maymay007

Hi All

I was previously in the UK on a T5 YMV visa which expired Jan 2015. I decided to take 6-8 months off to do some travelling and soul searching as during this time I worked long hours and didn't have the chance to travel at all as I hardly left the office!! I left went back to New Zealand/Australia after this and spent 2 months there. I then spent the summer travelled around Europe, mainly staying in Spain (but within the 80/190 days rule).

I tried to come back into the UK on a tourist visa - I had proof of finance, address registered overseas all the proof as stated in the govt site etc, and as a New Zealand passport holder, does not require a visa (it is a non visa required country) as I am allowed to stay up to 6 months in the UK on a tourist visa - and I am within that!
But recently at the start of September was denied entry into the UK for the 2 weeks I requested at the border control and was sent back to Spain where I came from after being allowed into the UK for 1 day (even though this was not my country of resident - but after 8 hours interrogation in a windowless room till 4am in the morning with a bad microwave dinner I was too tired to argument with the officer).
They stated that as I previously had a T5 visa, I have done all the "tourist" things I needed to do while on this visa, but all I wanted to do was to visit friends and have a pint! I was living off savings, but they made me out as if I was getting my money from some other means, and the officer even went as far as quoting me the interest rate earn by bank deposits! I felt like I was a criminal! You have no money, they question you. You have money, they still question you!

Does a notification of temporary admission to a person who's liable to be detained mean a permanent black mark on my passport? When does this go away - no it won't help changing passport?

I am now working as a freelancer/contractor for my own business in Australia and currently am contracted to work with a company which has clients in the UK which they have asked me to go and conduct meetings with, which requires me to be in and out of the UK at short periods at a time and around Europe.

I am not sure what I need to do to gain entry into the UK as I was told that next time I will need entry clearance and may or may not need a Business/visitor visa. This was not clear when I asked at the border control.

Does anyone know what this stamp means? It says - Immigration officer (6345) under it is GATWICK (s) and a black cross over it.
I was told it was a Code 5 mark, but I can't find anything on the internet about it! I know a code 3 is for visitor.

Should I be applying for a business visa?
Or just getting a clearance from UK immigration?
Or can I rock up to the airport and show them all the poof as stated here?
https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-vis ... st-provide

Anyone had the same experience?
Advice would be appreciated.
Thanks

bvlenci

I'm not an immigration lawyer, which is whom you should be talking to. However, my understanding is that if you're traveling for business, you need a business visa even for short visits. The visa waiver is only for tourists.

Michael

You need to talk to the British consulate.

Christina

Go to the UK ONS webpage
www.ons.gov.uk

then put into the search box "port survey review", you'll get a list of publications. The one showing a date of "29 August 11" has an Appendix explaining landing card info and what the codes mean.

nytraveler

Agree that you need to consult an immigration attorney for a situation this complicated.

I often travel to europe for business on a tourist visa - but it is never for more than 4 or 5 days at a time (meeting with client, market research or attending a convention/conference. But my job is in New York and that's where my pay check comes from - there is no financial connection to any company in europe. And I never come anywhere near 90 in 180 days.

It's not clear to me who would actually be paying you for work - but if in the UK I don;t think that's allowed.

And after your last experience I think your chance of just walking up and getting into the UK is slim to none.

nytraveler

Oh - and any entry other then immigration would be "temporary".

flanneruk

"You need to talk to the British consulate."

Britain does NOT provide, at its taxpayers' expense, relationship, business development or career advancement advice for foreigners through its overseas diplomatic offices.

Nor, I suspect, does any other developed county. High Commissions and consulates will simply tell people in the poster's position to go home, get on the web, and do what they're told there. They are NOT allowed to give official face to face visa advice.

In NZ, however, the nature of the society DOES frequently make it possible for New Zealanders to network their way socially to individual UK diplomatic staff in Auckland or Wellington, and everyone I know in NZ who's ever had UK entry problems has found the answer (though not always one to their liking) in the local pub, after church, at parent-teacher meetings or at a dinner party with mutual friends.

That's probably a more affordable option than paying a UK-based immigration lawyer. But, with practically everyone in NZ without a British passport sharing apparent horror stories about extended stays in Europe, the patience and goodwill of British diplomats is wearing thin.

I strongly suggest, though, that the poster gets rid of his or her attitude before trying to pull social strings. Outside the office, there's no reason a diplomat has to remain diplomatic, and faced with the self-centred sense of entitlement the poster's showing here, Our Man in Wellington would be perfectly justified to tell the poster to piss off and keep his whingeing 10,000 miles away from our shores.

Gordon_R

You need to appreciate that the UK has a massive problem with illegal immigation these days and - unfortunately for you - you tick a lot of profile boxes for someone who is likely to overstay. Nobody on an internet forum can do much to help, you'll need to get specialist advice.

lincasanova

I would go directly to the UK Embassy and ask them what to do about a business visa or not, explaining al details. Surely they will have a valid answer.

unclegus

so at the beginning of September you were still travelling and now at the end of September you have your own business in Australia and have contracts that require you to visit the UK for many short visits.
Well I for one don't believe a word of it and neither will any immigration official and I don't blame them.

sofarsogood

it's quite clear - you were told you need entry clearance

this link tells you what entry clearance is and how to apply

https://www.gov.uk/government/collec...rance-guidance

di2315

Are you from Australia? New Zealand?

Which ever it is, go to the consulate for that country and ask for advice.

BigRuss

If you "chance it" or "rock up" to immigration in the UK, they will tell you to eff off and send you back. Either get the business visa or whatever pre-clearance you need, or don't do business in the UK. You're already under suspicion and you're status doesn't get better by taking shortcuts.

sandralist

>>>You need to appreciate that the UK has a massive problem with illegal immigation these days <<<<

No, what needs to be appreciated is that too many people in the UK have a "massive" psychological problem with immigration into the UK, amounting to hysteria, despite the economic benefits immigrants (legal and illegal) bring to the UK.

http://www.economist.com/news/britai...s-ever-done-us

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...20bn-ucl-study

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/polit...-a2871701.html

Most immigrants are better educated than the natives, which makes it hard for the natives to appreciate what the situation actually is

Hooameye

"Most immigrants are better educated than the natives, which makes it hard for the natives to appreciate what the situation actually is"

What a load of b*ll*cks.