USC Spouses can go through EU immigration line with partner

[lost_at_sea 995]

Hey lovely Brits (in a good mood today, NOA2 arrived),

Just thought I'd post about this, because it's something me and the husband have wondered about and hadn't had an answer to.

Can he go through the EU immigration line with me in the UK when we travel? Short answer: Yep!

So, yesterday, we were coming into Heathrow T4 from France (visiting my folks there) and as usual, I zipped through the automated e-gates in 30 seconds then had to sit on the other side waiting for him. Our flight had come in just as a flight from India and one from Africa had come in - really big flights, lots of big families, I watched a lot of passports get taken to the back for secondary inspection - super slow line, basically. This is also the first time we've been through UK immigration together since being married (we've been through a lot before at the same time).

I sit there, idling, fiddling with my phone and an immigration lady passes me and asks if I'm okay (I'm on the benches near the back office, so I likely look like I'm lost) and I say "yeah, waiting or husband who's in that big queue" and she nods knowingly and carries on.

20 mins later she passes me still sat there and asks his nationality - American I say, we just came in from France. She says well, I should have taken him in through the EU line and I question her - oh really? we never like to try, worried about being put to the back of the non-EU queue if they get tetchy etc etc. and she says no - totally fine. I chat to her about my experience of being stood in an immigration line for an hour and a half in Dallas in April. Very friendly lady. I thank her for the tip, great - next time we'll try it!

When husband finally gets through, I've already texted him this little conversation and he says that the immigration chap he'd spoken to said the same thing unprompted when he'd responded to his questions (where were you travelling from? France, to see wife's parents... Where's wife? Over there, other side of queue. Is she English? Yes.).

While I was idling on my phone, I tweeted about being stuck and then again about the immigration lady and a few people tweet back their experiences and a couple question if that's true. A good friend of mine sourced a FOI request response that confirms that yes, generally, non-EEA can go through with their EU spouse. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/148874/response/364590/attach/3/Harrison%20Non%20EU%20Family%20Member%20in%20EU%20Queue%20in%20a%20Family%20Group.pdf

As I say - you probably all knew this and it was just us, but I thought it was worth a mention for those about to find themselves wedded to an American and would like to avoid sitting around in drab British airports.

[katieflossom 54]

I didn't know either until I traveled to the USA with my USC husband earlier this year. He went into the US citizen line and I went into the HUGE visitor line. Once we got to the other side (I was an hour behind my husband, who was stood there very impatiently with our luggage, tapping his watch haha) he told me that the POE officer on his line said that as we are married I should have gone into this line.

SO trying it next time we travel into the US together, which sadly isn't very often!

[lost_at_sea 995]

I didn't know either until I traveled to the USA with my USC husband earlier this year. He went into the US citizen line and I went into the HUGE visitor line. Once we got to the other side (I was an hour behind my husband, who was stood there very impatiently with our luggage, tapping his watch haha) he told me that the POE officer on his line said that as we are married I should have gone into this line.

SO trying it next time we travel into the US together, which sadly isn't very often!

That's interesting. The UK immigration officer I had been chatting to didn't think that was possible, but I decided we'd just ask before picking our queues on the way in next time (although the next time for me will hopefully be POE for immigration with my CR-1 visa!).

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Same thing happened to us at Heathrow in 2010 (our only trip back).

"I'm here with my husband to visit his family."

"Where is your husband?"

"He's right there behind you waiting on me. He's British and went through the short line."

"Oh, you could have gone through the EU line with him."

And now we know, if we get around to going again. Funny how we thought we would go twice a year, and aren't really bothered any more.

[UK-USA-K1 128]

This is good information to know, although travelling solo through Heathrow hasn't been too bad for me thus far. The longest wait I've had when I went was for my luggage to come out. Once we are married though it'll be nice to know that we can use the shorter line.

Anyone know if this is true for the whole of the EU? Being married to a UK citizen and getting through a shorter queue or is this just a UK thing?

[Berty 74]

My (US) wife and I are travelling back to the UK for the first time since I got my conditional green card, to visit my family; it's good to know we can use the EU line rather than both having to queue in the international one, which was my initial thought. I might still ask someone anyway just in case they berate us.