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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU Foreign, so AIBU to stand in the same queue at airport as my UK family?

75 replies

flownthecoopkiwi · 03/08/2017 10:11

first time travelling with DC and while my DH and two DCs are UK citizens are not. Usually I've been happy to go off by myself with my own foreigners queue but not sure youngest DC would be happy or understand why mummy is over there not there with them.

What happens if I stand in the UK/EU queue?

OP posts:

Crochetlover123 · 03/08/2017 10:41

BTW, we are not married, so it covers for any people travelling together.

chronicleink · 03/08/2017 10:42

Should have added we go with the majority of passport holders - eg. more EU passports -UK/EU queue, more US passport holders travelling together - USA queue. Or sometimes the shortest Q when with the little kids... never had any hassle...

SerfTerf · 03/08/2017 10:42

What would happen?

You wouldn't get processed and you'd have to go and join the correct queue.

Firesuit · 03/08/2017 10:44

DW has a non-UK passport. At both UK and her home country airport we are all allowed to go through with the local people, as long as we are all together. (We return via Gatwick on tuesday, she came through the British passport queue, they checked the permanent resident stamp in her passport, only glitch was that they guy asked us to go to the next-door desk, as he didn't have the right stamp to stamp her passport.)

We are not chancers, we have been told to do this on previous occasions, by immigration staff.

FreshsatsumaforDd · 03/08/2017 10:47

Are you arriving back in the Uk?

Do you have Indefinite Leave to Remain?

I am in this situation. DH, DCs have UK passports, Me Foreign...Australian, but with ILTR.

The immigration people have always said that I can go with my family/ or children in the UK queue if we are travelling together, but should go in the Non UK/EU if travelling alone. Very occasionally DH and I have been faster in the Non EU queue travelling back from Europe.

The very last time that I returned from to Heathrow alone, the immigration officer suggested that as I had UK residency, I should go through the UK queue.

If travelling as a family, I would definitely stay together in the UK queue.

chronicleink · 03/08/2017 10:47

people saying the EU desks won;t have the correct stamps are talking rubbish btw, each desk has everything they need. We've travelled together before and after kids and have NEVER been asked to go back off to another desk, EVER. Being together is part of the reason why you're travelling, hols together, returning home together to someone's home country and helps to show that your legit. I think a lot of these comments are based around the idea of a blerdy for-ner being seen to be doing that most un-English of things, jumping a queue!

SerfTerf · 03/08/2017 10:51

I think a lot of these comments are based around the idea of a blerdy for-ner being seen to be doing that most un-English of things, jumping a queue!

That's uncalled for @chronicleink

It's true that good queue etiquette and following the rules are things expected and approved of in British culture, though, isn't it? Whoever someone is.

Firesuit · 03/08/2017 10:54

Just to confirm, the UK queue desks are supposed to have the right stamps, it was a cock-up that one guy didn't on our recent return, so had to refer us to colleague on next-door desk. We didn't have to queue again.

DW has permanent leave to remain shown in her passport, not sure if this makes a difference to whether you are allowed to queue together.

LittleOwl153 · 03/08/2017 10:56

I think the official line is that you should stay as a family group. Saves a lot if the hassle of 'why are dc travelling without mum/dad - do you have permission' kind if stuff. Also easier/quicker to understand your non- EU reason for entry if kids are standing there with you.
That us why the immigration desk calls all of a family group up together, not one at a time - for them it helps the linkage/evidence before them on which they make their decision.
Which queue - well I guess that depends on the airport. Ask the folks managing the queues when you go in.

savagehk · 03/08/2017 10:57

Different airports, different rules. We now go through together, although were once told we should all go through the non EU queue because of the stamps. Only the once mind. We've been told to go through together by staff. If they did cart oh off for questioning I'd rather not be stuck in baggage reclaim wondering wtf happened to him.

helenafalco · 03/08/2017 10:57

DD and DH always come with me to the non EU/UK line. The bonus is this line usually has much less people and we get processed through quickly.

cordeliavorkosigan · 03/08/2017 10:58

We've been given contrasting answers many times on this but the most frequent one is to stay together in the UK/EU line. I landed at Heathrow last week and there were signs stating this - families to keep together. It'll be faster for you to join them in the UK line so you should do that. It has never happened to us that one parent was sent back to the other line - all the officers are able to deal with all the passports, and it makes sense to keep families together.

Original poster

flownthecoopkiwi · 03/08/2017 11:02

OK, thanks for the clarification...although some of you are saying different things but anyway..

What is clear is that the family needs to stay together. Fine, we will do that.

I do have indefinite leave to remain, and although one poster suggested 'I should get UK citizenship if i wanted [the privilege] of standing in the UK queue', as a commonwealth citizen I get to vote and do all the other lovely UK things without the bother of paying over masses of money for citizenship thanks.

I'm not trying to queue jump, just make sure I'm doing the right thing as normally i travel alone or DH went in one queue and then we got competitive about who got through first (i used to win lots except when I had to go into a small room for an interview or some strange reason).

I'll go for the UK queue I think, unless advised otherwise at airport.

Thanks!

OP posts:

CWG17 · 03/08/2017 11:10

Me and DS non-EU with visas and we go through UK queue when travelling with DH (Brit) or non-EU when not with him. It's how we've been advised to do it by immigration officials.

We can't use the e-gates as DS isn't old enough.

BewareOfDragons · 03/08/2017 11:22

Stay with your family in the UK line. It's perfectly acceptable, as it should be.

BizzyFizzy · 03/08/2017 11:25

Before DH got his British citizenship, we all went through the foreign line together.

Mulledwine1 · 03/08/2017 11:30

the immigration officer suggested that as I had UK residency, I should go through the UK queue

I thought this too. Seems common sense.

Last time I flew into Heathrow they were telling families to stay together and go the passport officer together.

JungleInTheRumble · 03/08/2017 11:41

At Heathrow my partner always comes through the UK queue with me. You can't go through the e-gates so don't bother queuing for them (they normally make everyone queue for e-gates). Instead you all go straight to the manned counters and get your DH to explain the situation to whoever tries to direct you to the e-gates.

Everyone saying you should wait in different queues clearly has no experience of this!

Scotinoz · 03/08/2017 11:41

We always cleared immigration as a family, picking the queue of the majority/predominant passport/visa holder.

For example, in the US my husband and I queued in the US passport holder queue as he had a green card. We cleared as a family unit, even though I held a work visa in a U.K. passport.

This was the instruction provided by US customs.

It's the same logic I'd follow in the UK. If you spouse and kids hold UK passports, you pitch up at the EU holders desk as a family unit and your passport origin is irrelevant.

Degustibusnonestdisputandem1 · 03/08/2017 11:44

I'm an Aussie citizen and always go through the EU gates when travelling with UK cit DH and DTDs. Conversely they come in the Aussie gate when we go to oz

Degustibusnonestdisputandem1 · 03/08/2017 11:48

As an aside I'm sure I read somewhere that aussies are not considered foreign or alien here in the Uk... (well I've got green skin and a flying saucer.... )

Somtamthai · 03/08/2017 11:55

I live in Asia and they have a ln ASEAN national queue my Fiancé and DSD go there and I o to the foreigners queue. In UK I enter the Uk quue an don't. At Edinburgh they said we could have went together as I got through quickly, but also all the return tickets were on my phone we were staying with my family etc so the guy said its better to stick together in that scenario.

Original poster

flownthecoopkiwi · 03/08/2017 11:57

Degustibusnonestdisputandem1 as a kiwi I couldn't possible comment on how aussies are considered ;)

OP posts:

ManyManyShoes · 03/08/2017 12:06

Foreign as well. And just retuned from a holiday. Was told I still had to stand in the non EU queue. Which as shorter but took ten times longer.

wheelsortyres · 03/08/2017 12:15

All of you snippy fuckers commenting on how kids should be able to be apart from their Dad for ten minutes etc- how much travelling do you actually do? Last time we re-entered the States it took over two hours, I've been in queues at Heathrow for well over an hour and a half many a time as well as other places.

We always go in the line where the resident parent is from. Actually been pulled out of several lines when they've seen our passports.

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