Heathrow immigration

[GD78]

I am a Pakistani working in the Middle East and will be joining my spouse in London in April...can anyone shed light on what to expect @ Heathrow immigration? Are the IOs as rigid on folks who arrive on Settlement visas as they are with ppl arriving on tourist/student visas?

I also wasn't required to have a TB certificate during my application process even though I am a Pakistani national...I applied from a Middle Eastern country...do you think its a good idea to get a TB screening done anyways? You would think the IO would look at the place of issue of the visa and determine if I should present a certificate or not.

I'm just a bit worried on what to expect. I have experienced US immigration before and they were pretty rough on Pakistanis...so not sure what kind of behavior to expect in the UK.

I would love to hear ppl's experiences regarding this topic.

[John]

Armed with a spouse visa I don't think you need to be worried. The IO has a job to do but that should not be of concern to you.

TB check? Expect to be referred to the medical centre, whether or not you have had a check before you arrive. Clearly the IO is not medically trained so even if you have had the TB check before you arrive, the staff in the medical centre will be asked to take a look at that. If you have not had a check before you arrive, they might take a Chest XRay in the medical centre.

But nothing there to be concerned about.

[GD78]

Armed with a spouse visa I don't think you need to be worried. The IO has a job to do but that should not be of concern to you.

TB check? Expect to be referred to the medical centre, whether or not you have had a check before you arrive. Clearly the IO is not medically trained so even if you have had the TB check before you arrive, the staff in the medical centre will be asked to take a look at that. If you have not had a check before you arrive, they might take a Chest XRay in the medical centre.

But nothing there to be concerned about.

Thank you for your reply...it is very much appreciated. Looks like I wll be sent to the medical center regardless if I have the TB certificate or not. Is the medical center usually located near the immigration section?

[John]

Yes, very near.