FAQ tip for girlfriends/boyfriends pond-hopping this summer

Has your girlfriend had any trouble getting in before or spent lots of time here lately?  If not, I wouldn't think she'd need to apply for entry clearance.  If she can prove she has somewhere to stay, enough spending money for the duration of the trip, and that she's going back to the US (i.e., letter from work, mortgage papers, etc.), she should be okay. 

She hasn't had any problems getting entry previously, she's been here 4 times this year, no longer than about 3 and a half weeks, although the last time she arrived she came through Glasgow airport and they asked her a load of questions she hadn't been asked previously.  We just found this thread and read the horror stories of people being denied entry, and just hadn't considered that it might happen!

  They told me that unless I've been denied entry in the past, pre-entry clearance is never considered for Americans.

There you go.  You must not be in a situation that warrants an application for entry clearance.

Huh well I haven't been denied entry either. But this last trip I was sent to sit off to the side and wait until the whole line went through immigration before I was questioned further. The IO was quite rude and basically told me I was lying when I said I was visiting a friend due to the frequency of my visits. I was honest and told her it was hard to refer to him as my "boyfriend" because of the enormous distance between us and uncertainty of things. Apparently that was the wrong thing to do. No idea, but it scared me enough to worry about being sent home in the future. I have been reading on the visa site and didn't find anything to say this was just for people that had been denied entry in the past, that's too bad, doesn't help me that way. 

It doesn't exist for US citizens.  I've tried obtaining one.  The prvious posters were wrong.

I'm sorry you had trouble at the LA consulate trying to obtain a voluntary entry clearance. 

Lola nailed it down accurately, and quite concisely too; and I can't add much to her logic. 

However, it's the sort of thing about our consulates that gets me annoyed.  So.  In these situations you would write down a summary your circumstances, along with your contact details; and you would write down a narrative description of the episode that happened at the consulate.  Just stick to the facts, but be as precise as you can.  Include the reason why you were there.  Also if you incurred transportation getting there, then the receipts or ticket stubs.  Scan in a copy the VAF form you submitted, if you didn't keep a copy, then a summary of what you put on the form.  Bundle all that up and email or send it to me.

If you didn't get the ECO's name, or he wouldn't tell you his name, then include a

physical description of what he looked like and the time of day.

Hope that helps!

So Garry I don't get it, is it correct then that American's cannot apply for voluntary entry clearance if they haven't been denied entry in the past??? I am sooo lost here.... 

I'm sorry.  I don't mean to be rude, but has anyone else here actually tried to get pre-entry clearance as an American?  I went to the L.A. consulate.  They told me it doesn't exist; I  filled out the VAF1 form and they wouldn't even accept it.  They told me that unless I've been denied entry in the past, pre-entry clearance is never considered for Americans.

Technically, it does exist, but I can believe that happened. I looked into applying after I was denied entry last December. And, even after being denied entry I was discouraged from applying and told that even if I do apply, they can refuse to even look at my application because I'm American and they consider it a waste of their time since I don't need it. Even though I was previously denied entry.

So what am i to do? Can americans apply for entry clearance? Can they not? Is there even any time to apply? (2 to 3 weeks) I have travelled to the uk 3 times in the past year (dec 26th-jan 7th/ april 29th- may 8th/ july7th-july25th) and am about to make my 4th trip to visit my boyfriend and spend the holidays with him. I didn't know previously of the risks of being deported. I am returning after 3 weeks, definitely. I have a job and a business to get back to, and i also have a stop over in iceland on the way back for one night with a reservation for a place to stay. I feel pretty confident that if detained for questioning that i won't be deported. The thing is, i don't want to be worried sick the whole flight there- that i might be making an immediate plane ride back missing the holidays and anniversary with my boyfriend. If i was deported after all of the planning i've done, christmas presents i'll have, how much i've been looking forward to this trip, i would be devastated. So is applying for entry clearance an option, is there time for it- i would be afraid to not have my passport closer to the date i leave. Or should i just plan to answer questions and be prepared.      

gretchn, if you haven't had any problems in the past I wouldn't stress out about it much. Just be prepared. The more you travel the more likely you'll be questioned so just make sure you're prepared. Bring proof of your reservation in Iceland, and bring proof that you have a job/business to return to in the US. I'm sure with that you'll probably be fine.

Also, being denied entry and being deported are two different things. Denied entry is actually what you mean here.

Enjoy your trip and don't stress yourself out before you go. I'm sure you'll be fine!

What if you don't have a job to return to back in the U.S.? I had no clue it was so common to have these sorts of problems. Looking back on my past run-ins with the IO, I'm feeling slightly stupid! They initmidate the hell out of me, I must admit. And this past time was especially difficult. I wasn't told to stand aside for more questioning but the amount of questions was a lot lengthier and more intense than before.

This isn't something I've thought about much at all. I spent a month in the UK recently and I'm beginning to think that this was only possible because it was meant to be a two week stay. When I went through customs I told them it was two weeks and if they had looked it up, they'd have seen that my return flight was for that period. I ended up skipping the flight and staying (almost) two more weeks. On the way out, of course, I did tell them I'd been in the UK for four weeks but even the questioning back in the US was more intense!

So, what's a person to do? Would it be a really bad idea to try and go to the UK for a month or more? The purpose of the visit would obviously be to spend time with Richard (he has a steady job there, I don't have a job here so it makes sense for us to get some together time this way) but is that not enough?

Also, I'm feeling a knot in my stomach for the amount of times I've traveled with very little money on me. When I visit Richard, we stay at his parents' place or a hotel (or a combination) and of course, he funds the whole thing so I only need enough cash for the journey. If they question me further and find out that I don't have enough money on me to take care of myself for the entire stay will that look too suspicious? I could remedy this by him sending me money ahead of time but... then there's that little factor of me not having a job to return to. 

I am utterly confused now. At first it sounded like getting entry clearance would help ease my mind but now it sounds like you can only do that if you were denied entry once. If you have to wait until there are serious issues what's the point?

I know that this is probably not the same, but humor me anyway. Immigration doesn't have any problem with children visiting parents do they (twice a year)? My daughter comes with an escort with all important documents on her...such as who she is visiting, our home address, her father's address, she tells them how long she's staying, and has her return ticket.  I can't imagine them every hassling her...would they? :\\\'(

I know that this is probably not the same, but humor me anyway. Immigration doesn't have any problem with children visiting parents do they (twice a year)? My daughter comes with an escort with all important documents on her...such as who she is visiting, our home address, her father's address, she tells them how long she's staying, and has her return ticket.  I can't imagine them every hassling her...would they? :\\\'(

if they have reason to believe that she will settle in the uk with you,they could hassle her about it. how old is she?

if they have reason to believe that she will settle in the uk with you,they could hassle her about it. how old is she?

She's ten years old. This will be her second Christmas and has been here twice now for summer. She always has her return ticket; in fact, when I had to fly back to the states this past July, she came with me. We just brought her return ticket for the states (for the end of her summer stay with me) and the immigration officer was so impressed that I had thought of doing so. He told me for an American I was pretty smart to do so ~ he said many don't have the forsight to show that she <b>is</b> leaving at the end of her stay. As far as I have seen so far, the ticket agents at the counter said that they see quite a few of the same kids traveling to and from the states every year to see relatives.

She's ten years old. This will be her second Christmas and has been here twice now for summer. She always has her return ticket;

A return ticket is fine, they can also ask for a letter from the other parent to clear Hague, but there shouldn't be a problem.

Remember that family visitors who are designated-nationals have the right of in-country appeal.

A return ticket is fine, they can also ask for a letter from the other parent to clear Hague, but there shouldn't be a problem.

I'm going to go on good faith that the immigration officials can see by her passport that she makes a twice a year visit here each year, coming into the UK at basically the same time period each visit, and leaves at the same time. It's all on the up and up. My ex goes through a travel agent, so my daughter always has her itinerary in her packet, along with her passport, various i.d.s, etc. Plus they always ask her who she is visiting, and she says her "Mom," and when they ask who she lives with, she says her "Dad." Plus, she always has an escort to and from, who delivers the packet. In fact, when I took her in and out of the UK, she didn't like it as well because we had to stand in line at  immigration, instead of going at the ead of the line. Says it makes her feel like royality, ha.

This is just kind of a p.s. on my post; however, I find the thought that immigration would turn away a ten year old child because she comes to see her mother in the UK twice a year quite terrifying. I never thought that when we go to meet her at the airport, like we will be in a week from today, that she might not be able to come through, or that they may give her a hassle.

I know that coming to see b/fs or g/fs is really a touchy matter; been there, done that, and got the questions questions questions; but, having a child or children coming to see a parent would seem to be different. Now on top of having the stress of getting my ILR in Feb; I now feel, instead of joy and excitement at seeing my daughter next Wednesday, I feel like I'm in total meltdown..