I'm here, but when I came in, nobody checked or stamped my passport!!!

By the grace of God and the assistance of many fine people, including yourselves, I arrived here in the UK yesterday and I am now settling in. However, there was no customs or immigration when I came in!

This is what happened: Expedia.co.uk's cheapest ticket was routed through Dublin. when I went through Dublin, immigration there didn't really check my visa - they asked how long I was staying and I told them I am getting married, maybe I'll come back for a visit in the US next year!

I went to the rest of Dublin airport and made my connecting flight to Glasgow. When I got to Glasgow, my fiance was able to walk into the luggage claim area and help me with my voluminous bags! We got a trolley and by the time we were in the main lounge there were no officials there at all.

My fiance had watched everyone else from the flight (a tiny puddle-jumper!) coming out and he reports that while there were some customs people there, none of them actually looked at anybody's papers, they just talked briefly to a few random people and that's it.

Maybe the snow had made everyone casual. I don't know. My concern is that when I go through the rest of the process - registry appointment for our marriage; the marriage visa and so on the lack of an entry stamp will cause me some trouble. Additionally, I am worried that if I must leave the UK with my visa and un-stamped passport this will cause trouble. I have my tickets, baggage checks and everything else that proves I did enter Glasgow yesterday. What should I do to rectify this situation?

Also, I think in this day and age this sort of thing is quite insecure! Perhaps there is a special relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the UK - the Irish arrivals had their own entry to the airport - but usually there is a separate and very secure path for all international arrivals to any airport that routes you to immigration officials. Please advise, and many thanks to you all for all of your help. I am deliriously happy.

That's weird!!! So you don't have a stamp on your passport legally saying how long you can stay here?? When I came, I got a six month stamp, my hubby and I were married about six weeks later, then we kept applying for I.L.R. and I finally got it. I just wish you luck, and hope you don't have problems, cuz that just sounds kinda funny to me. I mean, I hope it doesn't turn out that you are here illegally. Best wishes and good luck, glad you made it here.

I think if anyone,Garry would know the answer to this,try pming him.

The same exact thing happened to me in Glasgow.

I actually got called up by an immigrations officer 2 summers ago because I was misinformed that I did not have to re-enter the country to apply for a student visa, and I was over on a simple visitors visa -- so I had to make an emergency trip back home and actually go through the entire student visa application process in NYC, etc. etc.

When I got off the plane in the UK again, I was shocked that we were shuffled straight to baggage and they didn't even look at my passport! At least I went through all the necessary legalities, but it seemed weird to me too.

The visa was applied for via E-FAST TRACK from the Chicago consulate and I received it at the end of October. It is good through 15 May. But NOBODY - not in Ireland and DEFINITELY not in Glasgow - looked at it. I have the visa and a metric ton of documents from when I applied for it. In addition I have my ticket stubs and my baggage tags and receipts from my flight as evidence of when I got here. I would like to call somebody Monday, or show up somewhere, with my fiance, in order to sort this out. I am 100% legal and I wish someone had looked at my passport and visa and talked to me. It wasn't that they didn't check it - a) they talked to a random selection of the first few people and didn't check any papers at all and b) they weren't even there at all when we came out with my bags. This was only about 5minutes behind everybody else. We looked about for customs and immigration people and we couldn't find any.

I already did PM Garry. Garry I owe you a pint or three!

I already did PM Garry. Garry I owe you a pint or three!

Entry into the UK from the Common Travel Area.  In theory, the airline is *supposed* to tell the Immigration Service that there's a settlement arrival on board.  And in theory, you are *supposed* to receive an LLR stamp - and the onus is on you to be sure you have it.  In practice they are not going to make a big deal about it because you had an entry clearance.  And they can't really do you for illegal entry if you've got an entry clearance, can they?  Your here and that's that.

*BUT* in a strange paradox, it leaves to question your actual presence in the UK for nationality purposes, because an Ireland stamp doesn't mean doodly-squat that you actually entered the UK.  And that's a hassle you can afford to be without because over the next few years they are going to get real persnickety about the details.  That means when you go for nationality, some guvvie can say, "Hey, how do we know you entered the UK when you say you did?"      No refund.  Apply again in a few months time when you have a definite fix for your start date.  Aggro. 

So if you want to be rigorously compliant, then go back to the Immigration Service and get a proper LLR stamp - it's the pentagonal one with some stars in the middle.  And if you get a complacent guvvie who tells you not to worry about it, then just *insist* upon it.  Tell them, "I need a start date for nationality purposes".  That should get their attention. 

But I wouldn't bet on it 

It's very unusual to check documentation for fliers between the UK and Ireland. The two countries have some type of special agreement about this - probably because there aren't any checks at the Northern Ireland border. This is why Ireland is not a Schengen state; when the UK wouldn't sign up Ireland couldn't without ending its special relationship with Britain.

The people you saw questioning a few people were almost certainly securty - MI5 or police. They meet every flight from Belfast as well.

The Common Travel Area (the 'special relationship) between the UK and The Republic of Ireland goes back to the fact that we all used to be one country.

I advise that you go back to the airport (or any port) and hang around and make a nui8sance of yourself until an immigration officer comes along and stamps the passport.  I suppose you could sent your passport to the Home Office, along with proof that you entered the country, but you could be without it for weeks.


Victoria

I called the home office, who referred me to immigration at Glasgow airport. They said that I'm fine, the actual entry to the UK activates my visa, and that when I go to Glasgow after being wed to get my 2 year married lady visa I should bring all my boarding passes and baggage tags and crap to doubly prove my entry date.