AVOID Entering via Dublin on Visa

I graduated from a UK University in December 2011 and went back to America to apply for my Tier 1 PSW Visa (which will not be offered after April 2012). I entered the UK via Dublin to initiate my Tier 1 Visa and found that I didn't go through immigration when I arrived to the UK. Apparently it is considered a 'common travel area' even though it is a different country. I spoke with the UKBA and Heathrow Terminal 3 before my arrival and they said that I may not get stamped on my arrival, but that it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't. This reassured me slightly but I still felt like it could cause problems.

I then went to Brussels a month later and on my arrival I was met with a not so friendly immigration officer. She was confused why I didn't go straight to the UK or enter via the 'continent'. I was let in without too much fuss, but it was ESSENTIAL that I kept my tickets to prove I came to the UK on the date of my scheduled visa start date. I think this made it much easier for the immigration officer.

I feel like I am becoming a pro at UK Immigration and the more I know, the more I realise what a flawed system it is. How is the ROI and the UK considered a 'common travel area' and the UK and Paris are not? Also, what is to keep someone from entering the UK illegally via Dublin. My experience has shown it to be much easier to get though Irish immigration rather than UK. Why can't they just flush people through immigration when they arrive from the ROI? It's no different then the many more people that pass through immigration from the continent everyday.

Sorry for the rant, but I feel that I work so hard to ensure precision with my immigration to the UK and it is not reciprocated.

I know one of the BIGGEST things that have been advised on here (over and over) is to NOT enter through Dublin when arriving in the UK on a visa as you won't get a stamp on your visa when entering the UK from there.

Ok. Sorry for the repost then. Hopefully it will be useful to someone who, like me, hadn't seen the previous posts.

I feel like I am becoming a pro at UK Immigration and the more I know, the more I realise what a flawed system it is. How is the ROI and the UK considered a 'common travel area' and the UK and Paris are not? Also, what is to keep someone from entering the UK illegally via Dublin. My experience has shown it to be much easier to get though Irish immigration rather than UK. Why can't they just flush people through immigration when they arrive from the ROI? It's no different then the many more people that pass through immigration from the continent everyday.

It's not just called 'a common travel area', it is the 'Common Travel Area', also known as the CTA - it is an official passport-free zone which has been determined by the British and Irish authorities. The CTA is comprised of Ireland (ROI and Northern Ireland), Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (Paris is not considered part of it because there is no CTA agreement between the UK and France).

It might seem strange, but that's just the way it is... because there are minimal immigration controls within the CTA, it is actually illegal for them to stamp your passport/visa when travelling from the ROI to the UK!

Say, for example, you entered the UK as a visitor via the ROI, you would actually be stamped in under Irish immigration rules, which would then allow you move freely within the CTA. However, even if you spent all of your visit in the UK, you would still be subject to the Irish rules which only allow visitors to stay in the CTA for up to 3 months (in comparison, if you entered the UK directly, you would be allowed to stay for up to 6 months).

Thank you for the clarification. Always learning something new! :-)

Like I said, I just hope this can help someone like me who is about to make travels, looks real quick on this site, and sees this.

This is good information to have as well, thanks for posting.

And I think that ROI is one of the countries that people will go to to try and get into the UK illegally.

I did this when I entered as well, as the ticket prices were half coming through Dublin. When I applied for my spousal visa, I brought in my ticket stubs and they made a stamp, signed and dated my passport and made notes in the computer for me.

Sure helped me feel better!

Never knew this! I've always entered through Dublin, and they always stamp my passport on write in " IT N. Ireland" in the middle. I got my spousal Visa  in 2008, and actually don't have anything on my passport stamped from the UK. Everytime I've visited England I went from Belfast, so didn't need a passport.

I got my IDL no problem, within a couple of months in 2010, so at least it never messed that up. Just sent in my citizenship packet last week, so we'll see how that goes.

Never knew this! I've always entered through Dublin, and they always stamp my passport on write in " IT N. Ireland" in the middle. I got my spousal Visa  in 2008, and actually don't have anything on my passport stamped from the UK. Everytime I've visited England I went from Belfast, so didn't need a passport.

I got my IDL no problem, within a couple of months in 2010, so at least it never messed that up. Just sent in my citizenship packet last week, so we'll see how that goes.

Perhaps you didn't have an issue because you were stamped in N. Ireland and not Ireland as N.I. is still the UK.  Where if you went through Dublin, then you'd have an issue as you wouldn't have a stamp from the UK on your visa.

Perhaps you didn't have an issue because you were stamped in N. Ireland and not Ireland as N.I. is still the UK.  Where if you went through Dublin, then you'd have an issue as you wouldn't have a stamp from the UK on your visa.

It was actually in Dublin, Republic of Ireland that I've always been stamped. I don't have a stamp from Northern Ireland, or anywhere else in the UK on my passport.

When I moved over to Belfast from St. Louis, I went through Dublin, and the 3 times I've visited since I've done the same, and when I go through customs(which usually takes ages!) I finally get up to the Immigration Officer who asks, "What's your purpose of visit?", and I always say something like, "I Live in Belfast," then they flipped to at first my Visa, and last time ILR, and stamped it, but then wrote in with a pen "IT N. Ireland." (and after waiting ages to get to the guy, that process takes a mere 15 seconds!)

I think when I first got my National Insurance number, the lady asked me why my passport wasn't stamped, but I didn't have any problems getting my ILR.

It was actually in Dublin, Republic of Ireland that I've always been stamped. I don't have a stamp from Northern Ireland, or anywhere else in the UK on my passport.

Sorry, my bad.  I mis-read your post.  I read it as you landed in Belfast for some reason.  Perhaps you got lucky, then.  Not really sure.  I do know that because you don't get a stamp when entering the UK via Dublin, it's been strongly advisable to not go that route when entering the UK on a visa.

If you live in Belfast, it makes a lot more sense to fly to the US via Dublin (as opposed to Great Britain), especially since the Irish APD is 3 euros, and there is only one flight from Belfast to outside Europe, CO/UA to Newark - which was going to be cancelled and had to be saved by George Osborne. Now if you lived in London, which has excellent connections to everywhere, going via Dublin would seem suspicious.

When i was travelling to Scotland 2 years back i entered through Dublin and they stamped my passport, given it was a general visitors stamp. I had no problems, but because people are saying that there might me, i wouldn't chance it again.

When i was travelling to Scotland 2 years back i entered through Dublin and they stamped my passport, given it was a general visitors stamp.

Everyone will get a stamp in Dublin - but the problem is that it is illegal for them to stamp your passport/visa when you travel from Dublin into the UK... and this is an issue for people with visas who need to be able to prove the date they entered the UK, as they will only have proof they entered Ireland, not the UK.

The stamp you would have been given in Dublin is an Irish visitor visa stamp, valid for 3 months, that allows you to travel in the UK as well. However, if you had entered the UK directly, you would have been given a UK visitor visa stamp, valid for 6 months.

So I know this post is quite old, but it ties in to a dilemma I have. I am now applying for a spousal visa FLR(M). I am unsure what date to put on the application, question 5.2, which asks when you entered the UK and on what visa. Should i just put the date in which it was stamped, which was in Brussels coming back into the UK, or the date my visa started, which is the day I arrived from Dublin, subsequently not having a stamp in my visa...

I know some of you have experienced the same issue so would be grateful for your response. Thanks!!!!! :-)

P.S. Sorry if this is confusing...my head is mash at the moment!!!