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VOR (m)
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@VOR,
Immigration Officers make the decisions to refuse entry (its their remit based on the Immigration & Nationality Act), the Chief Immigration Officer only rubber stamps the decision made. If an IO decided to grant entry to a passenger the CIO can not reverse the decision. The CIO listens to the IO's submission and asks "what are your recommendations?" and the IO tells him "Its a refusal, because of xxxxxxx", then the CIO only says "I agree with you". This is mainly with non-visa nationals. For a visa-national to have his visa cancelled due to a change of purpose where the passenger will have no right of appeal-the IO and CIO must get an approval from the Inspector (or HMI-Her Majesty's Inspector) in principle -but they are merely rubber-stamped.
If a passenger is an elderly Grandmum or student-it is not wrong for the person to sumbit a sponsors financial details to back his application. If the applicant is working and earns an income in Nigeria, it would be seen strange for the person to submit a sponsors financial details to back his application (except he has a good explanation).
The UK law states that the Immigration Officer must be SATISFIED that the passenger is coming to the UK as a GENUINE VISITOR.If the IO is not satisfied there is nothing the CIO can do about it. The terms SATISFIED and GENUINE VISITOR are relative and depends on the person making the decision. I may be a Moderate interpreter of the law whereas another IO may be a Liberal or a Core Ultra Fundamentalist defender of the law.
LC With all due respect I beg to differ. Yes the decision is made by the IO, I have not said it isn't. However, I still believe an IO cannot refuse a passenger without AUTHORISATION of a CIO. Call it rubber stamping if you want. If a CIO disagrees with the decision of the IO then surely no authority will be given. It is all part of the checks and balances of the decision making process which MAY end up in the appeal process. |
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pahtahkee
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@ Londoncool, Based on your further explanations, am prefectly settled with the case.  @ Akolawole, In fact I do not know where to start from. I remember vividly the case of a young man, who applied for a 6 months visa with the sole intention of getting the visa and then never returning to Nigeria again. He came up with a false bank statement, from a Cooperative Bank like that in Nigeria. His visa was refused based on the Fraud Detection Unit of the UK embassy who deduced an error in the tax calculation of the bank statement emanating from him. I was called on by a friend who assisted with his application and the fake visa agent to come help with the drafting of his appeal. I knew it was going to be a failed case at the tribunal, but for the peace of God, I decided to draft it FOC. His appeal was allowed, but upon the entering Heathrow, I dont know what he said to the Immigration officer, but he was refused entrance into the UK. Now he is calling me to help out again with drafting. I have told him, I do not wish to be part of it. Passengers fail to realise that there are intelligent ways to answer the questions of the Immigration Officer. I have once been held down for 15mins at the French/UK Eurotunnel where the Immigration officer was asking series of technical questions as to why I frequent the UK a couple of times, subjecting my passport to different times of scrutiny and checks.  |
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Akolawole (m)
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@LC I have loads of questions to ask you but i don't want to send it to your official email  1) When are you guys going to starting giving 2 years IGS ? 2) Can you confirm that Colleges will be empowered more to have more "say" in the visa application soon?and that there will be ratings 3) Is it true that Immigration police will soon be in use in UK |
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VOR (m)
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Not so quick Phatakee, perhaps yourself and LC would like to read the extract I have produced below:
Part 1 - General provisions regarding leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom
Immigration rules
Leave to enter the United Kingdom
7. A person who is neither a British citizen nor a Commonwealth citizen with the right of abode nor a person who is entitled to enter or remain in the United Kingdom by virtue of the provisions of the 2006 EEA Regulations requires leave to enter the United Kingdom,
Exercise of the power to refuse leave to enter the United Kingdom or to cancel leave to enter or remain which is in force
10. The power to refuse leave to enter the United Kingdom or to cancel leave to enter or remain which is already in force is not to be exercised by an Immigration Officer acting on his own. The authority of a Chief Immigration Officer or of an Immigration Inspector must always be obtained.
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Akolawole (m)
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@Pataki
Do you mean Paris end where UK Immigration post dey?
Precisely at Eurostar.
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Akolawole (m)
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@VOR Baba I will continue to accuse you of being too BOOKISH You are a British citizen, you only "flash and go" at Port of entry. Na we fit tell you wetin dey happen there for we dey use Yaradua Passport. |
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pahtahkee
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@ VOR, You are playing it by the books. The immigration law also enjoins an ECO to make a refusal on his/her discretion in line with the approval of the ECM. Is this often the case as well at every UK consulate? @ Akolawole, Them dey there oh. In fact I have never been that held down at UK port of entrance like what I experienced first-hand with that Immigration officer who happens to be an elderly lady at the UK/French border. She kept on asking me why I refused to accept a student visa to the UK, and why it was Netherlands as she was verifying my data on her computer. But at last she stamped my passport and off I go. |
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VOR (m)
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Ako my broda
Flash and go no dey exist anymore. Na every passport dem de check with scanner now.
Anoda ting be say even though my passport red my skin is probably blacker than your own.
I remember in 1998 me and some of my Naija guys, about seven of us(all of us held british passports) went to France via Dover to watch the Eagles play Bulgaria, that was when the eagles were truly a force. All the oyinbo wey de motor
before us and after just flashed and went. When it came to our turn them ask us to park, come down from the motor and then proceeded to check our passports one by one.
So you see it is not all good.
You say I am too bookish, well I just like to back up any disputed contention with the relevant facts where possible.
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funkybaby (f)
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@akolawole. I'll check my mail now. Visa agents-oh yes, i be them enemy. Like what you stated, they do not allow their 'victims' know what they fill in the forms. All they do is sign. A friend of mine paid the visa agent 200k (naira) to help him obtain 2years visa after the initial 6months expired. You can just guess how much he paid for the 6months. He could not renew his visa without involving the agent since he had no idea of what the agent filled in the form and besides the new visa forms asked too many detailed questions. He did not want to risk his application for the renewal being refused, so he coughed out the money. The annoying thing was he asked my friend to give him his bank statement (which he used for both the initial 6months and the 2yrs renewal). I could not help but wonder why the guy charged so much since he was not 'organising' the bank statement. Another amusing thing was that the visa agent claimed he had a contact at the embassy |
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Akolawole (m)
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@VOR Yes those officers treat Blackie British differently. I went to Germany in 2001 with few Egbons all of them holding British passport but by Naturalisation( I beg to apply one as i dey call them). Can you believe i was the only one that have easy passage. Others are "born in Lagos" but British. They are well drilled. @Pataki They were very harsh in there. I wont blame UK, that route used to be one of the porous ones to get to UK in those days. I went therewith one of my iyawos in 2003. I was suprised that UK immigration were in France. They drilled my iyawo well well but i use juju for them. |
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pahtahkee
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@ Funkybaby, Do not mind them, that is what they usually say. I have a contact in the embassy. The day I showed one visa agent in Ibadan, he was assuring one of his gullible fellows that he has gotten his visa, I told the guy to give me his VFS application number, that I was going to call my contact within the UK embassy in Lagos that night as staff members are not allowed to use a mobile phone while at work. I called my contact gave the details and the following day, later in the evening, got my response. Told the visa agent guy that it was a refusal and that the pack would have arrive on a particular date, he thought I was lying and it did arrive at the date I said and it was indeed the refusal as I duly stated. Often times people get swindled off with that statement that I have a contact with the embassy which most of these visa agents usually do. Sleep is catching me right now, I do have stated a case which if I remember it now, I just can't help but laugh. I will make sure I post it here later in the day. |
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pahtahkee
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@ Akolawole, In fact I do not think I will take that route in a long while to come. The journey in itself was stress going by road through Belgium only to be subjected to that much interrogations by them. I will jejely go by air and arrive at my local airport jejely. Na experimenting I wan take do that time. Which of your wife be that one again oh? You sef? Abeg dash me one too now. Funky abeg no vex oh.  Na typo you take see there. |
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Akolawole (m)
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Scenario 3
Gbade has been to UK on a number of times as a visitor. He is economic immigrant masking as a visitor. Each time he went, he worked, "sort_out" the landing stamp, renew the visa bla bla bla. One day, he landed at Gatwick.
IO: How long are you going to spend?
Gbade: 2 weeks
IO: When was the last time you came here?
Gbade: 9 Months ago
The truth of the matter was Gbade left UK just 21 days earlier
One thing led to another.
Gbade's bag was checked, IO find used and current london tansport bus passes with his picture. One of the recent text messages on his mobile was a confirmation of a £10 credit of a Tmobile phone line which is just a month ago.
He confirmed that he make use of the line anytime he's in UK.
His visa was cancelled at the port.
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funkybaby (f)
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@pataki Typo? Lol. Yeah right. This issue warrants no vexation at all. I have already told akolawole to hook me up with one loaded egbon , so you are free to make your own request. . Good night deariessssss. |
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Akolawole (m)
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Na experimenting I wan take do that time. Which of your wife be that one again oh? You sef? Abeg dash me one too now. Na Agbalagba woman o Can you handle 40 year old? |
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funkybaby (f)
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@akolawole
You no want make we sleep ni with these your cases?
Gbade's case, hmm, Na bad luck be that oh. Maybe he had picked up the british accent and the immigration officer was probably suprised as to why someone that claimed he left months ago will have the accent.
That search thing almost put me in trouble last year. For the first time in all my travelling years, i had my hand luggage THOROUGHLY searched at Gatwick on my way BACK to naija. When i say THOROUGHLY, i mean THOROUGHLY in every sense of the word. I was supposed to help a friend bring one 'document' to her aunt in naija and i had already placed it in my bag. Only for my dad to call me the night before my departure telling not to collect ANYTHING from anyone no matter how insignificant it seemed(he had a dream). Thank God i obeyed him oh. Thank God.
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Akolawole (m)
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@Funky
Make we go bed then
Where is your sureng?
Gud night
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big_bumper (f)
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. . . Do not mind them, that is what they usually say. I have a contact in the embassy. . . . I told the guy to give me his VFS application number, that I was going to call my contact within the UK embassy in Lagos that night . . .
I called my contact gave the details and the following day . . .
Often times people get swindled off with that statement that I have a contact with the embassy which most of these visa agents usually do.
Contact galore here and there. Shuo, with all these your contacts too, you sure say you too be under "g" visa agent with third class certificates  . I see, little wonder you and vivikoko/vicjustice no dey get along. |
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Tats (m)
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Ako my brother
Flash and go no dey exist anymore. Na every passport them de check with scanner now.
Anoda ting be say even though my passport red my skin is probably blacker than your own.
I remember in 1998 me and some of my Naija guys, about seven of us(all of us held british passports) went to France via Dover to watch the Eagles play Bulgaria, that was when the eagles were truly a force. All the oyinbo wey de motor
before us and after just flashed and went. When it came to our turn them ask us to park, come down from the motor and then proceeded to check our passports one by one. So you see it is not all good.
You say I am too bookish, well I just like to back up any disputed contention with the relevant facts where possible.
The scanning is to register entry and check for authenticity. Otherwise, "Flash and go" still exist well well. I flew in to Stansted from Geneva and on my left was the British queue. It was just Flash and go (of course with scanning) and virtually no questions asked. Their line was progressing rapidly. Meanwhile I and others on our queue had to fill landing cards and respond to some questions as usual. |
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salsera (f)
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some of these stories just made me laugh thats why i like to stick to the truth - its easier to remember |
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big_bumper (f)
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Pardon me Flash and go no dey exist anymore.
. . . "Flash and go" still exist well well.
Na every passport them de check with scanner now.
It was just Flash and go (of course with scanning) and virtually no questions asked.
The scanning is to register entry and check for authenticity.
You say tomaato, he says tomato.  My friend lay off the  ganja and the  akpeteshiYou say I am too bookish, well I just like to back up any disputed contention with the relevant facts where possible.
Carry go my brother, I feel you o jare |
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VOR (m)
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Exceptions are EU id cards and old style passports without MRZ configurations-these are inputted manually into the machine.
LC Do you mean all EU cards are inputted manually or just those without a bar code type area? |
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pahtahkee
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Funny, I have never paid attention to how EU citizens are treated at the airport whenever I happen to be flying in. Will be on the lookout the next time.
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VOR (m)
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Italians use card board paper, I am quite certain the Italians have now updated their ID cards to a credit card type. My cousin's latest squeeze is Italian and she presented a plastic ID card when changing Euro cheques. |
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VOR (m)
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Naa this was definitely an EU travel document because it was what she arrived on.
At the bureau de change they asked for her passport which she didn't have so
she gave them her ID that they accepted. It was blue in colour.
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pahtahkee
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@ VOR and londonCool,
Does this mean that italians have two separate travelling cards within the EU countries?
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