Leaving in a couple weeks, nervous.

As the title states. I went into all this assuming I could just fly to the UK and stay there, its a good thing i researched it. I will be arriving on a visitors visa and have some questions.

According to the website, I have everything I need.
- Airline tickets, there and back home to the US.
- Proof of funds
- An emailed letter from whom I'm staying with ( includes #, address, length of visit.)
- The visitors visa I will obtain upon arrival
- Passport

I am still worried about getting denied entrance, from all the horror stories I have read from others who have had the experience. I am staying with a friend who happens to be of the opposite sex and don't want immigration officers thinking I'm up to something. I most certainly intend on flying back home within the 90 days given as to not get banned from the UK, I intend to go back and do it the right way so that I can stay for an extended period of time.

Does anyone feel that I am missing anything? Any recommendations?

I plan on going through the proper channels while I am there to see what I would have to do in order to get something more permanent than a visitors visa, I would eventually like to work there and have dual-citizenship and the get go. There are places in the UK that I could go to, to obtain all the necessary information to go about this, correct?

Thank You.

I flew back and forth many times with less documentation than you have, and I was frank that I had come to visit a boyfriend. I can't promise you won't have problems (I'm older, for example, and I suspect that helps)...but the reason you read so many horror stories is, who bothers to post when they didn't have any problems? 

Good luck!

Unfortunately...once you're a visitor in the UK it is not possible to switch to another visa.

The best place to look regarding different visas and what you might be eligible to is here: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/. It lists all the different avenues. I suggest you try the link for 'Working in the UK'....ah the internet, can all be done from the comfort of your own home 

Ohhh...bad on me for skimming. Yes, as WebyJ says, visiting is one thing, but for something more permanent -- well, there aren't many options. And most of the hurdles are pretty high.

Thanks yall. Huge help in easing the nerves.

I do not intend on switching visas whilst in the UK. I was going to do all that when I returned home. I do not need anything 'permanent' just alot longer than 6 moths, I would like to get a job during my second visit and test the waters.

I will most definitely scout information once I am there to see what my options are for my second stay.  I figured that the information I could get in person would be far more thorough then that on the internet. I guess I will stick to my main focus as of now which is just getting in the UK, I can worry about the other stuff later.

You are not allowed to work during visits. You will need either a work based visa or a spousal visa to work in the UK.

May I ask how long you plan to stay during this first visit?

Right-o. But be careful; they can be hardassed in unexpected places. Like, if they ever find evidence you even scouted around for work while in the UK, it can mess up your prospects down the line.

I do know that I will not be working on a visitors visa. Thats what I was going to figure out once i got home, which is exactly what kind of visa I would want to apply for.

I will be staying for 90 days, maybe less but definitely no longer.

Thank You

90 days is a long time! You'll need some sort of proof you've got a job or school course that's expecting you back at the end, or mortage/lease showing you do plan to come back.

And of course, a return ticket for within that timeframe.

there is something I do not have. I have proof of funds/bank statement with sufficient funds on it aswell as my ticket back home. I do not have a job right now, nor do I go to school right now....what should I do?

What if i teach guitar to people from my home for a living? I am self employed?

Do you live with your parents?  Or do you have a lease agreement for a home/apt that you could provide?
They will be looking that you have ties to the US. They want to see that you have a reason to return after your visit.  Is there anything else you can do to prove this? 

I actually live with a friend, in an apartment on a college campus. This is temporary and I do not pay rent or anything, I do however pay my own way for essentials.

Should I tell them I live with my parents? Would that be enough 'proof'? Could they write a letter for me, and if so what should it state?

THANK YOU...Im glad I came across this place or I'd find myself in a rut.

Please don't get into "should I tell them"...  we absolutely do not encourage lying to immgration officers.

Either way, none of those situations will really work in your favour - living with a friend doesnt give you a reason to return and your parents saying that you will come back doesnt really hold water.  

Do you volunteer anywhere regularly?  I had an organization write a letter for me when I wasnt working that stated I was expected to return to help them at events this summer.
I think it would also be worth it to take a diary with scheduled guitar lessons if you have them planned in advance.

I know that there is at least one person here who lived with her parents, didnt have a job and stayed for 6 months and didnt have any trouble at immigration, but everyone's experience is different.

Interesting and helpful information, thank you.

I'm going to get a letter from my parents in the meantime, while I try to figure the rest out.

my math is horrible i meant 180 days, not 90