Overstay Visa?

*groans*

So I think I've overstayed my visa by a week, for my planned trip back.

What will they do if I've done it accedentially? We didn't have the money to buy a ticket sooner. Or I'd be outa here.


Will they even check when I leave the country? Will it effect my fiance application?

I understand you don't have the money for a new ticket. I suggest calling the airline to see if you can change your flight. Most airlines will do this for a fee of maybe $100. Immigration is not going to accept excuses for overstaying a visa as it's a very serious thing.

What will they do? And we can't afford to up the flight sooner.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that immigration will know that you've overstayed your visa. This will cause trouble when you're applying for your fiance visa. I know you said you're only planning on being in the states for two weeks to get your visa so I suggest getting the earliest possible appointment because there is a good chance that if they do issue you a visa it won't be on the same day.

I was denied entry to the UK back in December and when I went to apply for my spousal visa I got bitched at for having already bought my tickets back to the UK. They told me that if you ever have problems with immigration then getting a visa takes extra time as they have to look further into your situation.

If I were you, I'd do whatever I had to do to change that flight. Can you possibly borrow money from his mother?

Ok so Im looking over my passport stamps

This is what I have on my passport "24 hour instransit in doublin" and a Doublin stamp. I don't have one for going into Manchester with the 6 month tourist thing on it, I think they missed it when I entered the country, so do I even have the 6 month visa? Or am I just screwed in general.

Man this is confusing. Last time I came, I cam straight into england so I got a stamp with the 6 month thing on it, this time I don't.


Does that change things? And Im looking into changing the flight.

I've only flown right into the UK so I can't answer this one. I'm cluessless about the stamps you have. Did you go through immigration in Manchester? I can't imagine them forgetting to stamp you...  I hope someone can answer this for you.

I *think* you can go through immigration in the Republic of Ireland if you're planning on heading into the UK -- I came over via Dublin in 1998 and have a stamp from there without another stamp from entering via London (just came over on the ferry via Holyhead or Crewe or something like that), so I'm assuming that's how it works.  The date you entered Dublin would be the start date of your UK tourist visa time -- so six months from that date is when you should've left the country.  Immigration will know that you've overstayed because your passport will be scanned when you leave and you'll need to explain why you overstayed on your visa application.

I *think* you can go through immigration in the Republic of Ireland if you're planning on heading into the UK -- I came over via Dublin in 1998 and have a stamp from there without another stamp from entering via London (just came over on the ferry via Holyhead or Crewe or something like that), so I'm assuming that's how it works.  The date you entered Dublin would be the start date of your UK tourist visa time -- so six months from that date is when you should've left the country.  Immigration will know that you've overstayed because your passport will be scanned when you leave and you'll need to explain why you overstayed on your visa application.

Agreed.

Nice call.   

Ireland is in the CTA, and while technically it falls upon the entrant to clear immigration control - even if controls are not in place, they can generally wiggle off the hook if it's an official port of entry - for the first time.  Not clearing immigration control is a bookable offense, otherwise we would have people swimming ashore at John O' Groats and claiming that nobody was on duty.  So the onus is on them to go and *FIND* an IO.  The tribunal has continually and unveeringly upheld this point.

It works the same way if you are bringing in more than the legal allowance of alcohol.  If nobody's on duty, it's your problem to go and find somebody from HMC&E to collect the tax.  And for what it's worth, there's an astonishing number of Brits who will do that.

I agree with above posts, you need to rebook your flight, if you overstayed then they will frown on that big time and might deny your visa. Even if you explain to them it was an "accident" they might not accept that as a reasonable answer.


Are you sure they didnt give you a 24hr entry instead of a 6 month entry?

Well it does say 24 hours on the stamp, and then another underneath it to dublin. I think they missed it when I came to manchest, they sorta galnced at it and let me through.

I don't know what it means, Im sure it means only stay in doublin 24 hours, but what does that mean to my stay in manchester?

I am not sure what the state of their computer system is these days. A few years ago they had no idea who was coming in and out of the country and when, but I think they've upgraded by now so if you apply for a fiance visa or whatever, they will be able to see when you came in and out of the country, regardless of the stapm in your passport.  This is what I would do - call the Home Office ASAP and explain. Write down verbatim whatever they say (so you have a reliable record of it) and act on what they say. That way if you are asked about it later, you can say it was an honest mistake, you contacted the Home Office and followed their instructions. I suggest you be prepared to fork out whatever it costs to change your ticket though. 

Scratch everything above, here's your answer:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=17004.0;topicseen

Scratch everything above, here's your answer:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=17004.0;topicseen

But that's only if she's leaving from Gatwick or Heathrow, right?