Any traveler should be aware that a visa issued by the British Consulate does not guarantee entry into the country. The final decision on whether to allow or deny entry to a foreigner is made by the border guard at the time the alien passes passport control.
Requirements for foreigners (we are talking about non-EU citizens) who enter the United Kingdom, both with a visa and without it, are absolutely identical.
Primary requirements:
- the presence of a passport valid throughout the stay in the UK;
- a valid visa, if one is required;
- completed migration card (landing card).
As a confirmation of the purpose of the visit, you may need:
- hotel reservation;
- an invitation from relatives or friends;
- a letter from the educational institution (if the purpose of the visit is training, practical training, participation in a scientific seminar);
- a letter or employment contract from the employer;
- an invitation to participate in events of a scientific, cultural or sports nature;
- tickets to a third country (if the purpose of the visit is transit).
As evidence of financial viability and intentions to leave the UK:
- return ticket or a ticket to a third country;
- availability, traveler's checks or bank cards.
How to fill out a Landing Card?
Migration cards are issued on an airplane / ferry / bus or can be picked up directly in the arrivals hall in front of the passport control desks. The card is filled in English:
- Family name - last name
- First name (s) - name (s) (middle name does not need to be written)
- Sex - gender
- Date of birth - date of birth
- Town and country of birth - country and city of birth
- Nationality - nationality
- Occupation - profession
- Contact address in the UK (in full) - UK contact address in full
- Passport No - passport number
- Place of issue - place of issue
- Length of stay in the UK - length of stay in the UK
- Port of last departure - place of last departure (airport / port / city of departure to the UK)
- Arrival flight / train numer / ship name - flight / train number / ship name
- Signature - Signature
Particular attention should be paid to paragraphs 7, 8 and 11. In paragraph 7, you must specify the profession clearly. For example, “teacher”, “doctor”, etc. If something like "chief", "director", "administrator" is indicated, the border guard may require additional information, so you should initially write, for example, "store director".
Paragraph 8 - the name of the hotel and its address are indicated. In the case of accommodation with relatives / friends, as well as when booking accommodation through couchsurfing sites or arbnb, the name of the private person with whom the foreigner will live, and the exact address are indicated. Important! If, when applying for a visa, you stated in the application form that you would live in a hotel, the hotel card should be indicated on the landing card, not a private person, otherwise this would raise doubts with the border guard regarding the purpose of the visit. This, in turn, can cause a denial of entry to the UK.
Clause 11 - the length of stay indicated on the card must coincide with the date of the return flight. The border guard does not need to know that you have plans to change the ticket and possibly stay another day or two or a week, or even a month. In the card you need to write what is at the time of entry.
Fingerprints
Fingerprints are taken at the vast majority of points of entry into the UK. The system automatically compares them with the fingerprints that the foreigner handed over when applying for a visa. The system also provides basic information about this foreigner obtained during his visa, as well as about his previous entries into the country (if any).
Interview with a border guard
A migration card with a passport is presented to the border guard. The next step will be the interview.
Mandatory questions asked by foreigners are as follows:
- Purpose of the trip?
- How long are you going to stay in the UK?
- Where to stay during your stay?
With a high probability they can ask a few more questions, for example:
- Where are you flying from?
- What do you plan to do (see) during the visit?
- Are there any friends or relatives in the UK?
- Who do you work in Russia and when do you plan to return to work?
How to behave at passport control
General rules are as follows:
- you need to behave correctly and calmly. Excessive emotions, gestures, and fuss during an interview cause suspicions among border guards. From the point of view of formal logic, a person who has documents in order and has no intention of breaking the law should not be nervous.
- answers to any questions should be as short and clear as possible so that the border guard could not interpret them in his own way. No need to overload your answers with details and details, otherwise the border guard will definitely have a desire to ask a lot of additional clarifying questions, which will increase the time spent on crossing the border several times.
- no need to take the initiative: if the border guard does not ask for a return ticket and other documents, you do not need to do this. As a rule, if you are able to adequately answer questions, the border guard will not need anything other than your passport.
- a correctly completed landing card will save the tourist about additional questions. In this case, the information in the card should coincide with your verbal answers.
- the purpose of the visit should be consistent with the purpose that was indicated when applying for a visa. In other words, if initially the basis for issuing a visa was a tourist trip with a stop at the hotel, then when crossing the border you need to say the same thing. Important! A trip to relatives and tourism (rest and stay at the hotel) are different goals of the visit!
How to answer questions
Questions about the purpose of the visit and location during your visit to the UK
If, when applying for a visa, you indicated the purpose of the visit "tourism" in the application form, and the hotel as the address and the receiving party, the correct answer is: "I will stay at the hotel during the trip."
What should I do if a hotel in London was indicated on the questionnaire, and my plans changed, and the tourist decided to go, for example, to Liverpool, or one hotel was replaced by another?
From the point of view of immigration rules, there is no violation of this, when passing through passport control, you must specify the address of the hotel in which the tourist will actually live. If there are several hotels, the one with the most days is booked.
Also, instead of the hotel, you can provide a reservation from the arbnb website (in this case, the answer should be like this: “I booked accommodation on the arbnb website”, and not “I will live with a private person”).
If the purpose of the visit is to visit friends or relatives, you need to name their names and surnames, the degree of relationship or the nature of the relationship (friends, for example) and address.
Additionally, when it comes to friends, border guards may ask how long you have known who they work with, how long and on what basis they have been living in the UK (if we are talking about people who do not have British citizenship).
If a tourist has a British transit visa in his passport, there can only be one answer to the question about the purpose of the visit - "transit".
As a rule, if staying in the UK during transit does not exceed 48 hours, this is not suspicious. However, even in this case, additional questions are possible about why such a route is chosen or why there is such a time gap between flights. The correct answers in this case are as follows (in accordance with the real situation): “flights fly to my country once / twice a week”, “either the air carrier offers only such an option to fly to the final destination”, or “there are several types of transport in my route (for example, train and plane, ferry and plane) and you can only dock them in this way. "
Wrong answers, which can at least alert the border guard, and often lead to a denial of entry:
- "The purpose of our visit is tourism, we will stay with relatives (friends)"
- "First, we will live in a hotel, then with relatives."
- “When we got a visa, we thought that we would be at the hotel, but then we decided to live with friends.”
These answers directly indicate that the purpose of the visit does not coincide with what is indicated in the visa. This can be regarded as an indication of knowingly false information when applying for a visa.
The logic of the border guard in this case is as follows: “If a person wants to visit relatives or friends in the UK, what is the point of applying for a visa in order to visit“ tourism ”? If a person lives with relatives / friends, it means that he provided a fake hotel reservation to the consulate. The conclusion suggests itself - this foreigner may have an intention to remain in the UK illegally. "
In the case of transit, the wrong answer is: “I want to see the country” or “I want to meet relatives / solve business issues / pass exams, etc.” (the purpose of the visit does not match the type of visa issued).
Questions about the length of stay and number of entries
Border officials often suspect too frequent tourist trips to the UK (for example, if a month or less passes between trips and a visa is issued for tourist trips). Border guards in this case are interested in how a tourist combines travel and work. The answer to this question may be the following: "I am given a large vacation, but I can not take it in full and have to split it up" or "one trip falls on holidays, the other - during the holidays."
If you have a return ticket, but you intend to stay in the UK for a longer period, it is not necessary to inform the border guard about this.
Otherwise, you will have to explain why you did not change the ticket to a later date in advance and why you bought a ticket that does not coincide with the actual departure date.
As a rule, this option can lead to a refusal of entry - from the point of view of the border guard, an attempt to stay in the country might look like this.
Questions regarding the stay plan and profession of a tourist
Most often, questions about a foreigner's plans while staying in the UK are asked for those who are entering the country for the first time or traveling at the invitation of a private person. In this case, you need to list the main cities / attractions / events, etc. that are planned to be visited.
Also, the answer may sound something like this: “I’m going to visit my sister (friend, children, parents), we haven’t decided on the exact plans yet, we’ll probably go for a walk, do some shopping. If there’s a mood, we’ll go on an excursion / to the museum / zoo and etc. " Such an answer is logical for those who go to visit relatives.
Wrong answers:
- “I will help with the housework”, “take care of children / elderly relatives”, “help my friend with affairs.” All this can be regarded as an attempt to work illegally.
- "I plan to learn English." In this case, it is necessary to focus the border guard on the fact that the duration of training is less than 30 days, and training is not the main purpose of the visit.
Questions about the work of a foreigner in the country of residence are most often asked if the person often visits the UK. Border guards are interested in:
- How can a foreigner combine frequent trips with regular work?
- Are frequent trips really working?
- Is there enough for a foreigner to travel so often?
In this case, it is necessary to clearly explain where and by whom the tourist works, to describe the specifics of the work schedule: the shift method, work at home, piecework, seasonal work, work involving a large number of days off (for example, a teacher or teacher).
Important! If a tourist works as a freelancer, he does not have to tell the border guard the following: "I work always and everywhere, and on a trip too." This answer may be misunderstood and presented as an attempt to work illegally in the UK without an appropriate visa.
How to behave if you are asked to undergo additional testing
The decision on additional verification of a foreigner who wants to enter the UK is made if the border guard has doubts about this person. One of the reasons for such a check may be the tourist’s inability, due to complete lack of knowledge of the language, to answer questions of a border guard officer.
Additional verification is carried out in a separate room and is an extended interview with a foreigner. During it documents are examined confirming the purpose of the visit (hotel reservation, return tickets, etc.), the availability of financial resources necessary for staying in the country is checked (cash, traveller's checks, bank cards - the balance is not checked, account statement is not required) . Examination of personal belongings and baggage can also be carried out.
During all the procedures, it is necessary to remain calm, to behave correctly, in no case to shout, not to threaten and not attack the border guards.
Based on the results of such an interview, a final verdict is issued - to let a foreigner into the country or not. If no violations of the rules of entry are found, a positive decision is made.
What can a foreigner who has been called for additional verification require?
- invite an interpreter - this must be done by all those who do not know English at all, or speak a language at the school level, or are very worried;
- contact the embassy - this must be done when the check lasts a long time, or any charges are brought against the foreigner in violation of UK law;
- to contact relatives, friends, business partners, an organization about whose invitation a foreigner is traveling;
- call a doctor in case of a sharp deterioration in well-being during the interview.
Why entry into the UK may be denied
The most common reasons for refusing entry:
- discrepancy between the real purpose of the visit and the purpose specified in the visa. (For example, a foreigner with a visitor's visa is actually going to work);
- during previous trips, a foreigner violated the laws of the country and a decision was made on a temporary or permanent ban on entry into the UK;
- the visa has expired or has been canceled;
- a foreigner is suspected of having connections with criminal or terrorist organizations.
If entry is denied, the foreigner receives an official confirmation stating the reason for the refusal, as well as information about the possibility of appealing the decision and the timing of the deportation of the foreigner from the UK. As a rule, a foreigner must leave the UK on the next flight to the country of which he is a citizen.
In addition, a passport control system, including an interview process, additional checks and deportations, is featured in the UK Border Force documentary.
If you still have questions, ask them at the Travel.ru Forum. We will help you understand all the nuances.
Katriona Kopylova
Obtaining a British visa for some reason frightens many (in my opinion, it is completely unreasonable), but I want to see London with “at least one eye”. Interesting that way to do this without a visa is, and quite legal is transit through the UK. If the time between flights allows you to go outside the airport to see the city a bit, you can do it.
But you can use it under certain conditions: you need a visa from Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. Or you should have a residence permit of these countries.
How to get to London without a visa
As always, we look at official documents on this subject.
Citizens of Russia can get to the UK if the airport of this country is the transit point of your route, you fly to a third country. This was officially reported on the UK website https://www.gov.uk
Transit without visa (TWOV) is possible subject to certain conditions.
The main condition is that you fly to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA(accordingly, you have a valid visa of these countries). Or you return from there and have been there for less than 6 months. In the original it sounds like this:
be traveling to (or on part of a reasonable journey to) Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and have a valid visa for that country; or
(ii) be traveling from (or on part of a reasonable journey from) Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and it is less than 6 months since he last entered that country with a valid entry visa;
The following points are also true:
They arrive and depart by air (you arrive and take off by plane)
has a confirmed booking on a flight departing the UK before 23:59 hours on the day after the day when he arrived (your next flight no later than 23:59 tomorrow)
They are properly documented for their destination and have a visa if they need one (you have all the necessary documents to enter the third country of the route).
note that transit is possible only through airportsTherefore, any other transport (train, ferry) is not suitable for a visa-free visit to the UK.
Since transit without a UK visa applies exclusively to air travel, visa-free transit rules are usually explained on the websites of airlines whose base airports are in the UK.
English flies from Russia to the UK lowcoster EasyJetmaking low-cost flights from Moscow (Domodedovo) to London Gatwick Airport. On his website there is an official section on visa-free transit (http://www.easyjet.com/en/transit-without-visa). Here is what it says:
Citizens of Russia can transit through the territory of the United Kingdom (airport’s general access area) only if they have one of the following documents that permit access to the general area: -
1. Valid and valid UK visa; OR
2. A valid visa from Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the United States of America, if you can provide confirmation that you are traveling to one of these countries; OR
3. Valid residence permit issued:
o Australia;
o Canada issued after June 28, 2002;
o New Zealand;
o USA issued after April 21, 1998, including I-551 U.S. Temporary Immigrant Visa (UK ink control visa is NOT accepted); permanent registration; Permanent registration on the expired form I-551 in the presence of a valid form I-797, allowing access to the public area; US Individual Immigration Form 155A / 155B; OR
4. A valid residence permit of a single format for the EEA or Switzerland or a category D visa; or
5. Irish biometric visa if you are traveling to / from the Republic of Ireland.
In addition, passengers must:
1. Arrive or depart by plane; AND
2. Have a confirmed reservation for a further flight with departure until 23:59 on the day following the day of arrival in the UK; AND
3. Have a valid document authorizing entry to the next destination.
Simply put, you will be put on a flight from Moscow to London without a visa if the following conditions are met:
1. You fly to the above countries and all the documents you have are in order. If additional conditions are needed to enter that country (for example, they check the mandatory presence of a return ticket at the entrance), then this should be done immediately.
2. You will present a ticket for another flight departing from the UK no later than 23:59 tomorrow tomorrow upon arrival there. This time looks on your tickets, your plane will be late or arrive earlier - in this case it does not matter.
The ticket should be immediately in your hands, in paper or electronic form (on the tablet screen). But better on paper - that’s more confidence. A statement that you buy a ticket immediately upon arrival in London will not help.
However, to have a "single transit" ticket, for example Moscow-London-New York, is also not necessary. These can be two separate tickets, different airlines.
3. You can fly to London without a visa if you do not go out into the city, but immediately fly out of the same airport. In this case, you just go through the transit corridor.
Passport control without a visa
So, you were put on a flight to London, you arrived in the UK. If the next flight from the same airport and departure soon - go through the transit corridor. If there is a lot of time, then you can try to get out of the airport and make a trip to the city. So now your task is to pass passport control.
It is very important to understand what to do without a visa you have the right. But this does not mean that the officer at the passport control is obliged to immediately immediately implicitly let you through. It is he makes a decision - whether to allow you a visa-free visit based on your documents or not.
Therefore, it is important for you to make such an impression that they make a positive decision for you.
First of all, all your documents must be impeccable and comply with the above rules: departure no later than 23:59 the next day (time on tickets!), Availability of a visa USA, NZ, Australia, etc. Also must be filled in advance. If ask about a visa - explain that you fly in transit.
The border guard sees your route according to your documents, but still he can ask questions about when you arrived, where you fly, and so on. These questions are in order to make sure to him whether you yourself understand the current situation, whether you are consciously asking for visa-free transit, how adequate you are, and so on. No one will specifically find fault with you - there is a routine check of a person entering the country.
Answer all questions calm and confidentclearly show all documents. If in doubt, say that you are following the official rules and show them a color printout (which is nice to have with you). If the visa officer doubts or denied you entry, then do not run in the next turn, but ask to invite the senior shift officer and explain the situation to him. The main thing is to do everything calmly, with a polite smile.
Positive factor in deciding whether to permit visa-free entry into the UK, the following points may serve:
- your flight to a third country will be from another airport. For example, you flew to Gatwick, and then fly out of Heathrow. Accordingly, you need to get by land transport and in any case you need to go out into the city.
Please note that the official rules do not say at all that the arrival and departure should be from the same airport! Therefore, you can specially select flights so that you were forced to miss without a visa.
- your baggage is not registered to the final destination of the route. So you need to pick it up and re-register it further, but it is not possible to do this from the transit zone.
- you fly away the next day and you have booked overnight hotel. Tell about it! Explain that your route is long; you would like to relax on the road, especially if you are traveling with a child. Therefore, prudently booked accommodation, as you will show a printout.
In this case, any printout from Booking that you can even cancel already is suitable, they are unlikely to be checked. But the impression of the reasonableness of the route will be positive.
- it is quite important that your the route was logical. It’s clear why you are stopping in London if you fly from Moscow to New York. It is very good if the next point of your trip is a city where there are no direct flights from Russia - you can say this by explaining the chosen route.
- sometimes a good argument in a conversation is the mention that low cost flights through London tickets are cheap. There is no need to specifically focus on this, but border guards will quite understand the financial rationale for your choice of route.
If you have been allowed visa-free entry into the country, then they will put this in your passport 2 stampsthat will replace the visa. When leaving the UK, you no longer need to go through passport control.
Find out the price of flights
Choose your desired directionOne day in London
So, you are in the UK. How to get to London from airports. In case of arrival / departure through different airports, we add that you should not buy a bus ticket from one airport to another - they are not cheap. You will save twice if you go directly through London.
What is the best way to dispose of that small piece of time that you had in London? There are two options, depending on the availability of time.
If time is shortthen take a walk in the center on foot. Start at Trafalgar Square, go to St. James's Park to Buckingham Palace, return to Downing Street, go to Westminster Abbey, take a picture at Big Ben, walk along the promenade, and then turn towards Covent Garden. You can "run" further, to St. Paul and the Tower. But, in my opinion, it is better to spend time going inside Westminster Abbey in order to see it from the inside.
If you have a whole day, then your choice is definitely a sightseeing bus, there are several (and) them. In all articles of the site I say that if you are in a city for a short time, it is easiest to make an impression of it using a similar route.
Where's the luggage?
The question is urgent, since running an excursion with a suitcase is unsuccessful. If the large baggage is not registered immediately from the first point of the route to the last, but is in London with you, then there are several options:
- if you booked a hotel, then leave immediately. It may even be the simplest hostel, but it will serve you well (refer to the real reservation on passport control, leave things, just relax, have a bite).
- in the locker room of the station to which you arrived from the airport.
If you are taking the subway from Heathrow, you can get to Victoria Station (Victoria subway, change to the subway at South Kensington Station) and leave things there. This station is the closest to interesting London attractions. From Gatwick by express or bus, you will also come to Victoria.
From Luton Airport, trains arrive at Kings Cross Station, it is located a bit further from interesting places and you will need to use the subway or buses.
About myself. I am 47 years old, I have 2 higher educations (economic and biological), a candidate degree in biology (defending a dissertation at the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova), a diploma of an expert - canine specialist. Work experience over 15 years, associate professor of the Department of Genetics and Zoology at the University, senior researcher at the Biomonitoring Research Laboratory. My son and I are 27 years old; my higher education is a geographer. There are 3 dogs with us - bull terriers (dog owners will understand me - these are also our family members). In this composition, we want to migrate.
1. I wrote a thousand times about the importance of English, and the unimportance of diplomas, which is simply surprising ... because in England they are not needed and there is no sense in them - IF YOU HAVE NO EXCELLENT ENGLISH OWNERSHIP.
If there is English, and you speak great, teach it, write letters, and calmly answer by phone, (I'm not saying that you watch the Guy Ricci Snatch movie without any subtitles in the original and understand what it is about), so here - if english is so good - then go at least with rats and mice ... you will find a good job here and you will be happy.
Otherwise, it’s better to stay where you are, or go to Russia ... in Russian, can you speak?
To take dogs to England you need to be millionaires ... You need a house ... Will you buy it? Permission is needed to keep dogs - from neighbors on the right and left, from Kansil (this is a local council, yes, they are in England), and thousands, thousands of pounds (? - this means), because per dog for a month it will go as much as per person ... but in order to bring and arrange animals, it will take at least 3,000 pounds per 1 creature and iron nerves, plus, of course, excellent English skills to explain, call, pick up, bring, and take animals for the next vaccination, examination, etc., etc. ...
2. There are more dogs than people here ...and to surprise the English with your diplomas and knowledge about dogs, and to find work "for dogs", you can only with excellent knowledge of the language and "dog" terms ... plus publications in the Western press in English, of course, the language of dogs, of course. ... then maybe the British will still take you to work as an assistant in some kind of dog shelter ... for starters ...
Does your son also speak English? I repeat once again - KNOW ENGLISH THIS
Be able to watch films in English and calmly understand what is happening on the screen
Be able to write a letter in English and create a CV in English without a dictionary
Be able to answer by phone and call the agency, ask them questions, etc.,
To be able to communicate with strangers - Pakistanis, Indians, Somalis, and not to ask them to speak more slowly ... not to say that "Ay dont Understand"
Packs, Hindus and Somalis get their tongues as if they speak their native, native, and simply add English words ... yes, it’s with these you will communicate every day in London... and you thought white British live here? No, my dears, the British LIVED in London ... and now this city has been given to the looting of tourists and immigrants. The British in London are only 30%. The rest live outside of London.
You will succeed if, if you buy a house.
Go to America ... everything will be easier and faster ... and the language is not really needed there ...
-----------------
If you have no dogs, you still need good English ... what are you going to work with?
Are you strong Do not get sick? This is a very difficult country ... everything is going very tight ... and ... it's cold here ... there is no summer, no, and never will be ...
Today I turned on the heating ... for the first time in my 55 years of life, in the summer, June 15, I turn on the heating in the apartment ... because outside the window there is wind and rain, and 17 degrees, it's damp ... in the house 19 degrees and blows out of all the holes ... because they peeled off the paper and opened all the windows for the summer ... now the return move - close the windows, curtains everywhere in the bathroom, in the toilet ... because it blows, blows cold, moist air ...
This is London, June 15th ....
The World without Visas round the world from the very beginning was conceived as a trip exclusively through visa-free countries for Russians. Great Britain does not apply to such. A visa for entry must be issued at the British consulate, and until now its receipt is fraught with a number of formalities and the need to fill out a bunch of pieces of paper. But still there is already a small "loophole." You can get to England without a visa - in transit for one day. This option is provided to passengers flying through London with a transfer. But this opportunity is by no means a guarantee that you will certainly be allowed into the country. The decision is made by the border officer - solely at his own risk. He has the right to allow one-day transit, but may not be allowed into the country.
Have to take a chance. The complexity of our situation lies in the fact that they can formally give a visa only for 24 hours, and we have a transfer between Zadar-London and London-Casablanca flights as much as 32 hours. From a purely formal point of view, this alone may become a reason for refusal.
Adventures began in Zadar. We flew to London on the plane of the low-cost airline Ryanair. According to the rules of the airline, only one piece of baggage can be carried free of charge - up to 10 kg weighing and measuring no more than 55 cm by 40 cm by 20 cm. Of course, we travel light and our backpacks are not very large. But the problem is that you need to stuff the laptop and the camera and camcorder into one piece of luggage. Something needs to be repackaged. The easiest way to lighten backpacks a bit and free up space for photo and video equipment is to put on as many things as possible. Soon we looked like cabbage - in several layers of clothing (shorts under the pants, on top - another one, a shirt under the shirt, a sweatshirt, a fleece and a windbreaker on it). A little more time was spent on the redistribution of cargo. But we still managed to ensure that our backpacks began to weigh exactly 10.2 kg. It is a pity, all efforts were in vain. No one even thought to measure or weigh them. We filled out boarding passes on the Internet and printed them out. We didn’t even need to register, right away - for passport control and for boarding.
At passport control, Croatian border guards calmly reacted to the fact that we fly to London without a visa. And how will the British meet us?
The first steps on English land at Stansted Airport: from the plane to the second boarding terminal, then two train stops to the central terminal. There is passport control. Groups are advised to approach the border officer together.
Come on. I immediately say that we travel around the world and in London only in transit. We pre-printed not only tickets for the London-Marrakech flight, but also tickets from Morocco to Tunisia - let them see that we are going to continue to fly, and not get stuck in the UK. Plus - exclusively for passport control - I had to book (and print) the hostel reservation in London.
At the border control at the airport - the full International. Among the border officers - Arabs, Chinese, Indians, Iranians ... We came to a shaved man with a thick black beard. Surely, a native of somewhere from the Near or Middle East.
He looked at our papers: “You must have been preparing for the trip and you know that transit for 24 hours is by no means guaranteed. In addition, you have an interval between flights of more than a day, ”and he went with our papers to consult with the senior officer. We wait. Coming back. The procedure typical for the English border service begins (I already went through this when I traveled to England): where do you work? Will you return to your previous job after the trip? How much money is there? Are there any friends in England? Wife? Children? etc. etc. But at the end: “I will nevertheless put a stamp on you - but only for 24 hours. You should be at Luton Airport tomorrow night and go through passport control. ”
So we got to England without a visa. The principle of “World without visas” has been respected.
From the airport, the bus drove us to Victoria Station. From there, the Joy Hostel King Willem IV is just a kilometer away. At first they wandered a little. But the hostel is very well located - and on the banks of the Thames, opposite the power plant, the pipes of which serve as an excellent landmark.
For the first time in a few days, we spent the night under the roof, on clean sheets, had breakfast humanly. But the mood was excellent not therefore. None of us are attached to comfort. More importantly, another thing - the whole morning there was no feeling that we got to London somehow undeservedly. As if they won a one-day excursion to London as a prize or received as a free bonus.
It's hard to write about London attractions. It seems that everyone already knows everything and has seen it a hundred times. Even those who have never been here have never been here. Tower, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Run Ben, Ferris Wheel, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Piccadilly, British Museum - all three of us have already seen this in photographs, on television, and in movies. What was new was perhaps the determination of the distances between them - in steps - and the relative position. Of course, they failed to get around all of London in a day. But we did not try.
Late in the evening we drove to Luton Airport. But this was not the end of our adventures in London.
Visa. Great Britain for Russians is a visa country. Visa-free transit is possible only for 24 hours.
Currency. British pound. 1 pound \u003d 1.1-1.2 euros (the worst rate at the airport).
Transport. The bus "Stansted Airport - Victoria Station" - 10 pounds, the bus "Station Victoria - Luton Airport" - 14 pounds (with the driver). Bus Luton Airport - Victoria Station - 10 pounds (at the box office). Bus station Victoria - Gatwick Airport 7 pounds (at the box office of the company).
Residence. Overnight at King William IV Hostel 17 pounds.
Nutrition. Fish and chips (fried fish and potatoes) - 4.95 pounds, a pint of Guinness beer - 3.3 pounds.
Sights. Walking in central London is free of charge.
So, the first question that any immigration company starts with is: “how to get there.” We have already agreed that you are a person who is not expected anywhere, you do not have any agreements with employers, and you generally know no one there.
For EU citizens, there are now no barriers to entry, so I will not describe the procedure for buying a ticket for them. For residents of Russia and neighboring fraternal republics, this is a very big problem. Walk, perhaps in at least two ways.
Option one: under the guise of a harmless tourist, sneak into the country and work in the most cynical way illegally. Unfortunately, the British Embassy does not always believe that a young man applies for a visa solely because of an unbearable desire to see Stonehenge.
Thus, you need to provide evidence that you are a wealthy and respectable person who really travels to England to visit the British Museum. But if you are actually going to work, I’m afraid it will be difficult to prove it. As far as I know, intermediary firms can help in this case, which will prepare the whole package of fake documents, income statements and recommendations from the workplace.
The second option implies that you are a student. But even if it is not, an enterprising intermediary company will get a student ID for you. Again, you can’t do without additional costs, because in order to get a work permit, you need a letter from the employer in which he undertakes to provide you with work and housing for the expected term. The firm will do it all. Money, perhaps, will take no less than for the first option.
I wrote that there are at least two ways to get to Britain. There are, of course, others. Someone is trying to enroll in a sect of Jehovah's Witnesses in order to get into the country after a while on a religious topic. Others find friends on the Internet there who terrorize the British embassy in order to get a visa for their new Russian groom. The most interesting thing is that sometimes it passes. But more often than not.
There are still extreme options. For example, I personally know one person who, using the darkness, tried to cross the English Channel in a rubber boat, tying it to a ferry. Moreover, they found it already in England, in Dover, when the ferry was turning around, and the boat was carried out to the lighted side. About the classic version, when a person is camouflaged in a pallet, wrapped in film, and transported through a tunnel in the back of a truck, I won’t talk. The method is well known to customs officers, in addition, because of queues, an unfortunate traveler sometimes has to be in a stuffy body, in a standing position, tied with a film, up to half a day. Lethal outcomes occurred.
People have come up with even more exotic ways to get to the Promised Land, but I do not recommend them to you because of insecurity. The most original case of entry into the country occurred with one of my friends. Exhausted by the impossibility of driving in all legal and illegal ways (and he experienced everything except a rubber boat), the man took the path of least resistance.
Arriving at the airport in London, he, with his Latvian passport stamped with all kinds of seals on deportations and entry bans, simply stood in line for British citizens and mixed up with a peppy crowd of Aboriginal people who had arrived from vacation. As you know, the British are not recorded at the entrance in any way, all they need is to open their passport on the photo page. The customs officer does not even pick up the document.
Thus, this friend of mine, made his face a brick, showed his passport, and a few hours later was already at my place with vodka in Lincoln. The story took place ten years ago, and most likely, now such a freebie will not pass. By the way, that comrade was deported again two weeks later when the immigration service carried out checks in some factories. Which, however, did not prevent the hero from returning after a while, in a less exotic way, but just as illegal. What is happening to him now, I don’t know, but I’m sure that his karma will find new adventures for him.
There is another option - “surrender”, right at the airport, the first customs officer that came across, that is, ask for political asylum from Britain. Once it was a real opportunity to even get a residence permit, but now it practically does not work. A little more about the "surrender" I will tell during the article.
An important question is how to keep yourself at the English airport, at customs. An uninitiated person may have the illusion that when he received a tourist visa, then all of his difficulties in entering the country ended. You can relax, speak with the customs officer in Russian, as the hero of Viktor Sukhorukov behaved in the movie Brother-2. In reality, unfortunately, this is not so. If you can’t make a good impression on the customs officer and prove with your appearance that you actually arrived in Britain for only a week, he has a real right not to let you in.
And if there is even the slightest suggestion that you are going to work illegally, then you will go home much earlier than you expected. In my memory, they didn’t let in so many people who had a tourist visa, that you are simply amazed. All of them, as a rule, made the same mistakes. The most typical - they did not correspond to the image that was written in their papers. Here you need to be simpler, and if you have written in the documents that you are the director of the company, do not be too lazy to shave, put on a tie and give the face an intelligent expression, if such a focus can be turned with him.
If, in the papers that you cooked up, it says that you are a promising young boxer who came for the purpose of personal acquaintance with Lewis, try to look accordingly. But do not go too far, this does not mean that you should have a tracksuit and an ominous grin of a gopnik. In general, I noticed that for customs officers the average appearance of young European people rolls well: highlighted hair, trendy sunglasses (in season) and stylish clothes. Unfortunately, many people are not able to drive off a hunted expression from their faces, and then the journey ends before it starts. In any case, behave confidently, but do not chat. Answer the question as short as possible. In general, behave as if you did not assume that you, such a respectable and respectable person, might not be allowed into some kind of England.
A couple more things. You must have a return ticket, in a week, a maximum of two, which you must first present to the customs officer. The ticket, of course, will disappear, since you are going to stay, but such is life. The second one. In no case do not include in your luggage any things that could cast a shadow on your image of a deeply intelligent person traveling to wander the streets of London. I don’t understand what an idiot you have to be in order to have a tourist visa in your hands and put rubber boots or winter clothes in your bag if it happens in sunny July. Then you buy all the equipment for work. Also - no products. Any herring, onion and the like acts very badly on customs officers. It’s not that these things are forbidden to be imported, but they simply confirm that instead of enjoying London cafes and restaurants, a person will save by all means trying to stretch his cash supply.
Speaking of money. When asked by the customs officer what you plan to live this week in the British capital, present a bank card with the proud Visa badge (even if there is nothing on it) and show three hundred pounds in cash. This usually affects the customs officer peacefully, and he, the last time suspiciously looking at you and your passport, puts the coveted stamp. I don’t even mention that you should at least speak and understand English. Although I know of cases where people who did not even know how to say hello successfully drove through. Anyway, maybe someone is reading a note now, and is surprised at the described horrors - he never had any problems at the entrance. Of course, a lot depends on the karma and mood of the customs officer at that moment, but nevertheless - warned, then armed.
That’s all I can tell you about how to get to England. Tomorrow, wait for the story of the work and related difficulties.
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