U.S. Citizen not allowed in U.K.

[Jaylen Brit 0]

ktun - similar here - I used to get constantly pulled over for a search upon re-entry to the UK (Im blonde, blue-eyed and whiter than most white people! ) and I wasn't coming from any known 'drug countries' (OK once from Holland).

I got so paranoid about it that I asked the customs guy if I had a weird look about me..and he laughed his head off and said no, but they have to search X # of people and maybe I was just unlucky. I told him I felt more than unlucky but it was over pretty fast - my only little extra in my case being some china clogs that time and a CD

I've been quizzed entering other places too but I expect that - they are there to do a job and they do it.

India was one - and I didnt take it as racist that they only seemed to be pulling us pale faces out of the immigration line for more questions.

Once they were happy they let us go on our merry way.

I've travelled a LOT and its just par for the course.

(Tho in Malaysia we had auto carbines stuck in our faces as punctuations to the questions, which was novel, and almost brown trousers time, but when they learned we'd all worked for the police as contractors and had high security clearances they became our best buds and even asked us if we wanted to hold and inspect their weaponry even more alarming, )

[Boiler 45,520]

even asked us if we wanted to hold and inspect their weaponry even more alarming, )

I always thought that happened a lot to blonds...

This thread may be heading into Essex Girl jokes.

Edited March 10, 2006 by Boiler

[Fandango 1,439]

I was detained for about 8 hours on my first trip to the UK....I had a 6 month ticket, a brand-new passport, and 3 luggage cases, Immigration lady was like 'we're concerned you're trying to sneak in' and I'm all 'you'd call this sneaking???'

Anyways, that's me in my av...so it's not a skin color thing.....I happen to think they were right to stop me & check it out...they did eventually grant me entry....but coming for a visit with a resume in hand? That'd do it for me....

[GaryC 7]

I got the dreaded SSS one time on a trip back from Indonesia. At every airport I went through I was searched. When I made it back the the US my POE was SanFrancisco. They pulled me aside, opened my bags and searched EVERYTHING! I thought I was gonna get the "rubber glove treatment". I am white, middle class and as "American" as you get. I commented that I had been really given the treatment on the whole trip and the agent told me that they randomly choose people for extra checks. That is where the SSS came from. The computer just spit it out and it became "my turn".

[mawilson 2,133]

I showed them my U.S. Passport and ofcourse when they were searching my luggage they found my Nigeria Passport and thats when they saw some old printed copy of resume (CV). So with a U.S. Passport I will still have to pray before getting into UK? Meanwhile I have been there before for like 2wks holiday.

Now my option is to get a visa. I'm thinking of getting "Holiday Working Visa" how easy that to get I dont know.

Something you're not telling us. Why were they searching your luggage? Normally, you go through

passport control, THEN you pick up your luggage. Did they find a discrepancy on your entry forms?

[meauxna 15]

I showed them my U.S. Passport and ofcourse when they were searching my luggage they found my Nigeria Passport and thats when they saw some old printed copy of resume (CV). So with a U.S. Passport I will still have to pray before getting into UK? Meanwhile I have been there before for like 2wks holiday.

Now my option is to get a visa. I'm thinking of getting "Holiday Working Visa" how easy that to get I dont know.

Something you're not telling us. Why were they searching your luggage? Normally, you go through

passport control, THEN you pick up your luggage. Did they find a discrepancy on your entry forms?

Secondary Inspection?

[TracyTN 237]

Or bulls***?

YOU be the judge...

[mawilson 2,133]

Something you're not telling us. Why were they searching your luggage? Normally, you go through

passport control, THEN you pick up your luggage. Did they find a discrepancy on your entry forms?

Secondary Inspection?

What secondary inspection if there's no luggage to inspect? You have to get through

immigration before you can pick up your luggage in an entirely different location.

There is NO primary or secondary luggage inspection on arrival -- only on departure.

[Euro 3]

Something you're not telling us. Why were they searching your luggage? Normally, you go through

passport control, THEN you pick up your luggage. Did they find a discrepancy on your entry forms?

Secondary Inspection?

What secondary inspection if there's no luggage to inspect? You have to get through

immigration before you can pick up your luggage in an entirely different location.

There is NO primary or secondary luggage inspection on arrival -- only on departure.

i've watched the fly on the wall documentary about heathrow, and when they take people to secondary, they always seem to have thier luggage with them & it gets searched !

Edited March 29, 2006 by euro

[mawilson 2,133]

What secondary inspection if there's no luggage to inspect? You have to get through

immigration before you can pick up your luggage in an entirely different location.

There is NO primary or secondary luggage inspection on arrival -- only on departure.

i've watched the fly on the wall documentary about heathrow, and when they take people to secondary, they always seem to have thier luggage with them & it gets searched !

Well yes, that's because they do it BEFORE the bags are checked in, not after. It doesn't

make any sense to search your luggage afterwards.

[Euro 3]

What secondary inspection if there's no luggage to inspect? You have to get through

immigration before you can pick up your luggage in an entirely different location.

There is NO primary or secondary luggage inspection on arrival -- only on departure.

i've watched the fly on the wall documentary about heathrow, and when they take people to secondary, they always seem to have thier luggage with them & it gets searched !

Well yes, that's because they do it BEFORE the bags are checked in, not after. It doesn't

make any sense to search your luggage afterwards.

Na uh......The ones i saw on da BBC were trying to get INTO the UK, and they had thier bags searched & the OP is whining about not been let IN!!

Edited March 29, 2006 by euro

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I belive they collect their luggage for secondary inspection - a friend of mine was a camera man on one of these programs (lots of time spent sitting around being bored, waiting for someone to prey on apparently). He told me about this czech woman (before EU Accession, natch) who had love letters who was refused entry because they thought she was planning to stay.

Moral of the story: don't travel with resumes of love letters on your person

[Euro 3]

Moral of the story: don't travel with resumes of love letters on your person

hahaha RIGHT!!!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

ESPECIALLY true about the resumes.

[yabasta 0]

Well i can say that having a fiance refused entry based on nothing more than an immigration officer at Gatwick`s "feeling" is really ###### shitty and the attitude soem of you have makes me ashamed to be human nevermind being white or anything else.

That ticket cost me over £500 which is about 3 weeks wages on my current agency work(which i do while i wait on my visa). Not only can i not afford to pay that kind of money for flights but to then not see my love is simply not acceptable.

People in this thread have been saying they were right to check you out and detain you and stop you? Well who gave them the right? Was it the german queen? Or perhaps it was the prime minister who puts u.k. citizens at risk everyday by making children in place like Iraq and Afghanistan into angry orphans.

There should be no borders as borders are divisive. When people can not be with their loved ones they get angry. I don`t think an immigration official should tell me where i can go.

I looked into my legal side through a friend of a friend who is a barrister. She said that you don`t have right to appeal or anything because the visa waiver is exactly what it says. You sign it and waive your right to appeal any decision.

Finally i will state that naturally immigration is racist and of course it operates on stereotypes. I am sure that anybody given a job where they simply decide who to let in is going to be biased in some way. It is sadly a racist intolerent and poorly educated world and the lest tolerant and least educated seem to be in power.

oh p.s.

Those who say hey i was stopped and i am white totally miss the point i think. It is not just about skin colour. You might have had a rucksack for example. I guarantee that next time i go through gatwick i get picked for a random spot check. I do everytime so far i think. I am not black but i am young and i don`t wear a suit and i probably look like a terrorist to a small minded immigration official.