Why do they ask families questions at passport control when retiring to the uk?

[blackbirdsinginginthenight]

It's usually things like - where have you been? For Xmas? How long were you there for? Where are you going next? Etc- like small talk but today I answered a question for where we had been, and then didn't hear his second question about how long we had been away for and he asked it again very seriously with some more follow up questions.

What sort of things are they looking for or to find out? If you'd smuggled a child back into the country then the questions aren't enough to suss that out, and if you weren't allowed in the country surely that would flag up on your passports?

Always wondered and thought a mumsnetter would know!

It's a box ticking exercise most of the time surely? Can be a bit galling at times when you consider tens of thousands cross the Channel each year in dinghies and decide they can be whoever they want to be when if they reach the UK.

Sadly fixed that for you.

Drug smugglers also use families with children (or even pregnant women) to carry concealments in an attempt to throw the scent off, assuming that BC are less likely to question a family about their travel and movements than they are a more “typical” single traveller or unrelated group.

Reminds me of the time border security at the airport asked my 3 year old DS who the lady he was travelling with was. He thought about it for a while and said very solemnly: that is Mrs Seainasive 😳.

I really thought they wouldn’t let him leave with me for a moment. And then we all laughed and it was all good.

Clever boy, he obviously decided a formal person needed a formal answer!

Well, you'd just reply "we're getting a taxi, we don't drive" then, wouldn't you?

I have been questioned when returning to the UK with DD. However we do have different surnames and DD's place of birth is not in the UK although she has a British passport.

Returning from holiday with DH and kids last year, we were called forward to the immigration desk. DS6 was with me but for some unknown reason DH and DS9 who were behind me, went to the next desk. DS9 was asked who he was travelling with and pointed to me and DS6. The officers were cross and asked us so many questions and then said never to go through separately again.

Mumsnet, where you make a perfectly acceptable reply and get a slightly snotty answer. In US visa office in London we were subjected to quite a weird interrogation based on the person behind the counter asking why a US university would want a UK prof to teach comparative law. Saying they want to compare laws of different countries was definitely not enough although it was the simple and correct answer

I think the border force folks have a really tough job. They are trying to find the many and varied types of 'wrong-uns' from the thousands of people that pass through their post in the course of a day. Imagine all the language barriers, all the different papers and passports, the tired and stressed travellers.

What tools do they really have to find the bad guys? Probably a basic list of passports, names and faces that are known to be dodgy. Then they probably have to rely on knowledge, skills and some element of gut feel. Then they get it in the neck for detaining someone whilst things get checked out.

I've been detained a couple of times in airports abroad. Once my passport was on a watch list so beeped immediately. Dutch border control were very calm and professional.

The other time I was only collecting someone from the airport, but must have looked dodgy!

I appreciate what they are trying to do, it must be really tough.

I’m white British and my children are not. Whenever we go anywhere they get questioned on the way back and never on the way out. They’re so used that they’ve taken to saying taken to telling border guards everything we’ve done on holiday including me losing my temper with them. Never really worked out why we get stopped other than the race factor.

My DS did similar when he was 8! The border security guard pointed at DH (DS's dad) and asked "who is that? "

DS very solemnly replied "Firstname ApplePippa"

We all laughed as well, and it was fine.

My youngest child has a different surname to me and my eldest two children. We travel as a one parent family and without fail my youngest gets questioned, oh who is this lady, who are these and so on. I presume to check we haven't stolen him form anywhere.

Oh yes I'd forgotten about these experience ! Once for stopped at Heathrow on a flight back from Morocco with a stinking hangover ( actually pretty are I was still drunk) asking me where I'd been. For the life of me, I couldn't remember. I eventually stuttered out " Morocco " to which he replied " oh, that's why you look the way you do"! I'm pretty much always the only one who gets their hand luggage swabbed too, not helped by oh so funny friends stage whispering that I should have hid the drugs better...

My favourite border security moment was at US pre-clearance at Dubin airport. The border guard directed all the usual questions to my 6-year-old instead of us. Then he says to him "Master Wombat, I've got a really important job for you. Can you do it?" He nods, we get worried. "Can you say 'hi' to Mickey for me? I've not seen him for a really long time." 😂I'm guessing any drug/child traffickers would be obviously running/sweating by then.

Interesting... The one and only time I have ever been questioned when returning back to the UK, was when DS and I had different surnames and DH didn't travel with us on that occasion. Since I changed my surname on my passport, they've not so much said 2 words to us at border control.

We’ve never been questioned so far at border control in any country when travelling with DS. I was once asked to remove my glasses as my passport photo was from when I wore contacts, but that’s it.

DS and I always used to get questioned as he has a different surname to me, they always wanted to see the birth certificate and approval letter etc. Last time he was over 18 but they hadn't clocked it and launched into the usual but as soon as he said he was over 18 they just waived us through. Weird what a difference that one day makes.

Is it really? Or just in the minds of the Government. I don't know anyone who has this as their number one priority. Paying the mortgage , the state of the NHS, fuel bills, schools falling down maybe but not people coming into the country

Oh to be that naive

Non-British kids get smuggled in. Modern slavery is a real issue.

Gosh we get questioned on arrival back pretty much every single time. Nothing major - just where have you come in from, have you had a good holiday etc. I assumed it was standard but maybe it’s because I have a different surname?

I think the actual questions are mostly irrelevant - it’s more buying time so they can get a gut feel for if you seem nervous/dodgy.

I travel alone for work and coming back from Venice a couple of weeks ago I was asked where I'd come from...I didn't hear the first time I was asked (I'm pretty deaf) and was asked again (less politely the second time).

I've never taken offence as it happens in every single country I travel to. Compared to Australian Border Force (and I'm Australian) the British equivalent are extremely polite! The Australian ones seem to take it as a personal affront that I hold an Australian passport but don't live there...

Have none of you people seen Nothing to Declare? Border Security: Australia's Front Line? And the US, British, Irish equivalents?

As @FreeRider indicates, if you arrive in Australia with an apple they handed to you on the plane, you have to declare it. You’ll be asked all kinds of questions about tourist attractions you want to see etc. fgs don’t just say “Sydney harbour bridge”!

If they're looking for nervous people then they're doing a terrible job at spotting me. Going through airport security/passport control is the only time I worry that I suddenly have a whole load of drugs, weapons and pepper spray in my bags.

Yes it's to reference who your passport says you are. I've always found the USA the most officious (though I'm not particularly widely travelled). They always seem to want to hear every member of the family to say something, I presume to check we "sound English".

Mostly straightforward but have had a few grillings. In Trieste, Italy I got called through security early for a random bag search. I took my son who was about 4 as husband had just got a cup of coffee. Our son has both surnames but I got quizzed about why his and mine were different and if I had his father's permission to be out of the UK. I tried to explain that he was actually in the airport somewhere but that made them even more suspicious. Only when I suggested they call him via the loudspeaker they relaxed and dropped it.

Couple of years ago we arrived at UK border control and they asked us where we'd travelled from. At the same moment I said "Thailand" (the holiday destination) and son said "Qatar" (where we'd changed planes). Cue more irritated questions!

Then last year youngest was brewing an ear infection which had worsened in the air. As we went up to the desk she moaned about being tired and I put my arm around her and gave her a squeeze, unfortunately pressing on her bad ear. She screamed piercingly and burst into loud tears. There was a long delay until she calmed down and the officer could ask her what was going on. I wasn't allowed to explain!

As other posters have said it's better to inconvenience us momentarily than let trafficked victims slip the net.