What do I need to travel from the US to England, and stay for a year?
May 17th, 2011, 04:03 PM
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What do I need to travel from the US to England, and stay for a year?
In the summer of 2012 I plan to travel to England and live there for a full year. What (travel) documents are necessary? I have a passport and I am an American born citizen. Thank you!
May 17th, 2011, 04:08 PM
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For a start, you'll need some sort of special visa to stay more than three months. Is this for study? Work? You'll need proof of income/ finances etc.
It's not easy - just like going to the US for a year is not easy. Lots of red tape.
It's not easy - just like going to the US for a year is not easy. Lots of red tape.
May 17th, 2011, 04:14 PM
#3
"<i>For a start, you'll need some sort of special visa to stay more than three months</i>"
Nope. (you may be confusing the UK w/ Schengen)
alliii: You can't go to England for a year. You can go for 6 months though. But to stay for a year you would need a special visa - student, or a few other limited situations. Not to just "go and live there"
Nope. (you may be confusing the UK w/ Schengen)
alliii: You can't go to England for a year. You can go for 6 months though. But to stay for a year you would need a special visa - student, or a few other limited situations. Not to just "go and live there"
May 17th, 2011, 06:37 PM
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Oh - and to clarify -- you can stay for 6 months. But you <u>cannot</u> work. You will be a tourist -- not a resident. So you'll have to be able to support yourself entirely w/o employment in England (and be able to prove it if asked when you go through passport control)
May 17th, 2011, 09:38 PM
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You don't need a visa for a stay of up to six months. You will need to convince immigration that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during the period and no intention of working/overstaying.
May 17th, 2011, 09:55 PM
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>>and no intention of working/overstaying.<<
And if the immigration officer gets suspicious (no return ticket, for example), it's entirely possible that they will go through your luggage looking for anything - notes, correspondence, whatever - suggesting you're dreaming of staying longer, especially if that means working "under the counter". If they find such evidence, they might send you back and put a block on future entry. It has been known.
And if the immigration officer gets suspicious (no return ticket, for example), it's entirely possible that they will go through your luggage looking for anything - notes, correspondence, whatever - suggesting you're dreaming of staying longer, especially if that means working "under the counter". If they find such evidence, they might send you back and put a block on future entry. It has been known.
May 17th, 2011, 10:01 PM
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May 17th, 2011, 10:34 PM
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Officially, visitors from non-European countries such as the US or Japan that don't always need visas are admitted visa-free on condition they do not work (or enrol in a substantial formal course).
"Working" includes working for yourself, or starting a business. Coming to sell your goods to another business isn't "working" (it's "on business", for which Americans don't need a visa): coming to lock yourself in a remote cottage to write the report you've been commissioned to produce IS working and you officially need a visa to do so. So is writing a proposal to write a report
It's totally irrelevant whether you think you're not taking work from a Briton or whether the distinction is realistic these days: rules is rules, and they're virtually the same for you here as for us there.
An immigration officer who's suspicious is perfectly likely to go through your laptop - and if he finds an email saying "I'll keep uploading my website when I'm in Britain" might well assume you're planning to work.
There are no stats about this, but I imagine most respectable-looking Americans get through immigration without much more than a polite "good morning", or if the officer's feeling really chatty a "what brings you to Britain?" But if you arouse his or her suspicions (likely with anyone coming to stay for six months, if it emerges) it's essential that there's nothing on you, or in your bags, that hints of anything other than 26 weeks of sight-seeing or sales calls.
"Working" includes working for yourself, or starting a business. Coming to sell your goods to another business isn't "working" (it's "on business", for which Americans don't need a visa): coming to lock yourself in a remote cottage to write the report you've been commissioned to produce IS working and you officially need a visa to do so. So is writing a proposal to write a report
It's totally irrelevant whether you think you're not taking work from a Briton or whether the distinction is realistic these days: rules is rules, and they're virtually the same for you here as for us there.
An immigration officer who's suspicious is perfectly likely to go through your laptop - and if he finds an email saying "I'll keep uploading my website when I'm in Britain" might well assume you're planning to work.
There are no stats about this, but I imagine most respectable-looking Americans get through immigration without much more than a polite "good morning", or if the officer's feeling really chatty a "what brings you to Britain?" But if you arouse his or her suspicions (likely with anyone coming to stay for six months, if it emerges) it's essential that there's nothing on you, or in your bags, that hints of anything other than 26 weeks of sight-seeing or sales calls.
May 17th, 2011, 10:40 PM
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Money! lots of money - from the link posted by PatrickLondon
This page explains what documents you should have when coming to the United Kingdom as a general visitor.
They are:
* if you are employed, a letter from your employer granting leave of absence from your job for a specified period - the letter should also say how long you have been employed by that employer, in what job (s), and when you are expected back at work;
* if you are self-employed, evidence of your business activities and financial standing;
* evidence of any property you own in your home country;
* if you are a student, a letter from your school or college stating the course you are on, its start and finish dates, and the dates of the holiday period when you intend to visit the United Kingdom;
* evidence of any family or social ties and responsibilities to return to;
* evidence of any firm travel plans you have made;
* bank statements going back over a period of several months; and
* evidence of savings available to you."
So, you have to prove you have a job or school/property or family to return too, also evidence that you have the funds for your trip and information on how they've been accumulated.
Customs are going to be suspicious if you provide bank statements that show you're just out of school and $$$ appeared in your bank the week before with no proof where they came from.
This page explains what documents you should have when coming to the United Kingdom as a general visitor.
They are:
* if you are employed, a letter from your employer granting leave of absence from your job for a specified period - the letter should also say how long you have been employed by that employer, in what job (s), and when you are expected back at work;
* if you are self-employed, evidence of your business activities and financial standing;
* evidence of any property you own in your home country;
* if you are a student, a letter from your school or college stating the course you are on, its start and finish dates, and the dates of the holiday period when you intend to visit the United Kingdom;
* evidence of any family or social ties and responsibilities to return to;
* evidence of any firm travel plans you have made;
* bank statements going back over a period of several months; and
* evidence of savings available to you."
So, you have to prove you have a job or school/property or family to return too, also evidence that you have the funds for your trip and information on how they've been accumulated.
Customs are going to be suspicious if you provide bank statements that show you're just out of school and $$$ appeared in your bank the week before with no proof where they came from.
May 18th, 2011, 12:21 AM
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Just to reinforce what others have said - if you carry correct documentation and there's nothing to arouse suspicions of the immigration (UK Border Aghency), then they will stamp your passport for a tourist stay of 6 months. You won't get more than 6 months, and there's no mechanism for extending your stay within UK. So at the end of 6 months, you must leave UK, or you become an overstayer and illegal immigrant.
So can you apply for a visa that allows you to stay for a year? For a tourist stay, no. There is no long-term, non-working visa that some other European countries offer (France, Spain, Italy etc).
Can you do a visa-run, such as leaving UK and coming back shortly afterwards? There is no official immigration rule that prohibits it (such as Schengen's 90-in-180 days), but procedually you are not supposed to stay longer than 6 months in a year. More frequent than that and you will face srutiny from UKBA that you aren't trying to live in UK. Any suspicions and you face being turned away at border.
So can you apply for a visa that allows you to stay for a year? For a tourist stay, no. There is no long-term, non-working visa that some other European countries offer (France, Spain, Italy etc).
Can you do a visa-run, such as leaving UK and coming back shortly afterwards? There is no official immigration rule that prohibits it (such as Schengen's 90-in-180 days), but procedually you are not supposed to stay longer than 6 months in a year. More frequent than that and you will face srutiny from UKBA that you aren't trying to live in UK. Any suspicions and you face being turned away at border.
May 18th, 2011, 12:30 AM
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The best way is to get a flexible return air ticket with a return date of 1 to 2 weeks and then once into the country, change it.
If you mention a 6 month stay, then expect a very lengthy interview, this can also happen if you say you are student
If you mention a 6 month stay, then expect a very lengthy interview, this can also happen if you say you are student
May 18th, 2011, 03:36 AM
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This is perhaps more formidable than it needs to be, particularly if you are an adult in your thirties or older.
When you get to Immigration, probably about 6:30 in the morning UK time and the middle of the night body time, you will almost always be asked certain questions as they flip through your passport. What they are looking for in your passport is where you have been and how long you have stayed before. This information isn't very accurate for continental destinations, but the UK is pretty assiduous about stamping your passport in both directions.
1. What is the purpose of your visit? Appropriate answer: "I'm on holiday/vacation." Inappropriate answer: "I'm here to discover myself/the United Kingdom". Why inappropriate? They have enough New Agers of their own. As above, don't even mention work or going to school, unless you are there to attend some sort of short course like "Amateur Rose Growing" at Hidcote.
2. Where are you staying? Appropriate answer: "I am staying at the Faded Glory Hotel while I am in London." If asked, you can say that you have not yet made your plans beyond London, but don't volunteer it. If you say you are staying with friends, you will be asked their address. Know it.
3. How long are you planning to stay? Appropriate answer: "I have a return ticket in a month."
4. How do you plan to support yourself while you are here? This question is more likely the younger you are or the scruffier you are. Appropriate answer: "Well, I have my bank card and my credit card." If you have a credit card statement with a low balance and a lot of available credit tucked into your bag, it couldn't hurt, ditto a bank statement. I have never been asked these questions, but as you will see on other threads, I believe in always dressing as well as possible when traveling
.
While all this is going on, the agent will be looking at his/her computer screen to see if you have a record for illegal entry or illegal acts on previous entries. At the same time, you will be photographed and your face screened against a database of known and suspected criminals and terrorists.
If all goes well, your passport will be stamped, and you can enter the UK. If it does not go well, you will find yourself in a small room talking to an official in uniform, a person who has your fate in his/her hands. While you may stay for six months, you have no right to stay, so you may want to revise your expectations downward in this situation.
Once you are in the UK, stay out of trouble. Drinking and driving is treated MUCH more seriously than in the US, for example, and you should assume that anything you do in any urban area in the UK is being watched by some security or police person on a closed circuit television camera.
If you stay in any individual location for more than a month, you used to have to register with the police, but I don't know if this continues to be true. Otherwise, if you have the money, you should not have a problem staying for six months.
When you get to Immigration, probably about 6:30 in the morning UK time and the middle of the night body time, you will almost always be asked certain questions as they flip through your passport. What they are looking for in your passport is where you have been and how long you have stayed before. This information isn't very accurate for continental destinations, but the UK is pretty assiduous about stamping your passport in both directions.
1. What is the purpose of your visit? Appropriate answer: "I'm on holiday/vacation." Inappropriate answer: "I'm here to discover myself/the United Kingdom". Why inappropriate? They have enough New Agers of their own. As above, don't even mention work or going to school, unless you are there to attend some sort of short course like "Amateur Rose Growing" at Hidcote.
2. Where are you staying? Appropriate answer: "I am staying at the Faded Glory Hotel while I am in London." If asked, you can say that you have not yet made your plans beyond London, but don't volunteer it. If you say you are staying with friends, you will be asked their address. Know it.
3. How long are you planning to stay? Appropriate answer: "I have a return ticket in a month."
4. How do you plan to support yourself while you are here? This question is more likely the younger you are or the scruffier you are. Appropriate answer: "Well, I have my bank card and my credit card." If you have a credit card statement with a low balance and a lot of available credit tucked into your bag, it couldn't hurt, ditto a bank statement. I have never been asked these questions, but as you will see on other threads, I believe in always dressing as well as possible when traveling
.While all this is going on, the agent will be looking at his/her computer screen to see if you have a record for illegal entry or illegal acts on previous entries. At the same time, you will be photographed and your face screened against a database of known and suspected criminals and terrorists.
If all goes well, your passport will be stamped, and you can enter the UK. If it does not go well, you will find yourself in a small room talking to an official in uniform, a person who has your fate in his/her hands. While you may stay for six months, you have no right to stay, so you may want to revise your expectations downward in this situation.
Once you are in the UK, stay out of trouble. Drinking and driving is treated MUCH more seriously than in the US, for example, and you should assume that anything you do in any urban area in the UK is being watched by some security or police person on a closed circuit television camera.
If you stay in any individual location for more than a month, you used to have to register with the police, but I don't know if this continues to be true. Otherwise, if you have the money, you should not have a problem staying for six months.
May 18th, 2011, 04:27 AM
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Ackislander's almost 100% correct.
But don't get paranoid about this. What's known in the jargon as non-visa nationals (you) don't have to register. No-one's got the resources to match camera records, or speeding offences, against immigration records unless you're very near a very serious incident (in which case the police will be so interested in getting your evidence, they won't bother about 2 days' overstay.) Even if you get arrested for drunken driving, you'll just get a fine and your licence suspended in most cases, though you'll be considered for deportation if there are complications (like causing a serious accident) that lead to a jail sentence. The only behaviour that's really more harshly treated in Britain than in the US is carrying anything that might be used as an offensive wseapon.
Our authorities (and our cameras) are busy enough dealing with serious issues without gratuitously seeking out visiting Americans having for teleconferences with home office.
By other European standards, Britain's borders are rigorously policed. That's because, once you're here, you'll not be troubled by the authorities unless you do something very stupid: there are no 'no fly' lists or random ID inspections here. And raids for illegal working concentrate on farms using Ukrainians, construction sites using Turks and garment factories using Bangladeshis: the border people just haven't got the time to worry about a little light web designing.
But don't get paranoid about this. What's known in the jargon as non-visa nationals (you) don't have to register. No-one's got the resources to match camera records, or speeding offences, against immigration records unless you're very near a very serious incident (in which case the police will be so interested in getting your evidence, they won't bother about 2 days' overstay.) Even if you get arrested for drunken driving, you'll just get a fine and your licence suspended in most cases, though you'll be considered for deportation if there are complications (like causing a serious accident) that lead to a jail sentence. The only behaviour that's really more harshly treated in Britain than in the US is carrying anything that might be used as an offensive wseapon.
Our authorities (and our cameras) are busy enough dealing with serious issues without gratuitously seeking out visiting Americans having for teleconferences with home office.
By other European standards, Britain's borders are rigorously policed. That's because, once you're here, you'll not be troubled by the authorities unless you do something very stupid: there are no 'no fly' lists or random ID inspections here. And raids for illegal working concentrate on farms using Ukrainians, construction sites using Turks and garment factories using Bangladeshis: the border people just haven't got the time to worry about a little light web designing.
May 18th, 2011, 05:19 AM
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FWIW, questions about where you are staying and for how long will need to be answered on the UK Landing Card, which you will need to fill out and hand over with your passport. If you fill this out properly, I find it minimizes questions. I've personally not gotten much more than the odd grunt, at least since college.
<i>This information isn't very accurate for continental destinations, but the UK is pretty assiduous about stamping your passport in both directions.</i>
I don't believe that the UK leaves exit stamps in your passport, only entrance stamps. I've certainly never received one.
<i>This information isn't very accurate for continental destinations, but the UK is pretty assiduous about stamping your passport in both directions.</i>
I don't believe that the UK leaves exit stamps in your passport, only entrance stamps. I've certainly never received one.
Jun 9th, 2011, 10:33 PM
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So I have a question. I am planning to travel around Europe starting in July. I am beginning in England and staying with some friends for a couple months. Also, I will be carrying a lot of cash and no bank statement. Am I going to get interrogated if I tell them I planning on staying with friends for a couple months and will continue on travelling throughout Europe and that is why I do not have a return ticket because I do not know where I will be leaving from? Are they also going to want to see a bank statement even though I am going to have all my cash on me? Thank you in advance!
Jun 9th, 2011, 10:47 PM
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It's not just a question of cash to support yourself, it's also whether there's evidence that you might overstay, work illegally, etc. If you have onward tickets or travel plans to another country when you arrive, that must surely help. Even more convincing would be some indication of commitments/obligations/work to return to at home by some defined date.
They might not go into it in any detail at all if you look like the average person staying for two weeks, or a business traveller. Turn up looking like a hippy with all your worldly goods around you and only the vaguest idea of where you're going to go and what you're going to do, and they will probably get suspicious.
They might not go into it in any detail at all if you look like the average person staying for two weeks, or a business traveller. Turn up looking like a hippy with all your worldly goods around you and only the vaguest idea of where you're going to go and what you're going to do, and they will probably get suspicious.
