# My australian girlfriend refused entry to the uk



## Twykondo (Mar 4, 2013)

Hi everyone wasnt sure where to post this so posting it here

about a year ago i met a Australian girl online,as our relationship developed we started chatting on skype and webcam etc and and around june last year we started talking about her coming to visit me in march this year (2013) she would staying with me at my flat for the whole 2 weeks of her stay.

she looked into the whole visa thing and was told all she needed was proof of where she lives back home and details of where she will be staying while in the uk etc and she be allowed entry, below is a statement posted on the austalian gouverment website :-

As a general guide, visas are not required for Australians entering the United Kingdom for a tourism or business stay of less than six months but are required if you intend to work. This includes any type of ‘voluntary’ work.

upon entering the uk she was held by immigration and questioned about her intentions while here,they then phoned me while i was waiting at the airport and asked me questions about how i met her,how long ive known her our relationship,if i was working etc.

after a 6 hour wait she was finally told she would not be allowed entry based on the fact that i was employed in the uk and she was unemployed back home therefore they couldnt guarantee that she would return back home after the end of her stay even though she had a return ticket home and over £1200 in cash and a place to stay while here,she also 2 children back home.

they sent her on plane back home that same night 

we are both shocked at how this happened and really cant see they had a valid reason for not letting her in!!!!

sorry for the rambling but would appreciate anyones view and comment or advice on this matter

thanks


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear this. Sadly, it's not uncommon. As usual, it's down to people who abuse visa rules and border controls. The easiest way for anyone to gain entry into the UK is to arrive as a visitor, including those who actually have no intention of leaving. The end result is that perfectly innocent people are refused entry if the border official is not convinced that a visitor IS just visiting and all plans (and flight tickets) are lost, with a black mark on visa history to boot. There are many people here who have experienced this.

As a result of potential overstayers, visitor entry is at the discretion of the border official on the day (they can allow up to 6 months, but aren't obliged to do so, and in some cases deny entry altogether as in your situation). They need to be convinced that the visitor is not trying to come to the UK permanently (and therefore illegally). Alarms are triggered if the visitor has no tangible ties to their home country (property in their name, a job or course of study to return to), where they are applying for the full 6 months without sufficient funds to support themselves for that 6 months, where there doesn't appear to be any kind of tourism agenda, no return ticket booked, and the BIG trap: coming to stay with a partner (partner visas are more difficult to apply for these days, and people who don't qualify might try instead to be a one-way visitor instead).

Now that she's had a refusal, this will mean there will be a mark in her passport for subsequent visits and even for any permanent visa if you consider living together at a later time.  It's not a total catastrophe (as I said, this type of refusal is relatively common), but any future visit needs better planning to evidence some of the concerns mentioned above (like not trying to stay for a long period of time, having sufficient money and a 'tourism' agenda in mind, and having provable ties to home too).

Wishing you both the best of luck for the next one.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Twykondo said:


> Hi everyone wasnt sure where to post this so posting it here
> 
> about a year ago i met a Australian girl online,as our relationship developed we started chatting on skype and webcam etc and and around june last year we started talking about her coming to visit me in march this year (2013) she would staying with me at my flat for the whole 2 weeks of her stay.
> 
> ...


Yes they did. They were suspicious about having strong-enough ties back home that will compel her to return to Australia at the end of her proposed stay and not overstay. Lack of a job to return to is a biggie. Having minor children at home would be, but presumably they weren't living with her or good childcare arrangement was in place so there was no need for her to return by a certain date.
UKBA can deny entry if in the opinion of the immigration officer, and on the balance of probabilities, a passenger does not meet one or more conditions for entry.
£1200 is hardly generous and will soon run out. The fact you are in work means you can afford to put her up as long as you both want. Sometimes, in a situation like this, an offer to accommodate and pay for her entire costs can work against her. And you are in relationship.
If she intends to visit UK again, she should get a visitor visa in advance because of this entry denial. She should evidence really strong ties at home that will compel her to return.


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## Twykondo (Mar 4, 2013)

thank you all for your comments 
i just find the whole thing totally crazy...surely a easier solution would be too confiscate her passport and have me as a guarantor that she would return on the date stated on her return ticket home.
we will definately make sure everything is 100% covered if she does decide to come again or decide to visit her thanks again


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Twykondo said:


> i just find the whole thing totally crazy...surely a easier solution would be to confiscate her passport and have me as a guarantor that she would return on the date stated on her return ticket home.


They aren't allowed to do that, and you can't compel a British citizen to give a guarantee that the traveller will leave when they should. A passenger is responsible for their own actions, and if they are perceived not to meet the conditions of stay, they have no option but to refuse entry and send them home. This is normal practice in immigration rules throughout the world.


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