Entry Via Dublin So No First Entry Stamp on Passport

Hi All,

Me, my wife and child had come from US on Tier 1/dependent Visa on Aer Lingus and were stamped on passport at Dublin airport in April 2009 and then travelled to Heathrow terminal 1 where the passport was not stamped. We are now due for our ILR and wanted to understand what documentary evidence would prove that we had indeed entered the UK on the same date on which the passport was stamped at Dublin airport. We would also like to know if there is a need to engage the services of a solicitor if we have the required documents. Also, we would like to know experiences of others who have in the last one year gone for ILR with similar situation.

Thanks & Regards,
Paul P

Do you still have your boarding passes showing you arrived in the UK on that date?  That is your best bet.

Hi KFdancer,

Thank you for your response. Yes I still have the boarding pass. The boarding pass just shows the date and month but does not have the year printed on it. Is that something to worry? Also I have the eticket in my email and a letter from my medical surgery stating the same date when I entered UK that I had registered in NHS. Is there any other documents that would help.

I would again request other members with similar situation / background to please respond about their ILR filling experiences.

Thanks & Regards,
PaulP

Keep in mind you need to have strong documentation to show a burden of proof that you were in the UK to apply for ILR.  You need to be very comfortable with your documentation to justify the cost of the applications.

Out of curiosity, what is the date that you did have your passports stamped by immigration?  You may want to weigh the risk of the cost of applying for IRL now and hope they will accept your proof, or waiting until you can show via your passport that you were in fact in the UK.

The UKBA makes it really clear to not enter through Dublin to prevent this situation so there won't be too many people you'll be able to talk to who have experienced this.  There was someone on the board a few years ago that entered through Dublin, but they had an entry stamp a few months later from a trip into the EU.  They postponed applying until the date of the immigration stamp to be on the safe side.

Hi there-I had this problem.  I first came on my spousal visa in January 2005 and went to apply for IRL in late December 2006 in person at Croydon.  I posted on the forum in 2008 about what happened (see below).   Well done on keeping your boarding pass-I was not so lucky.  Having said that, I did get the IRL at the later appointment and am now a British citizen-but had UK Yankee been in my life then, would have flown direct into London!

Hello-

I've just joined the forum and thought I would reply!

I flew into London with Aer Lingus via Dublin and yes, you have problems. I went in person and then had to return about a week later with more proof.  No kidding, the woman wanted to see my boarding pass from Dublin. When I replied that I didn't keep it (it was two years ago!) she said I should have.

So, I:
Phone Aer Lingus and they gave me an email with a confirmation code that I was on the flight. They told me then (this was over two years ago) that they didn't do letters with this information.
Got a letter from where I had an interview during the time I was in the country but needed proof, signed by headteacher.
Got a letter from my employer stating when I was employed with them and from which point.
Got a signed letter from my local library with proof of my joining date (I'm a librarian-so I joined the library early)
Found any other letters, etc. that showed I was in the country.
Brought along my NHS form I got when I re-registered at my new UK address.

I came to London via Dublin in January but didn't have a stamp until August as I hadn't left.  It was a hard sell at the first window and then when I went upstairs the person seemed unsure. I had no idea that this would be a problem-I would have never flown via another country had I known this.  You'll need lots of concrete proof that you were here. Don't cry either-the stress of the first meeting put me over the top and I was told 'crying won't get you anywhere!'

Hope this helps!
K.S.