mint's idea of deliberate deception, but looking back at all my visits to the UK, the questioning has always stopped once they find out a have a job to go back to...  I have heard that the questioning at Heathrow (where I always fly) is more strict than Gatwick. Just curious, has anyone experienced both?

It's not deliberate deception.

When I first went to meet my girlfriend (at the time):

IO: "Why do you come to the U.K.?"
Me: "Tourist."
IO: "And how long are you staying for?"
Me: "15 days."
IO Stamps passport
IO: "Welcome to the U.K."

I didn't lie. I genuinely wanted to see Britain as a Tourist. What was I going to say? I flew across the Atlantic to visit a woman I never even met before. Just don't volunteer anymore information than you have to and keep your answers brief. There's being "honest" and then being "too honest".

Subsequent visits -

IO: "What brings you to the U.K.?"
Me: "Visiting my girlfriend."
IO: "How long are you staying?"
Me: "2 weeks."
IO: "When did you last visit the U.K. and for how long?"
Me: "3 weeks."
IO: "What nationality is your girlfriend?"
Me: "British."
IO stamps passport
IO: "Welcome to the U.K."

I've come through both airports many times. I've always been waved through. Once the IO said, "you're not planning to get married, are you?" and I said, "no, we know the rules." And that was it.

Oh, and my very first trip, I was given a hard time at Heathrow as I was leaving to go back to the States. They emptied my purse and squinted at my blood pressure meds and stuff. Very odd.

Though I also said "vacation" instead of "boyfriend" for the first few times, because I didn't know better. It was absolutely not deliberate deception. In fact, I had no idea I could be turned away.

Though I also said "vacation" instead of "boyfriend" for the first few times, because I didn't know better. It was absolutely not deliberate deception. In fact, I had no idea I could be turned away.

Yep. That was my case too. The first time I came, when he asked that question I just said tourist without even thinking. Ignorance is bliss sometimes.

It's not deliberate deception.

She should have told the IO 2 weeks, had a return ticket to confirm it and if she wanted to stay later she could always call the airline and have it adjusted.

It's deliberate when you KNOW you're staying for a period of 2 months, yet get a ticket for 2 weeks just to get by the IOs.

The main thing is that you should be absolutely honest. I told them every time it was to visit my boyfriend/fiance and I've never been detained or bounced. I think the OP's friend was just being honest, yet it didn't help that she didn't have proof of ties to the US and it's unlucky that she was bounced because the IO felt she was a risk. Although she will be red-flagged now, she can at least go through the proper channels this time and make sure to do her homework before going through again.

Dishonest "tourists" are one of the reasons the IOs get so sketched out about people.

Be honest. Don't say more than what is asked. Do your homework and BE CONFIDENT. Simple as.

nothing changes much really.... i was held for horus and horus in heathrow 6 years ago for the reasons garry states, just that i was in the demographic of untrustables... luckily i got in the uk but not before they photocopied my diary, address book, spent horus interviewing the world about me... total nightmare. the next time i entered the uk i was engaged, with visa in hand.

Wow, I am one lucky cow to have gotten in the first time around. I went to spend 6 months in Englad with my bf. I did have a return ticket... That's it. I told the truth, went to be with bf. She asked me  loads of questions and I answered very honestly with wide eyes! I was excited to be in LONDON! Haha. I very much looked like a tourist. a 20 year old at that. I'm very surprised I got through. Honestly, I think it's because the IO was pretty young. She was a pretty girl in her her early 20's. Maybe she was new? Thank god I have a visa now.

I think it is a combination of age, not appearing confident,not having a job or proof of means of support, staying for a long time and staying with someone you've never met in person

I never got hassled. I wore jeans every time. But I was 38 when I started coming over. All of my visits were arranged around my job, and when the i.o. asked me how long I was staying, I would say I can only stay for x days and then I have to get back to work. I never brought payslips or bank statements, but I was able to  hold a clear, detailed conversation about my job and my employer when asked.

In other words, it looked like I had an established life in the US.

If people would drop the "boy" from "friend" you'd have a much easier time about it.

I always said "visiting a friend" and never once questioned more than that.  Lie? not really, DH has always been my best friend if you wanna split hairs. But you cant put yourself through the stress and the agony (should you get turned away) because youre under the impression the "whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God" is what's required.  They dont need to know how long you've been dating, when the last time you saw him was, or anything else.  So long as your intentions are good (ie, youre not trying to decieve to stay in the country permenantly) I see absolutely nothing wrong with saying "visiting a friend."

I came over for 6 months when I was 42.  I got questioned heavily and put into a special room while the IO called my then boyfriend and asked him the same questions she asked me to make sure my answers matched up.

She said it was because I was coming over for such a long period of time.  She was also very glad I had my recent bank statement and that helped a lot.  She asked how I could get such a long time off of work (had I known that, I would have brought a letter from my boss) and I said the truth, that I had been with the company 14 years.

She asked me why I didn't have a visa.  I said that a US citizen didn't need one for a tourist visit of up to 6 months.  She asked how I knew that.  I said that I checked the Home Office website and even called immigration (as wrong as they can be most of the time!) to make sure.  I told  her I wanted to make sure I was following all of the rules.

My bags didn't get searched or my journal read (didn't have one anyway), and finally she let me in with an apology and the advice of getting a visa next time.  (I did--a fiance visa!)

i think the only reason i got through was because i knew the rules so well. i knew we weren't supposed to get married, knew all about the various visas etc... and that convinced them i wasn't there to sneak around the system. it wasn't my first time to england by a long shot, and david and i had met many many times prior since we didn't even meet on the internet, but in real life. at the end of the day i think some get lucky and some don't.