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Topic: UK stamp on spouse visa?  (Read 5052 times)

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UK stamp on spouse visa?
« on: May 22, 2019, 11:59:05 AM »
Hello,

My wife arrived to the UK via London Gatwick airport. She said she never got a stamp on her vignette as there was no officer there. Seems like they just scan and take a photo with those machines.

Is that going to be an issue collecting the BRP or has the process changed that you no longer need a stamp on the vignette?

I know when I got here over 10 years ago I needed it

Thanks


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #1 on: May 22, 2019, 12:13:48 PM »
Hmm, she MUST get that stamp, or she cannot pick up her BRP.

There should have been an immigration officer there to stamp it, because she wouldn’t have been allowed into the U.K. otherwise.

However, she didn’t fly through Dublin first, did she? That is the only circumstance in which her visa will not be stamped, because she will have gone through Irish immigration instead of U.K. immigration.


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2019, 12:23:50 PM »
Looks like US passports can now go through those ePassports. She flew from Orlando to Gatwick direct. I was going to remind her but remembered that non-eu has to go through immigration.

When she came out to arrivals we rang the hotline at the airport and an officer said they don’t stamp it which I thought was quite weird

What should we do???


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #3 on: May 22, 2019, 12:51:08 PM »
She needs to book a trip out of the UK (and Ireland) and back.  She can do the Eurostar or a flight.  Just over to Paris/Amsterdam or something and then back.  She needs to go to the counter and ensure they stamp her vignette.

EVERYTHING for the next 5 years is based off of that stamp.  She needs it.


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #4 on: May 22, 2019, 07:57:35 PM »
FYI

She was able to get her BRP card. They looked at the vignette and didn’t mention about the lack of stamp.

So she’s officially in the country! Woohoo


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #5 on: May 22, 2019, 08:05:50 PM »
FYI

She was able to get her BRP card. They looked at the vignette and didn’t mention about the lack of stamp.

So she’s officially in the country! Woohoo

She still needs that stamp though, because the date on it will be used to calculate what date she:
- qualifies to apply for FLR(M)
- qualifies to apply for ILR

She will qualify for FLR(M) 30 months after the date on the stamp, and for ILR 5 years after the date on her stamp.

If she has no stamp, they won’t know what date she entered the country and started her 5-year clock to ILR.

So, she really needs to get a stamp by leaving the country and coming back in again... though I don’t know if that will still be possible now she has the BRP.

Otherwise you would need to gather as much evidence as you can that proves she entered the country on the date she did.



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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2019, 01:40:29 AM »
So are all US visitors no longer having to go through the immigration officers? If so, is this because of Brexit? Maybe this is mentioned elsewhere as being a new thing but haven't been on the forum lately and this is the first post I have read so far.

And would her ticket suffice perhaps showing the date of when she entered?

Interesting though.
==Beginning my journey (work in progress)==
Date of fiance(e) visa application: July 11, 2020
Date of biometrics: July 20, 2020
Date documents sent to NY Hub: July 21, 2020
...more coming soon!


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #7 on: May 24, 2019, 01:48:31 AM »
So are all US visitors no longer having to go through the immigration officers? If so, is this because of Brexit? Maybe this is mentioned elsewhere as being a new thing but haven't been on the forum lately and this is the first post I have read so far.

And would her ticket suffice perhaps showing the date of when she entered?

Interesting though.

As of May 20, 2019 US passport holders, along with 6 other countries, can use e-gates on arrival to the UK.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/7-more-countries-uk-e-gates/


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #8 on: May 24, 2019, 06:00:40 AM »
So are all US visitors no longer having to go through the immigration officers? If so, is this because of Brexit? Maybe this is mentioned elsewhere as being a new thing but haven't been on the forum lately and this is the first post I have read so far.

Nothing to do with Brexit as far as I know, because they have introduced e-gates for citizens of certain countries in other countries too... when I arrived in Italy last week, they had e-gates for US citizens too.


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #9 on: May 25, 2019, 02:09:15 AM »
Thank you for that link. OMG.  :o As someone who dreads the immigration officers , this is awesome news.
==Beginning my journey (work in progress)==
Date of fiance(e) visa application: July 11, 2020
Date of biometrics: July 20, 2020
Date documents sent to NY Hub: July 21, 2020
...more coming soon!


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2019, 09:07:57 AM »
Thank you for that link. OMG.  :o As someone who dreads the immigration officers , this is awesome news.

Remember you won’t have any issues anymore now that you have a visa! 

Also, if you haven’t come through yet, you MUST go to a desk on your first entry as you need that stamp.  :)


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2019, 08:25:04 PM »
Hi all,

As an update to this. I sent my wife out of the country (to Amsterdam) and she flew back into Gatwick airport again - cheapest flight we could find at short notice. She went to the clearance officer, she looked at her letter and let my wife through with no stamp! She argued with them that she needed a stamp on the vignette and the officer said they don't do that anymore. The clearance officer also spoke to her manager (i was on the phone with them) and they said they don't stamp anymore. I asked the clearance officer how will my wife determine her 5 year period for her ILR and they responded that it would (although they did sound unsure) be based on either the date her visa OR the date she collected her BRP

Weird... luckily my wife collected her BRP on the same day she arrived into the country so keeping the ticket stub and BRP receipt for safe keeping

Hope this helps people


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #12 on: May 30, 2019, 08:36:53 PM »
Hmm, it sounds like with the introduction of the e-gates, they are changing the system and that maybe they won't be giving stamps anymore after all.

However, I guess they haven't ironed out all the kinks yet, as it will have only changed in the last week or so.

Sounds like you did everything you could, so I think all you can do now is just keep the evidence of when she entered the UK for the next visa :).


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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #13 on: May 30, 2019, 08:56:25 PM »
Personally I think they are ironing out the kinks as the Clearance Officer couldn't answer me strongly as to which date would be used for when she entered into the country via her spouse settlement visa as opposed to entering as a tourist. The Clearance Officer said that this non stamping was introduced two weeks ago. Both Clearance Officer and her manager said so to me on the phone.

My wife was pissed that she had to leave the country for such a short period ;D

Just like to share our experience and hoping to hear from others who's entered recently



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Re: UK stamp on spouse visa?
« Reply #14 on: May 30, 2019, 10:53:57 PM »
Personally I think they are ironing out the kinks as the Clearance Officer couldn't answer me strongly as to which date would be used for when she entered into the country via her spouse settlement visa as opposed to entering as a tourist. The Clearance Officer said that this non stamping was introduced two weeks ago. Both Clearance Officer and her manager said so to me on the phone.

My wife was pissed that she had to leave the country for such a short period ;D

Just like to share our experience and hoping to hear from others who's entered recently

Thank you for sharing this!!

It’s too bad the officers didn’t sound sure. I’ll have to see how my experience goes...


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