entering uk before tier 2 visa start date

Ok great. Thank you!

I will also be entering the UK on a Tier 2 ICT Visa in a few weeks.

My long term girlfriend is being sponsored by my company and will be on a Tier 2 Dependent Visa. 

Does anyone have experience on how strict the questions are at the border?  Obviously she will have her passport, VISA, be with me, etc. 

Thanks,
Pete

If you both have visas, there won't be any problems. Are you worried about something specifically?

Nope...not really.  Both will have VISA's in hand and company sponsorship on my part.  I just wasn't sure if there is a more intense face to face interview or something bc we are not officially married.

When I had a Tier 2 I was usually asked who I worked for and for how long.  Nothing harder than that.

If she has a visa, it makes no difference that you are not married.

When we came in for the first time on our Tier 2 ICT this past September, the IA was....um.....a jerk, honestly. She had no questions for me (the dependent), but was grilling my husband - who did he work for, how could we prove to her that he still worked for them (she wanted to see business cards, emails, etc), where was his contract (he doesn't have one, as he is technically a US employee), and lots of other questions. She left and went back in the room for about 10-15 mins, then finally came out, asked a few additional questions, and let us go. So, IME, the Tier 2 dependent is easy (they didn't even ask me how we were related), the Tier 2 might have a few more questions. However, every single other time we have come back in the UK, the IO's have been super friendly, polite and everything has been quick. So, we may have just had a bad experience to start. Good luck!

annnd... just so you know...
it's just a 'visa', not a VISA.  It's not an acronym for a longer term... just visa. (I think it's Latin).

Safe travels. 

I think it is Latin, if I recall, from charta visa ("paper that has been seen") from feminine perfect passive videre ("to see").

/got that from wiktionary