# Flagged passport, who to contact to clear?



## WernerK (Apr 7, 2014)

Good day,

The first time I came to the UK I was on a business visitor's visa as I got send here for work and all my documentation was in order. I got stopped and questioned at immigration on first arrival and after a couple of hours let through. After returning to the UK from a friend's wedding in Germany I got stopped and questioned again, this time for 4 hours. After returning from a short visit to France, and a couple of weeks before returning to South Africa I got stopped again and kept overnight as there were no one available to interview my as I arrived at 9:30pm. Every time I got asked the same questions and every time I gave the same, true answers. Their concern was that I would overstay my visa. All my paper work was in order with letters from work, financials, bookings, flights etc. I got told that "you have done everything by the letter of the law that's why I find you suspect" (!!!) and that "your government is corrupt, therefor I assume you are too"... there was worse than that, but I won't repeat that. Just had to bite my lip and say nothing, very hard not to get angry!

Fast forward a couple of years and I'm married to a British Citizen, holding a spouse visa. On arrival, I got stopped, they went to the back and checked and let me through. But now every time I travel abroad and get back to the UK I get stopped as my passport is flagged. The last officer said I must send an email to get the flag cleared, but he didn't have any leaflets left of who to contact. 

Does anyone know how I can get this removed, it's just a bit of an inconvenience to have to wait the 20 min at immigration every time.

Thank you so much and sorry for the long explanation!


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## Anxious_wife (Mar 11, 2013)

Get in touch with your MP.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

The phrase to describe your condition is you have received coded landing (code 3), meaning that your movement in and out of UK will be monitored to ensure you comply with immigration rules. Normally passengers arriving as visitor are given code 5n, meaning that your landing card won't be retained and no record kept of your movement. Code 3 means you are likely to be stopped and detained for questioning until they are satisfied your intentions etc.

As for what to do, it's unusual to be questioned extensively if you already hold a spouse settlement visa. I suggest you get in touch with UKVI on their phone enquiry line and ask them to remove coded landing from your passport. Or make a complaint: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about/complaints-procedure


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## WernerK (Apr 7, 2014)

Thank you Joppa. It's not that I'm getting questioned any more, after scanning my passport they go check their records at the back and then let me through all good, but it's just a bit of a pain to wait every time. I guess it's not just wasting my time, but theirs too.

Thanks for the advice, I'll get in contact with them.


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