Leaving in a couple weeks, nervous.

The point being, that if you can't show that you're a genuine visitor, they'll think you're trying to overstay--it's not hard to 'miss' your return flight home. We know you're being honest, but the IO really doesn't know any of that; they ultimately have to use their judgement when you present yourself at the border. They've heard the 'I'm just visiting' thing before, and it makes it difficult sometimes for genuine visitors to get in because people have abused the system before. Sometimes without some idea of what you're going to do and see while you're there, they'll just assume you never had an intention to visit--that you'll overstay, especially when you're young and don't have loads of obligations back home. Like Vicky said, sometimes they can get suspicious when you say you're just going to stay with a friend and bum around and look at stuff when you're asking to stay for such a long period of time--many visitors only come for a couple week, see some sights, and then bugger off home.

You may want to sort out some sort of itinerary to show you have solid plans of sightseeing and doing tourist type of things, and show that it will be for however long you're planning on staying for.

understandable. Then again, the return flight home is a good chunk of change wasted if I didnt use it.

Say that my flight is scheduled for 6 months, i might hack it down to 3. How would I go about telling the IO that? Say that they tell me 6 months is too long, would they understand me if i told them I plan on changing to 3 months instead? I could even do that right in front of them if they wanted, or is that automatic disqualification?

Afterall, I am playing by the rules, I really do not know why the IO would see a problem with it, but its better to know all of this ahead of time.

Well, basically, even if you are 100% genuine, the facts you provide to the IO could be interpreted differently.  So the more evidence you can provide to show that you *will* be playing by the rules, the less likely that you'll have any problems.

Good luck!

Look at it this way.  I have just been on holiday to Chicago for one week, and we had an itinerary.  The longest trips I have ever made away from home were 10 days in India and 3 weeks in New Zealand, and for both these trips I had fairly detailed itineraries.  For a trip of 6 months it is really implausable that you won't have an itinerary mapped out, it is pretty implausable that you would stay in the same place for the six months, and it will certainly raise eyebrows if you don't have written down at least a list of what you want to do and see.

Vicky

Im working on that as we speak, my sponsor who lives there, probably knows a ton of stuff to do.

I've also been reading about refused entry. I'm reading things like contacting Immigration Advisory Service and registering with the police and and told how one could go about making an appeal against the refusal. Is that how it works or is it that once your refused, thats that? That all sounds alot more promising.

Now that im working on my itinerary....should I print this stuff out? Of all the places I plan on visiting? I wish i could get some brochures or something.

thanks all.

You would get refused entry and stuck back on the next flight hom, with no right of appeal.

This all sounds a little strange to me.  You are working on your itinerary AFTER you have booked the flights?  You haven't actually decided what you plan to do here yet? Then why are you coming for such a long time?

Vicky

i would have thought my sponsor knows of a ton of stuff to do. I have already booked everything and I was honestly going to play it all by ear.

Really, I will be in a country I have never been in before so the way I see it, everything will be a sight to see. It will all be very new to me.

Im also gettin more documentation right now as far as 'proof' that I will for sure be coming back. I have a nice thick folder as is, but it keeps getting bigger with all the new information I am getting from yall.

So far it looks like my only problem is the length of my stay, but I have documentation on my travel insurance stating that I can easily change flights.

Will being a US citizen help my case at all either? I mean we are allies and have international agreements with eachother, but that may not apply to my situation.

No right to appeal eh? If i get refused ill tell them that I'd rather stay for 2 weeks then waste all that money.....would this work? It is most certainly true, I'd rather get a glimpse rather than nothing at all.

If they think that you're being deceptive to them, I wouldn't think that offering to only stay for 2 weeks would change anything--to overstay the difference between 2 weeks and six months really doesn't matter. As for being a US citizen, I'm not sure it really matters much at all--just because the two countries have a friendly relationship doesn't mean it's any easier to get in. US citizens have it somewhat easier than other countries to begin with, since technically we don't need any sort of prior entry visa to go over just for a visit (if you can satisfy the IO that process you when you enter, of course). There's other nations where they *have* to get the prior entry clearance even just for a visit 

not trying to be deceptive, but i am trying to not waste 2 days of my life and lots of money to go airport hopping and then do it again going home. ( my flights stop at 3 airports before i get to the one i need to be at)

As of now, i have more than everything that the uktravel website has asked of me to get.....i have far more. I hope people could understand how angry one would be to get refused entry based of judgment. By the sounds of it, I couldnt even work anything out with the IO either.

sorry in advance for any grammatical errors, im working on getting more documentation at the moment.

thanks

It's completely understandable--I don't think you're trying to be deceptive at all, but it's just what the IO might think, and ultimately it's their decision to let you in. It's good that you're aware of the things you need to take with you and to be honest and all that, it's much better to be prepared than to just show up empty handed. I didn't know any of those things when I traveled to the UK, and I was *extremely* lucky looking back that I got in, but it's better to not be caught with your pants down.

haha true.

can i ask how long you stayed? what documentation did you have? was this before or after immigration laws tightened up?

I went once in March-May 2008 for about 6 weeks or so, then the end of October-middle of January for 10-11 weeks roughly. I was really lucky, because I didn't take anything with me except my passport and my return ticket--this was all before I found UKY. I had a friend from somewhere else tell me just to say I was visiting friends, and that's what I said--it's horrible advice and I feel really guilty nowadays because I followed it because I was dumb I had extremely lax IO's each time, and it's a little scary to know how easily I could of been turned around.

If I could do it all again--I would totally have the things you're bringing with you.

glad to hear you got lucky, on the flipside it helps put my mind at ease.

it also just hit me that, theres alot of holidays coming up and since i will be leaving shortly after the new year it could help work in my favor.

The only problem is not the length of the stay.  The problem is that none of this rings true.  No one goes to a new country for a six month vacation wihtout a plan.  It just doesn't happen.

So, again, before you came onto this thread, what would you say that you were going to do for the six months of your stay?  And what is the main reason that you are coming over?

Vicky

theres a first time for everything.

I would say that im taking a long vacation and visiting some old friends and that i'd want to make the most out of my money and stay aslong as the visa is good for. nevermind all the holidays coming up, it should be an eye opening experience, before i have to go home and work and become more grown-up like. My plan is to play it by ear and see a world i have not yet seen before.

something to that effect, it wouldnt be lying...this is a golden opportunity that not everyone gets.

would they refuse me at the border because i dont have a plan?