Immigration makes me nervous :\

I absolutely dread dealing with Immigration, I think its because they spooked me so bad the first time.
I wasn't able to get a letter of Invitation off my fiance' as he's been sick, which is why this trip was so unplanned.

I do have:
My return ticket
1600 in Cash + 2 credit cards
a letter from my employer stating I am expected back at work the 18th
a itinerary I made on the visit Bristol website with 7 local things We intend on doing. Most are free festivals which you can't get tickets in advance, so I have the page with the 7 things listed and then individual print outs of the festivals with the dates.

I'm hoping thats good enough for a 3wk stay. plus with the diamond Jubilee and olympic stuff going out, there's ton to do tourist wise. thankfully Bristol airport has a very small que for non EU and my flight gets in at 8:15am so I can pray for a morning IO that isn't in a bad mood for once...They just have that dagger look thru your soul I swear! I've had females both times, First time she scared the sh*t out of me, 2nd time I was warned that it wasn't *normal* to travel with a letter from your employer, but she quickly stamped me thru after she read it. she said it was a double edge sword and I told her it was listed on the UKBA website as a traveling document...Either way that made me afraid to even pull it out this time if I need to!

I think anyone who has had a bad experience or a hassle feels a bit nervous. My very first visit here ended up with a horrid IO experience, and even with my spousal visa, I feel a knot of worry each time I come back from a visit to the States. Now we are moving back, I know we will only come for a couple/few weeks at a time each visit in the future. I am sure the fear will still be there.

It is like anything else, a bad experience really sticks with you emotionally.

I think they can smell fear (like animals!) Just walk up confidently, smile and ask "How are you?" I was so scared last summer when I came in needing a short term student visa (issued at the border). The letter my school supposedly sent out never arrived and we went through all this hassle and ££ to have my fiance send another one over along with a letter of invitation. She barely glanced at the school letter. We ended up chatting about how I am from GA because she had done a semester (?) abroad in NC! lol Seriously, I didn't sleep the entire flight (I read a whole book. I never ever can read without falling asleep!) and all for nothing! I was prepared and knew what I needed and (tried to) appear relaxed and confident. It worked. Just breathe!

I know exactly how you feel! I get the same nervous feeling every time I go visit my fiance. I had a horrible experience when I went to visit last year, and I just can't get over it. I had a better (but still awful) experience I went last time too. I told my fiance that I'm not planning on going back until after the wedding (next year!), and I have my visa. I'm sure I'll still get knots in my stomach then too.

Honestly this time I was amazed how friendly the IO was that i had...And Hell i needed it! My flight to Amsterdam came in late which caused me to RUN thru the entire airport and I wasn't even in the security line when they announced boarding for my connecting flight to Bristol, Never ran so fast in my life, nearly had an asthma attack. When I got off the plane at Bristol I was still dieing  for air, and I walked into the immigration line, this Nice lady called me up, asked for my landing card and return ticket, asked who was I visiting, Told her my boyfriend, she made a little conversation about how did I get 3wks off but she wasn't rude, hell first IO i've seen smile in the 3 I've met! Stamped me thru and that was it I've never been so relieved in my life, so honestly some IO's really are nice

Yeah, you never know what sort of IO you'll get, I've had some that were perfectly pleasant and didn't ask many questions, and others that while they weren't rude or anything, they just had an air of "no nonsense" about them, and asked loads of questions. Even when I came through last on my fiancee visa, I still got questions and then had a scary moment when the fingerprint scanner wasn't picking up my fingerprints. It can be really nerve-wracking standing in that immigration line 

Just thinking about going through the IOs in december makes me nervous. I am even planning on what exactly to bring to prove that I have no intention of staying in the UK for good (letter from my employer, estatement showing my bank account balance, etc.)

I have ILR and I still get nervous when I'm coming back from a holiday! I think it's a remnant from the days when I was only visiting and got more probing questions.

It is hard but try to not be nervous.  They are are just trying to do their job the best they can and you are just trying to help them do it as efficiently and pleasantly as possible!  As long as they can see you know the rules and don't plan to break them - it will be ok.

Interestingly, I've never had trouble coming into the UK (knock on wood!) and the ONLY trouble I've ever had with any sort of IO was when I flew into Boston for my brother's wedding. That woman gave me SUCH a hard time and asked me a dozen questions about why I was flying back to the US if I "wanted to live in the UK so badly". Yeah.

My brother and I aren't very close at all but my parents insisted that I fly out for his wedding. The IO asked me for my brother's address - I had no idea. She asked me for his phone number - I had no idea. She asked me who I was meeting with and I told her my mom, dad and little brother were flying in from Oklahoma the next day. I offered to give her all of their contact info so that she could verify my story and they could also give her my brother's address and phone number. She thought it fishy that I didn't know my brother's number - I told her that I no longer had a US cellphone with my US contacts and that I never talked to my brother on the phone anyway, so I didn't think to store his number in my UK phone.

Ugh. She was so miserable.

Interestingly, I've never had trouble coming into the UK (knock on wood!) and the ONLY trouble I've ever had with any sort of IO was when I flew into Boston for my brother's wedding. That woman gave me SUCH a hard time and asked me a dozen questions about why I was flying back to the US if I "wanted to live in the UK so badly". Yeah.

My brother and I aren't very close at all but my parents insisted that I fly out for his wedding. The IO asked me for my brother's address - I had no idea. She asked me for his phone number - I had no idea. She asked me who I was meeting with and I told her my mom, dad and little brother were flying in from Oklahoma the next day. I offered to give her all of their contact info so that she could verify my story and they could also give her my brother's address and phone number. She thought it fishy that I didn't know my brother's number - I told her that I no longer had a US cellphone with my US contacts and that I never talked to my brother on the phone anyway, so I didn't think to store his number in my UK phone.

Ugh. She was so miserable.

Weird.  You're a US citizen--you had every right to be visiting the US, why would you even need to make up a fishy story about a brother getting married??  Ridiculous!   

Weird.  You're a US citizen--you had every right to be visiting the US, why would you even need to make up a fishy story about a brother getting married??  Ridiculous!   

Exactly! Annnnd I had only been living in the UK for a little over 2 months at that point. I kept asking why I was being given such a hard time when I was a US citizen but she just kept saying it was her duty to make sure the people let in were allowed. Uh. Yeah.

Goddamn New Englanders. Grew up in MA and will NEVER move back!

Exactly! Annnnd I had only been living in the UK for a little over 2 months at that point. I kept asking why I was being given such a hard time when I was a US citizen but she just kept saying it was her duty to make sure the people let in were allowed. Uh. Yeah.

Goddamn New Englanders. Grew up in MA and will NEVER move back!

Double ridiculous--OF COURSE you're allowed! 

Interestingly, I've never had trouble coming into the UK (knock on wood!) and the ONLY trouble I've ever had with any sort of IO was when I flew into Boston for my brother's wedding.

This has been my experience also.  Never any trouble or even probing questions when entering the UK, but whenever I go back to the US, I feel like I'm on trial!  I do often wonder what they would do if refused to answer their questions.  They couldnt actually prevent an American citizen from re-entering the US, could they?

This has been my experience also.  Never any trouble or even probing questions when entering the UK, but whenever I go back to the US, I feel like I'm on trial!  I do often wonder what they would do if refused to answer their questions.  They couldnt actually prevent an American citizen from re-entering the US, could they?

I don't know. I'm tempted to try! lol