COVID-19 related dilemma; I need to leave the UK and re-enter

Hello all,

So I'm in London now as a visa-free visitor (or C visa) on my secondary US passport. My primary US passport containing my fiancé visa is in the air, flying towards me courtesy of UPS, and will arrive tomorrow. (Long story there, see here if you're curious) I need to enter on my fiancé visa to begin that process, and I need to leave on my C visa before I run out of my 180 days authorisation on that.

I'd rather not fly somewhere and back again, due to cost, time, but mostly due to not wanting to exhale for hours into the recycled air others breathe, nor inhale their exhalate. With the social distancing obligation, voluntary flight seems irresponsible. I'm considering two options:

• Go to Heathrow, explain the situation, and ask the staff to walk me through exit passport control, and back around to immigration
• Go to Holyhead via rail with a ferry ticket to Dublin, exit the terminal onto the pier through exit passport control, turn around on the pier and walk into the terminal rather than boarding the ferry, through immigration (as a backup, I could also ride the ferry to and from Dublin

Does anyone have any other ideas? Is there a way to do this that isn't quite so…ridiculous?

• Go to Heathrow, explain the situation, and ask the staff to walk me through exit passport control, and back around to immigration
• Go to Holyhead via rail with a ferry ticket to Dublin, exit the terminal onto the pier through exit passport control, turn around on the pier and walk into the terminal rather than boarding the ferry, through immigration (as a backup, I could also ride the ferry to and from Dublin

Does anyone have any other ideas? Is there a way to do this that isn't quite so…ridiculous?

Actually, I think number 1 may be your only option, or at least try to contact UKVI to find out if there are any other options.

You cannot go to Dublin, because there are no immigration controls between Ireland and the UK, therefore your visa will not be 'activated' because you will not be considered to have left the UK at all... so when you 'return' to the UK again, you will still be on a visitor visa and not your fiance visa.

Your only option normally is to travel to a country outside of UK and Ireland and then come back in again - usually we recommend a channel-hop to France and back, but this may not be possible now... although, perhaps the Eurostar might be an option?