TylerDurdenn Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 The girl I am seeing is currently out of the country and due back next week, however her visa expires whilst she is out of the country. She will have to fly back to London and hope that border control don't check her previous stamps so that she'd an re enter.. I know it's the rules but it's so frustrating, she's a law abiding tax paying student, yet we have so many benefit claiming foreign criminals that live here who always seem to get away with it. If she has to return to her home country I'll probably never see her again. One day next week I'm going to receive a text, it will either say "I'm back in London!" or "I have to go home.." EDIT: just to add, if she does return to London she will be renewing her visa!! Link to post Share on other sites
justwhoiam Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 What are the chances they won't check her visa at the border? 1%? Why doesn't she renew the visa while being abroad? She could do that through they embassy abroad. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
ExpatInItaly Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 It's going to be very difficult if she's flying into London. (I assume Heathrow?) You're talking about one of Europe's major airports and gateways, where security is tight. It is extremely unlikely they won't check her previous stamps. Heck, I have a Canadian passport and the correct documentation to work and reside in Italy and I got a good grilling en route back to Rome via London. Can she not apply to re-new her visa? What is her home country? She's taking quite a risk by trying to re-enter the UK without proper paperwork. Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 The girl I am seeing is currently out of the country and due back next week, however her visa expires whilst she is out of the country. She will have to fly back to London and hope that border control don't check her previous stamps so that she'd an re enter.. This is a terrible idea, especially if they let her re-enter. The best case scenario is that they deny her at the airport. From what I know, when issuing a new visa, officers check the expiry date of the last one. And if she's caught in London without a valid visa... you can pretty much say goodbye to seeing her ever again. Why can't she apply for her visa overseas? There are usually embassies that facilitate that, even if it takes longer. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Author TylerDurdenn Posted April 11, 2014 Author Share Posted April 11, 2014 She's flying in to Gatwick. She phoned the Mexican embassy in London before she travelled but there was nothing they could about it. It's not looking good. I better start learning Spanish Link to post Share on other sites
soccerrprp Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 She's flying in to Gatwick. She phoned the Mexican embassy in London before she travelled but there was nothing they could about it. It's not looking good. I better start learning Spanish It sounds like she wasn't keeping up with her status. Of course there is something that could have been done if the process was started earlier. I mean she's a student, she should have been keeping up with her status. Even if she will be denied entrance, she will have opps to renew visa. Likely when she returns to Mexico? 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Author TylerDurdenn Posted April 11, 2014 Author Share Posted April 11, 2014 (edited) It sounds like she wasn't keeping up with her status. Of course there is something that could have been done if the process was started earlier. I mean she's a student, she should have been keeping up with her status. Even if she will be denied entrance, she will have opps to renew visa. Likely when she returns to Mexico? No she didn't pay attention to her docuements, she was certain the visa expired on the 19th (she returns to UK on 17th), however it actually expired on the 10th. Apparently if she returns to Mexico she has to wait 3 months to re apply for another visa? This is all new to me so I'm pretty much useless! Edited April 11, 2014 by TylerDurdenn Link to post Share on other sites
soccerrprp Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 No she didn't pay attention to her docuements, she was certain the visa expired on the 19th (she returns to UK on 17th), however it actually expired on the 10th. Apparently if she returns to Mexico she has to wait 3 months to re apply for another visa? This is all new to me so I'm pretty much useless! How will this affect her matriculation status at the school? It's close to summer, but if like the USA, will she have exams soon? If all goes south, she will need to contact her school, embassy ASAP. Yeah, nothing you can do really except maybe help her find info. Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 She's flying in to Gatwick. She phoned the Mexican embassy in London before she travelled but there was nothing they could about it. It's not looking good. I better start learning Spanish Afraid not. They are very thorough when it comes to stamps like that. Unlikely that she will get through, she would be much better off sorting this out before trying to come back to the UK. If she pisses the Brits off she will have bigger issues to deal with. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Eternal Sunshine Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Do they really check this that carefully? My experience at customs is that they look at my passport for 5 secs and let me through. I doubt they would even notice if it expired or had a fake photo or something. Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Do they really check this that carefully? My experience at customs is that they look at my passport for 5 secs and let me through. I doubt they would even notice if it expired or had a fake photo or something. It depends on what passport you hold (in the case of the UK at least). Link to post Share on other sites
Author TylerDurdenn Posted April 11, 2014 Author Share Posted April 11, 2014 I have a British passport and the border control never spend more than a few seconds looking at it, regardless of which country I am travelling to. Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I have a British passport and the border control never spend more than a few seconds looking at it, regardless of which country I am travelling to. Of course not. She has a Mexican passport though. That's a 3rd world country, they get treated somewhat differently. I hold an EU passport and I can tell you the difference now at the British borders is VERY apparent from how I was treated prior to our joining the EU. If you hold British or US passport, most will kiss your backside. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Keenly Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Do they really check this that carefully? My experience at customs is that they look at my passport for 5 secs and let me through. I doubt they would even notice if it expired or had a fake photo or something. I guess you've never played " Papers, Please " Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 No she didn't pay attention to her docuements, she was certain the visa expired on the 19th (she returns to UK on 17th), however it actually expired on the 10th. Apparently if she returns to Mexico she has to wait 3 months to re apply for another visa? This is all new to me so I'm pretty much useless! Then wait 3 months. Seriously, even if they don't check her at the border (big if), and she enters and stays without a visa, I think it is highly unlikely that she will be able to renew her visa within the UK without them finding out that she was here illegally. They are going to look at her passport before they renew it, and raise alarm bells because it is going to show that she is currently there with no valid visa. She was way too blase about it earlier which led to this whole problem, and she is STILL being way too blase about it now, again. IMO she's just going to get herself deported and blacklisted at the rate she's going. 4 Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Do they really check this that carefully? My experience at customs is that they look at my passport for 5 secs and let me through. I doubt they would even notice if it expired or had a fake photo or something. You don't come from a 3rd world country. Every single customs I've been to has thoroughly checked mine. Most airlines even check before they let me on the plane. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
soccerrprp Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Do they really check this that carefully? My experience at customs is that they look at my passport for 5 secs and let me through. I doubt they would even notice if it expired or had a fake photo or something. Well, this shows how lax the security is and how, post-9-11, we have problems that need to be resolved so that we are truly that much safer. It also may have much to do with the fact that you are white, NOT from a developing country or middle east and a woman. Who knows really. She shouldn't feel so confident that that would happen for her. Link to post Share on other sites
Author TylerDurdenn Posted April 11, 2014 Author Share Posted April 11, 2014 Then wait 3 months. Seriously, even if they don't check her at the border (big if), and she enters and stays without a visa, I think it is highly unlikely that she will be able to renew her visa within the UK without them finding out that she was here illegally. They are going to look at her passport before they renew it, and raise alarm bells because it is going to show that she is currently there with no valid visa. She was way too blase about it earlier which led to this whole problem, and she is STILL being way too blase about it now, again. IMO she's just going to get herself deported and blacklisted at the rate she's going. I understand and agree with your post completely. Her own naivety has got herself in this situation, she is too far in to turn back. She seems to think that if she is rejected entry into the UK she'll just be able to fly home and come back in the future - I'm guessing this isn't the case? Link to post Share on other sites
ExpatInItaly Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I understand and agree with your post completely. Her own naivety has got herself in this situation, she is too far in to turn back. She seems to think that if she is rejected entry into the UK she'll just be able to fly home and come back in the future - I'm guessing this isn't the case? Absolutely not. She is woefully uninformed about this process. It's not to say she will forever be barred from the UK, but she won't be able to simply go back and then hop on the next flight out. If it weren't serious, it'd almost be laughable at how little she understands this. I wouldn't even bother trying to re-enter the UK unless and until she has the right visa. If she somehow passed border control (again, very unlikely) she will have a big wake-up call when she tries to apply for a new visa from within England. They will automatically see that she doesn't have the proper documentation and this will make it insanely difficult for her to obtain a new visa. She will likely be given notice to leave the country. 5 Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I understand and agree with your post completely. Her own naivety has got herself in this situation, she is too far in to turn back. She seems to think that if she is rejected entry into the UK she'll just be able to fly home and come back in the future - I'm guessing this isn't the case? I'm not sure about how the UK handles that part. But either way even if she's allowed in there is not going to be any purpose in it because she'll be in illegally. Point blank there is just no purpose in her coming at all until she has a valid visa, so she'd better get on it (applying to the embassy and informing her university about the delay). Link to post Share on other sites
FitChick Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 In Mexico, corruption is the norm. She will have no trouble renewing her visa or getting a new one if she pays enough to the right official. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 She seems to think that if she is rejected entry into the UK she'll just be able to fly home and come back in the future - I'm guessing this isn't the case? They don't like 3rd worlders who are blase about their status. The Brits think that can potentially indicate that next time around she will simply stay even with an expired visa. A friend of mine almost got thrown out for having the wrong kind of visa, it took him a long time - and a lawyer plus luck - to sort it out. Link to post Share on other sites
Haydn Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Tyler wait the 3 month, even take an extended trip to see her if possible. Immigration in London is terrible for non EU travelers. Even many commonwealth places find entry tricky, even with all the right documents. If she does piss off UK border control then it will be much harder to get back in. I doubt Holloways women`s prison is a nice place to hang about for deportation. Do this properly mate. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Author TylerDurdenn Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share Posted April 12, 2014 I know this will sound incredibly selfish of me but - it's not my problem. She should have checked her visa before she even booked the holiday. Nothing I say will change her mind - she is going to fly back to the UK. I will update you guys next Thursday with the outcome. Thanks for the info provided! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
bunnywithpancake Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I didn't want to tell you this but... I take flight very often about 100 times a year. I can safely tell you that she won't even be able to board her flight. Airline companies are responsible to check if she has valid visa for the country she's traveling to. If one get deported due to visa issue the airline company has to send them back,They don't want to do that so they really would check before you travel. Something irrelevant, People who think Mexico is a third world country. How many of you have really been in Mexico? I'm not from there but I've been there Mexico is not a third world country. You westerners just sound arrogant. But that's alright 'cause we're used to that. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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