Being Refused Entry at Heathrow, What to do now?

has anyone ever been refused leave to enter the UK? what happened? how
did this effect subsequent visits?

background on my story and questions

OK so i flew out to visit my boyfriend for 5 months and when i arrived
i was detained and then subsequently returned to the us because of not
being able to show

a- that i was definitely leaving after the 5 months, even though i had a
return ticket.
b- that i was unable to support myself, because my bank statement didn't
have all of my available funds on it.
c- they said that there were some conflictions between mine and my
boyfriends statements, even though the immigration officer needed to
double check a bunch of things because he had gotten them confused. at
the time my boyfriend was never my sponsor, this was an assumption made
by the officer. the same officer who made several derogatory comments
about Wales and the Welsh. Is there any grounds to file a complaint for
regionalistic and racist comments? will this help my case when i go to
the consulate? one of my friends that i was to be staying with there is
Welsh and when i told the officer this he made several nasty remarks
and then told me it was not looking good for me.

i was denied entry and sent back home, but the officer told my
boyfriend that i could return as soon as i had all of the proper
documents. basically they sent me back because i couldn't prove that i
had anything to return to united states for, Even though that was my
intention. i am going to the consulate this week to apply for a
visitors visa to be on the safe side, but is there anything specific i
should bring with me. i am going to be staying at a hostel while i am
there on holiday because that will eliminate the need for a sponsor
correct? any advice or suggestions would be fantastic. I'm just worried
that when i go to the consulate that they will see the mark on my
passport, even though i have several other entry visas on there
already. Based on the way i was treated I am very paranoid now dealing
with customs and immigration officials. i know they aren't all like
this, but now I'm nervous. I'd like to return to the UK for 2 weeks at
the end of the months so I can at least visit my boyfriend for a short
period of time but am nervous. I'm going to apply for a visitors visa
this week in New York.  I am seriously panicking in a terrible way because i really want to visit my boyfriend. We have NO intentions on getting married any time soon and it bothers me to think that the only way we are going to get to spend IRL time together is if we get engaged or married which is something neither of us want to do at this point in our relationship. We have met face to face, so that isn't an issue [We spent 10 days together over christmas holiday] and we have lots of pictures and things. I have much to return to here in the US but how exactly can i prove that? I have no job at the moment which is an issue, but Ive contacted my lawyer to write a letter for me stating that I need to return as I have an ongoing litigation. Any advice you can give me would be great. thanks in advance! Sorry for the typos in this, I wrote it as soon as I got home from my harrowing 19 hour ordeal.

I'm going to apply for a visitors visa
this week in New York. 

Since I already talked to you somewhere else I'm just going to comment on this one thing... if you're going to apply in person I don't think you'll be able to get your visa back in the same day because of being denied entry at Heathrow. It's standard procedure for them to contact immigration at Heathrow to have them fax over your information from when you were detained. Apparently, this can take a week or so with Heathrow (that's what I was told at the Chicago consulate). They can't issue you a visa until the get the info. Because of this you might consider applying by post. Never hurts to contact the NY consulate and ask them how long they think it might take though.

do i even need a visa to just go for 3 weeks if i can prove that i am planning on returning?

No, you don't need a visa unless the IO at Heathrow told you otherwise. As long as you have fixed all the problems they had with you the first time then you should be fine. Just make sure you have proper paperwork to back up your story. If they're convinced you're returning after 3 weeks then they should let you in. All they are worried about is you overstaying. Reducing the length of my trip the second time really helped me and I imagine it will probably help you too.

do you think what im going to bring with me will be enough? i made another post about it a few down. argh this is so frustrating. i told my boyfriend that i refuse to be bullied into getting engaged/married just so we can see each other. 

No, you don't need a visa unless the IO at Heathrow told you otherwise. As long as you have fixed all the problems they had with you the first time then you should be fine. Just make sure you have proper paperwork to back up your story. If they're convinced you're returning after 3 weeks then they should let you in. All they are worried about is you overstaying. Reducing the length of my trip the second time really helped me and I imagine it will probably help you too.

nope. he even told my boyfriend that as long as i had all the proper documents i could fly back that evening if i wanted! this is just unbelievably frustrating and my plans for a longer visit have been cancelled for the time being. i just wanted to take a quick holiday before classes started to visit him and work on possibly going through bunac in a few months to get a student work visa.

Personally, it sounds like enough info to me but hopefully some other people will comment and let you know what they think. Have you paid anything to the school that you're enrolled in? Bringing proof of that might help you out a little more.

ill have my registration and my reciept of payment from the school as well.

and yes please other people comment and help me out! 

If you've paid money to the school then I really think you should be fine. That should be serious proof that you are planning on returning to the US.

Don't be surprised if you're still detained when you fly back. Just like I mentioned about the consulate, the IO at whatever airport your at will want to see the info from Heathrow about why you were denied entry before. Don't panic if it happens because I think it's standard procedure. It happened to me and I got through.

Hi I am Sonya my fiancee is Chris he is from the usa Boston, he came in October and I got called into immigration the woman questioned me for about 5 mins and asked how much I earned and how much Chris had coming in if he new my children how many times I had been to the states that type of thing would he be living with me at my house if we planned to get married if I had met his parents. They asked for id drivers licence off me and I had forgot to change the address on it errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, I was completely unprepared for being called in did not even know about it.

But Chris was let in and everything is great, he is here for 6 months and we are going back to get married and apply for him to come and be with me and the children we really love being together.

I am also trying to find out about the spousal visa and what is the best way to get it sorted out its very scary the thought we could be seperated again we love each other so much. The children especially the youngest calls Chris daddy and the boys all adore Chris.

If you are only coming for a few weeks you wont need a visa as you can come  on a waiver visa, you can stay at your partners home, just bring everything with you just incase.


Good luck

Hiya Elz,

My partner was detained at Heathrow the first time he came over to visit me. They wanted to send him back to the states straight away because Immigration wasn't satisfied that he would be returning to the states.
After interviewing me and detaining him for 3 Hrs, they eventually gave him 5 days leave after which he was to return to Heathrow and had to leave.
What this boils down to is, he was denied entry but because he was on the last flight in or out that day, they let him stay for 5 days.
He went back to the airport on the 5th day and got on the plane to go back home.
They told him to get all the right paper work and try again.
He tried again 3 weeks later.
When he arrived at Heathrow this time, he was instantly detained and was sent back home 4 hrs later without me getting to see him at all.
Immigration told him it was too soon to return and they still had the impression that he was here to stay.

I suggest that if you plan on returning to the UK again, you leave it at least 2 to 3 months before you try returning.

In the end, he was very paranoid about returning here through Heathrow.
I havent seen him now since July last yr but he is returning here in February      for his 3 month visit.

has anyone ever been refused leave to enter the UK? what happened? how
did this effect subsequent visits?

background on my story and questions

OK so i flew out to visit my boyfriend for 5 months and when i arrived
i was detained and then subsequently returned to the us because of not
being able to show

a- that i was definitely leaving after the 5 months, even though i had a
return ticket.
b- that i was unable to support myself, because my bank statement didn't
have all of my available funds on it.
c- they said that there were some conflictions between mine and my
boyfriends statements, even though the immigration officer needed to
double check a bunch of things because he had gotten them confused. at
the time my boyfriend was never my sponsor, this was an assumption made
by the officer. the same officer who made several derogatory comments
about Wales and the Welsh. Is there any grounds to file a complaint for
regionalistic and racist comments? will this help my case when i go to
the consulate? one of my friends that i was to be staying with there is
Welsh and when i told the officer this he made several nasty remarks
and then told me it was not looking good for me.

i was denied entry and sent back home, but the officer told my
boyfriend that i could return as soon as i had all of the proper
documents. basically they sent me back because i couldn't prove that i
had anything to return to united states for, Even though that was my
intention. i am going to the consulate this week to apply for a
visitors visa to be on the safe side, but is there anything specific i
should bring with me. i am going to be staying at a hostel while i am
there on holiday because that will eliminate the need for a sponsor
correct? any advice or suggestions would be fantastic. I'm just worried
that when i go to the consulate that they will see the mark on my
passport, even though i have several other entry visas on there
already. Based on the way i was treated I am very paranoid now dealing
with customs and immigration officials. i know they aren't all like
this, but now I'm nervous. I'd like to return to the UK for 2 weeks at
the end of the months so I can at least visit my boyfriend for a short
period of time but am nervous. I'm going to apply for a visitors visa
this week in New York.  I am seriously panicking in a terrible way because i really want to visit my boyfriend. We have NO intentions on getting married any time soon and it bothers me to think that the only way we are going to get to spend IRL time together is if we get engaged or married which is something neither of us want to do at this point in our relationship. We have met face to face, so that isn't an issue [We spent 10 days together over christmas holiday] and we have lots of pictures and things. I have much to return to here in the US but how exactly can i prove that? I have no job at the moment which is an issue, but Ive contacted my lawyer to write a letter for me stating that I need to return as I have an ongoing litigation. Any advice you can give me would be great. thanks in advance! Sorry for the typos in this, I wrote it as soon as I got home from my harrowing 19 hour ordeal.

You and I have such similar stories its scary. 

I was given one month in the UK, which was all I actually wanted on that particular trip, but my ticket was booked for 2 months. I was never told I was denied though..so I'm confused if I really WAS denied or not. She said she COULD have and sent me right back home but theyd let me stay the one month that I wanted.

I was told get a visitor or fiancee visa to come back, and thought for a bit we might just get married when my divorce is final but we really arent ready for that..nor are we engaged. We also dont want to be forced into getting married just to be together. So we are trying to get the visitor visa. I too was told they didnt think Id come back to the US...I had my son in the US at that time, he wasnt allowed to travel with me, of COURSE I am going back to my child! I didnt have a job either...now I am filing for divorce and want to be here for the final hearing, my son will have to stay here again but thankfully my ex has given me permission to go with him to the UK when I am able to take him. I didnt have a job, and now the one I have I can only hope they consider something to tie me to the US..I work for my mom through her home-based business, and will do so anytime I am in the US, and  I am studying to get a degree in Interior Design  (ld course) with the eventual goal of running my own kitchen design studio.

My dbf will be my sponsor and his mother is writing a letter of support/co-sponsorship. Hopefully we have everything we need and I made an appt to go to the Chicago consulate.... am crossing my fingers its approved, because like you we arent nearly ready to get married, and dont want to spend who-knows-how-long apart

I dont know anything about the legal end of how you were treated... I was detained for hours and ignored for most of that time while they let everyone else through immigrations, I was told someone would be coming shortly and then no one ever did, and anything I said seemed to get blown way out of context Looking back there were some things that didnt help my situation..such as way too much stuff (I am a chronic over-packer...I have learned the hard way to cut back though!!!), I didnt know if my dl course could be done outside the UK (yes it can), etc. But still everything I said was regarded with suspicion and twisted until I was lost

I had no intentions of staying more than the month I planned, my ticket was for 2 months but we had decided due to previous airline troubles just in the US to leave it until I was safely in the UK (the US ticket got changed and they didnt accpet dbfs cc and didnt tell me, my flight was then cancelled since I didnt have the cash on hand to pay the change fee at the counter..n the end it took a LONG trip back home to get the cash and then pay for a new flight to get where I was going to meet dbf for the first time).


Ok I am just going on and on...but I wanted to let you know youre not alone....I wish you the very best...*hugs*

thank you so much for your reply. its slightly comforting [if not frustrating] to know that there are others out there in our situation. i think in the end, any sort of suspicion whether it be a limited entry or denial will all raise the same eyebrows. im going to play it safe like you and apply for a visitors visa. i just hate that they make us feel like we were doing something illegal just to see someone we care about.