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After all the experiences we have had, I would not assume that any UKBA employee knows anything about regulations.EUsmileWEallsmile wrote:When you complain, they will be familiar with all the regulations and permutations. You don't need to quote all that, but if it makes you feel better then feel free!
I know how you feel. It is frankly ridiculous that almost six years after the regulations came into force, that there is any confusion at the border on the part of their officers. Beautifully clear guidance is written for them and can be accessed under Freedom of Information on their website by all and their guys don't appear to have read them.Marco 72 wrote:After all the experiences we have had, I would not assume that any UKBA employee knows anything about regulations.EUsmileWEallsmile wrote:When you complain, they will be familiar with all the regulations and permutations. You don't need to quote all that, but if it makes you feel better then feel free!
That's a pity, it is annoying. Feel free to complain. The more complaints the more likely it will sink in.flames wrote:I took a coach to France for the weekend with my wife and upon returning at Dover i had a problem with an immigration officer.
Firstly he wanted me to complete a landing card, i then pointed out to him that i have an EEA2 residence card then he said ''oh ok''. He then asked me how long i have been married and if i ever travelled with my year old residence card before and i said yes. I then got distracted and the IO stamped my passport and wrote ''wife'' on top of the stamp. I then asked him why he did that when in the first place he wasn't even supposed to have stamped my passport. He then said it indicates that you were travelling with your wife. I then asked him is that new procedure or what? because i have never heard of that and he replied saying i am just doing my job. I then politely asked for his supervisor and he came and apologised for the stamp and tried to make up a story for the IO writing ''wife'' in my passport. I then asked for both their names and the complaints procedure and i will certainly chase it up with a complaints email tomorrow.
That was just appalling behaviour by the immigration officer and i can't understand why he did that. Now, no one can and will convince me that the IO did not know what he was doing. After having exempted me from completing the landing card why did he then stamp the passport?.
I refuse to believe poor training is the cause of his actions but he was motivated by something else that i just can't understand. I don't want to pull the race card (because it may simply not be the case) in case people scream i have a chip on my shoulder but leave people to make their own conclusions.
How hard is it for an IO not to stamp non EEA passport holders's passports with residence cards and not to insist on landing cards?, after all it's the LAW. It's not like they will lose anything. What a bunch of muppets!!!
Did you have any problems with French border control? Did you have any problems with the coach company when presenting your passport with EEA Residence card?flames wrote:I took a coach to France for the weekend with my wife and upon returning at Dover i had a problem with an immigration officer.
Firstly he wanted me to complete a landing card, i then pointed out to him that i have an EEA2 residence card then he said ''oh ok''. He then asked me how long i have been married and if i ever travelled with my year old residence card before and i said yes. I then got distracted and the IO stamped my passport and wrote ''wife'' on top of the stamp. I then asked him why he did that when in the first place he wasn't even supposed to have stamped my passport. He then said it indicates that you were travelling with your wife. I then asked him is that new procedure or what? because i have never heard of that and he replied saying i am just doing my job. I then politely asked for his supervisor and he came and apologised for the stamp and tried to make up a story for the IO writing ''wife'' in my passport. I then asked for both their names and the complaints procedure and i will certainly chase it up with a complaints email tomorrow.
That was just appalling behaviour by the immigration officer and i can't understand why he did that. Now, no one can and will convince me that the IO did not know what he was doing. After having exempted me from completing the landing card why did he then stamp the passport?.
I refuse to believe poor training is the cause of his actions but he was motivated by something else that i just can't understand. I don't want to pull the race card (because it may simply not be the case) in case people scream i have a chip on my shoulder but leave people to make their own conclusions.
How hard is it for an IO not to stamp non EEA passport holders's passports with residence cards and not to insist on landing cards?, after all it's the LAW. It's not like they will lose anything. What a bunch of muppets!!!
I had no problems with Eurolines when boarding in London, the guy simply asked if i had a schengen visa and i said yes and he never bothered to look for it. Same story in Paris, the guy just looked at my residence card and never asked me anything at check in when returning to London.EUsmileWEallsmile wrote:Did you have any problems with French border control? Did you have any problems with the coach company when presenting your passport with EEA Residence card?flames wrote:I took a coach to France for the weekend with my wife and upon returning at Dover i had a problem with an immigration officer.
Firstly he wanted me to complete a landing card, i then pointed out to him that i have an EEA2 residence card then he said ''oh ok''. He then asked me how long i have been married and if i ever travelled with my year old residence card before and i said yes. I then got distracted and the IO stamped my passport and wrote ''wife'' on top of the stamp. I then asked him why he did that when in the first place he wasn't even supposed to have stamped my passport. He then said it indicates that you were travelling with your wife. I then asked him is that new procedure or what? because i have never heard of that and he replied saying i am just doing my job. I then politely asked for his supervisor and he came and apologised for the stamp and tried to make up a story for the IO writing ''wife'' in my passport. I then asked for both their names and the complaints procedure and i will certainly chase it up with a complaints email tomorrow.
That was just appalling behaviour by the immigration officer and i can't understand why he did that. Now, no one can and will convince me that the IO did not know what he was doing. After having exempted me from completing the landing card why did he then stamp the passport?.
I refuse to believe poor training is the cause of his actions but he was motivated by something else that i just can't understand. I don't want to pull the race card (because it may simply not be the case) in case people scream i have a chip on my shoulder but leave people to make their own conclusions.
How hard is it for an IO not to stamp non EEA passport holders's passports with residence cards and not to insist on landing cards?, after all it's the LAW. It's not like they will lose anything. What a bunch of muppets!!!
French should not have stamped the passport either.flames wrote: I had no problems with Eurolines when boarding in London, the guy simply asked if i had a schengen visa and i said yes and he never bothered to look for it. Same story in Paris, the guy just looked at my residence card and never asked me anything at check in when returning to London.
French authorities never gave me problems. On the way to France, the passport was collected in the bus and returned in the bus stamped. When returning on sunday the French guy looked at my passport and stamped it.
Oh, i wasn't aware of that.EUsmileWEallsmile wrote:French should not have stamped the passport either.flames wrote: I had no problems with Eurolines when boarding in London, the guy simply asked if i had a schengen visa and i said yes and he never bothered to look for it. Same story in Paris, the guy just looked at my residence card and never asked me anything at check in when returning to London.
French authorities never gave me problems. On the way to France, the passport was collected in the bus and returned in the bus stamped. When returning on sunday the French guy looked at my passport and stamped it.
If you have a UK issued residence card and are traveling with your wife, you don't need a visa. If you had both, it is possible that the French IO did not see your residence card.flames wrote:Oh, i wasn't aware of that.EUsmileWEallsmile wrote:French should not have stamped the passport either.flames wrote: I had no problems with Eurolines when boarding in London, the guy simply asked if i had a schengen visa and i said yes and he never bothered to look for it. Same story in Paris, the guy just looked at my residence card and never asked me anything at check in when returning to London.
French authorities never gave me problems. On the way to France, the passport was collected in the bus and returned in the bus stamped. When returning on sunday the French guy looked at my passport and stamped it.
I mistakenly thought that even though i am travelling with my wife but with a schengen visa then i was being admitted to France on the basis of my schengen visa?
TrueEUsmileWEallsmile wrote:If you have a UK issued residence card and are traveling with your wife, you don't need a visa.flames wrote:Oh, i wasn't aware of that.EUsmileWEallsmile wrote:French should not have stamped the passport either.flames wrote: I had no problems with Eurolines when boarding in London, the guy simply asked if i had a schengen visa and i said yes and he never bothered to look for it. Same story in Paris, the guy just looked at my residence card and never asked me anything at check in when returning to London.
French authorities never gave me problems. On the way to France, the passport was collected in the bus and returned in the bus stamped. When returning on sunday the French guy looked at my passport and stamped it.
I mistakenly thought that even though i am travelling with my wife but with a schengen visa then i was being admitted to France on the basis of my schengen visa?.If you had both, it is possible that the French IO did not see your residence card
Avoid Heathrow if you want to have a short queue. Where you queue is not really at issue - it's the stamping and the landing cards.presido007 wrote:You know guys, any time I am coming back to UK, I prefer to use lines meant for "other passports" than using eea line at the port of entry (airport). the reason is because, it is faster and I didn't need to wait on a very long queue with eea nationals. in some cases I am the only person in that line and am the first to get to luggage area, and I dont care if they stamp my passport even though I have RC on my passport. maybe, because I dont use the major airports when travelling. because the last thing I want to do when I travel is to argue with any officer or anybody for that matter, I just want to go home and sleep.
That is exactly my point, I have never travelled through Heathrow, maybe that is why I didn't care about which line I queue in. about stamping my passport, the officers have always used the same page on my passport any time they stamp my passport.EUsmileWEallsmile wrote:Avoid Heathrow if you want to have a short queue. Where you queue is not really at issue - it's the stamping and the landing cards.presido007 wrote:You know guys, any time I am coming back to UK, I prefer to use lines meant for "other passports" than using eea line at the port of entry (airport). the reason is because, it is faster and I didn't need to wait on a very long queue with eea nationals. in some cases I am the only person in that line and am the first to get to luggage area, and I dont care if they stamp my passport even though I have RC on my passport. maybe, because I dont use the major airports when travelling. because the last thing I want to do when I travel is to argue with any officer or anybody for that matter, I just want to go home and sleep.
Enjoy your sleep, you're entitled to your opinion, but with attitudes like that nothing will change.
...which they are not allowed to do!presido007 wrote:That is exactly my point, I have never travelled through Heathrow, maybe that is why I didn't care about which line I queue in. about stamping my passport, the officers have always used the same page on my passport any time they stamp my passport.EUsmileWEallsmile wrote:Avoid Heathrow if you want to have a short queue. Where you queue is not really at issue - it's the stamping and the landing cards.presido007 wrote:You know guys, any time I am coming back to UK, I prefer to use lines meant for "other passports" than using eea line at the port of entry (airport). the reason is because, it is faster and I didn't need to wait on a very long queue with eea nationals. in some cases I am the only person in that line and am the first to get to luggage area, and I dont care if they stamp my passport even though I have RC on my passport. maybe, because I dont use the major airports when travelling. because the last thing I want to do when I travel is to argue with any officer or anybody for that matter, I just want to go home and sleep.
Enjoy your sleep, you're entitled to your opinion, but with attitudes like that nothing will change.
I agree - complain and things (slowly) improve; say nothing and things stay same or get worse.maviesk wrote:It may seem like nit picking but when you consider how inept the Ukba ca be as an organization (they messed up our residence application and it took 8 months to get the rc/passport back because they demanded documents which were already in the application!) I feel like its our duty to come down on them like a ton of bricks, otherwise the incompetence will not continue.
Well done for complaining. Yes, it might seem to be trivial to some, but it's the law.maviesk wrote:Last year my partner and I travelled to Bruseels via the Eurostar. On the way back we had an officer who seemed to be particularly miserable, asking stupid questions (which one of you is the Turkish one?), most of which I can't remember now but she then stamped my partner's passport.. When I confronted her telling her that it's against the regulations she was totally dismissive, saying things like what difference will it make? Se then demanded I tell her the reason I was so irate about it.. I told her that I didn't have to give a reason at which point she called over the chief immigration officer who seemed quite sympathetic but basically gave me a bs reply saying that although my partner doesn't fill in a landing card, the stamp can be placed in the passport at the discretion of the officer... I didm't agree with that, it either is or isn't! When I got back to the UK I sent an email of complaint and within a few weeks we got an apology and £25 compensation.
It may seem like nit picking but when you consider how inept the Ukba ca be as an organization (they messed up our residence application and it took 8 months to get the rc/passport back because they demanded documents which were already in the application!) I feel like its our duty to come down on them like a ton of bricks, otherwise the incompetence will not continue.
Good good good for you!maviesk wrote:Last year my partner and I travelled to Bruseels via the Eurostar. On the way back we had an officer who seemed to be particularly miserable, asking stupid questions (which one of you is the Turkish one?), most of which I can't remember now but she then stamped my partner's passport.. When I confronted her telling her that it's against the regulations she was totally dismissive, saying things like what difference will it make? Se then demanded I tell her the reason I was so irate about it.. I told her that I didn't have to give a reason at which point she called over the chief immigration officer who seemed quite sympathetic but basically gave me a bs reply saying that although my partner doesn't fill in a landing card, the stamp can be placed in the passport at the discretion of the officer... I didm't agree with that, it either is or isn't! When I got back to the UK I sent an email of complaint and within a few weeks we got an apology and £25 compensation.