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Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? - Travel - Nairaland

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Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Medlabgirl: 1:18am On Jun 07, 2010
I met a young Nigerian woman today. She came into the NVP (Nausea\Vomiting of Pregnancy) Clinic. When I saw her name on the ticker, I decided to go up myself rather than send someone, and I am glad that I did. She told me the most incredible story. I am writing it here, because I am sure that there must be someone out in NLand who will know if there is something that can be done, and if there is, how to go about it. So here goes,

She is a new Canadian Permanent Resident, pregnant with her first child. Her husband lives in Nigeria. She had applied to go to the UK a few months ago, but her application was denied because she wasn't working. She said she wanted to go visit her sister. She does not work, as she is supported by the husband, who according to her is doing very well. She plans to go to school, but is ill right now. This is all again what she told me.
After being denied a UK Visa, she generally forgot about the whole thing, and decided to go home to visit hubby. So she did; and this is where it gets interesting!
She is a new Canadian resident, so she still travels Nigerian i.e with a Naija passport. I understand that as a Canadian resident flying even on a Nigerian passport, that you do not require transit visas. She flew British Airways. The trip to Nigeria was good she said, but on the return trip to Canada, she was caught up in the volcanic ash problem and had to wait in London. Now, BA agreed to provide her hotel accomodation for one night, and had a vehicle waiting to take her to the hotel, but unfortunately the British Immigration refused to let her in at the point of entry. They said that because she had made a prior application to come there, that she had the intention of remaining in the UK. This she denied. She said she lived in Canada, was happy to be there, and had not even planned to leave the transit area on her layover, prior to the flights being cancelled due to the ash situation. She says she was there, really ill and vomitting into her spitty-cup(ladies you probably know what I mean), arguing with them. They refused, handcuffed her, and took her to a detention center, where she was held for 7 days. Sometime in those 7 days, she was taken to the hospital, given an ultrasound to determine if she was truly pregnant, given some meds, she doesn't know what, and sent back to detention. At the end of the 7 days, she was put on a flight to Canada. One of her bags was gone, and of course all the dried fish, egusi, crayfish, stockfish, fried snails etc, were discarded.

This is one of the most incredible things I have ever heard, and I just cannot get over it. She is pretty much ok now, geting along nicely in the pregnancy, she just cannot shake the throw- ups which is why she came in tonight, and I got to meet her.

Now here is my question. IS SOMEONE LIABLE HERE? DOES SHE HAVE ANY RECOURSE? IS THERE ANYTHING SHE CAN DO? Surely no one should be mistreated like this. I thought, wow this is somebody's daughter, sister, wife and soon to be mother (Deo Volere). I would like to help her, as I think it is an outrage. So please, if you know what to do in a case like this, kindly let me know. I will be seeing her soon I think, so I will let her know what you suggest. Thanks for your help.

1 Like

Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by oyewolejos(m): 8:02am On Jun 07, 2010
Why woould she even fly British Airways in the first place.People get things complicated for themselves.Any reasonable human being should try and avoid anything British cos they are always overzealous.Had it been she used Delta all this nonsense won't happen.Volcano didn't affect Delta.
The UK is a country with problems with itself so why go there?
i heard a story how BA hnadcuffed and nearly kill a Nigerian Deportee.
I cant even stand them dunno why Nigerians go there
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by justwise(m): 8:42am On Jun 07, 2010
oyewolejos:

Why woould she even fly British Airways in the first place.People get things complicated for themselves.Any reasonable human being should try and avoid anything British cos they are always overzealous.Had it been she used Delta all this nonsense won't happen.Volcano didn't affect Delta.
The UK is a country with problems with itself so why go there?
i heard a story how BA hnadcuffed and nearly kill a Nigerian Deportee.
I cant even stand them dunno why Nigerians go there


Nonsense!.

If you don't have an answer to the poster's question then shut it and stop talking nonsense.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by justwise(m): 8:54am On Jun 07, 2010
@op.

I'm not sure about the handcuffed thing but i guess the reason why she was kept for 7days before sending her back to Canada is because of the volcanic ash problem, that affected many many pple during that time There is no way they would have flown her to anywhere that period.

Taking her to hospital is for her own good as a pregnant woman.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Medlabgirl: 10:49am On Jun 07, 2010
justwise:

[/b]

Nonsense!.

If you don't have an answer to the poster's question then shut it and stop talking nonsense.

grin grin

;but still raises a point about the overzealous BRIT IMMIGRATION OFFICERS, which is what I think he meant. I wonder how they plan to handle things for the upcoming summer olympics.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by juzme: 3:03pm On Jun 07, 2010
It is a pathic story but the truth is that she require a visa to enter UK. And I guess if she cooperate with immigration officer things may not be that worse.
Sure, these people treat Nigerian passport holder very bad and you may not blame them for that. It still boiled down to our image which is battered. We all one way or the other suffer similar situation abroad in the hands of immigration officers or the local authorities.
So, my advice is that she should bear whatever that have happend to her and take it in good fate. Let her forget the whole issue and carry on with her life. When time comes for her to visit Uk if they didnt ban her from visiting, she will visit.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Vicjustice: 4:24pm On Jun 07, 2010
Medlabgirl:

I met a young Nigerian woman today. She came into the NVP (Nausea\Vomiting of Pregnancy) Clinic. When I saw her name on the ticker, I decided to go up myself rather than send someone, and I am glad that I did. She told me the most incredible story. I am writing it here, because I am sure that there must be someone out in NLand who will know if there is something that can be done, and if there is, how to go about it. So here goes,

She is a new Canadian Permanent Resident, pregnant with her first child. Her husband lives in Nigeria. She had applied to go to the UK a few months ago, but her application was denied because she wasn't working. She said she wanted to go visit her sister. She does not work, as she is supported by the husband, who according to her is doing very well. She plans to go to school, but is ill right now. This is all again what she told me.
After being denied a UK Visa, she generally forgot about the whole thing, and decided to go home to visit hubby. So she did; and this is where it gets interesting!
She is a new Canadian resident, so she still travels Nigerian i.e with a Naija passport. I understand that as a Canadian resident flying even on a Nigerian passport, that you do not require transit visas. She flew British Airways. The trip to Nigeria was good she said, but on the return trip to Canada, she was caught up in the volcanic ash problem and had to wait in London. Now, BA agreed to provide her hotel accomodation for one night, and had a vehicle waiting to take her to the hotel, but unfortunately the British Immigration refused to let her in at the point of entry. They said that because she had made a prior application to come there, that she had the intention of remaining in the UK. This she denied. She said she lived in Canada, was happy to be there, and had not even planned to leave the transit area on her layover, prior to the flights being cancelled due to the ash situation. She says she was there, really ill and vomitting into her spitty-cup(ladies you probably know what I mean), arguing with them. They refused, handcuffed her, and took her to a detention center, where she was held for 7 days. Sometime in those 7 days, she was taken to the hospital, given an ultrasound to determine if she was truly pregnant, given some meds, she doesn't know what, and sent back to detention. At the end of the 7 days, she was put on a flight to Canada. One of her bags was gone, and of course all the dried fish, egusi, crayfish, stockfish, fried snails etc, were discarded.

This is one of the most incredible things I have ever heard, and I just cannot get over it. She is pretty much ok now, geting along nicely in the pregnancy, she just cannot shake the throw- ups which is why she came in tonight, and I got to meet her.

Now here is my question. IS SOMEONE LIABLE HERE? DOES SHE HAVE ANY RECOURSE? IS THERE ANYTHING SHE CAN DO? Surely no one should be mistreated like this. I thought, wow this is somebody's daughter, sister, wife and soon to be mother (Deo Volere). I would like to help her, as I think it is an outrage. So please, if you know what to do in a case like this, kindly let me know. I will be seeing her soon I think, so I will let her know what you suggest. Thanks for your help.



   I must honestly say that i've seen many worse situations than the one explained up here. And as experience teaches, it will be a display of lack of judgement or wisdom to determine that the lady did nothing to deserve such measures of restrictions that was applied by the Immigration officers.
   Most Nigerians see handcuff as a shackle of abuse and humiliation, but in the real sense, it isn't. This lady was probably handcuffed for her own safety. Bear in mind that a law enforcer would not normally place cuffs on the wrists of a man who doesn't pose a threat to anyone or himself how much more would they place it on a Woman's wrists especially on immigration grounds.
   Honestly, i am of the opinion that the lady was probably loud and abusive, and most probably doing some mess with the "spitting" and causing a scene by self victimization owing to the fact that she was pregnant: i don't accept that she was so gentle and cooperative (as the Original Poster explained) and yet, she was led away with handcuff.
   When we are buying air tickets or applying for visas or even driving through a country's border, there are always terms and conditions which most of us never bother to read through before signing or ticking that we have read and understood them, and when we become victims of the conditions, we complain racism and oppression and discrimination and abuse.
   These said, if however, you think she deserves a compensation of any sort, shape or form, then, consult a professional solicitor.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Medlabgirl: 6:22pm On Jun 07, 2010
Vicjustice:

   I must honestly say that i've seen many worse situations than the one explained up here. And as experience teaches, it will be a display of lack of judgement or wisdom to determine that the lady did nothing to deserve such measures of restrictions that was applied by the Immigration officers.
   Most Nigerians see handcuff as a shackle of abuse and humiliation, but in the real sense, it isn't. This lady was probably handcuffed for her own safety. Bear in mind that a law enforcer would not normally place cuffs on the wrists of a man who doesn't pose a threat to anyone or himself how much more would they place it on a Woman's especially on immigration grounds.
   Honestly, i am of the opinion that the lady was probably loud and abusive, and most probably doing some mess with the "spitting" and causing a scene by self victimization owing to the fact that she was pregnant: i don't accept that she was so gentle and cooperative (as the Original Poster explained) and yet, she was led away with handcuff.
   When we are buying air tickets or applying for visas or even driving through a country's border, there are always terms and conditions which most of us never bother to read through before signing or ticking that we have read and understood them, and when we become victims of the conditions, we complain racism and oppression and discrimination and abuse.
   These said, if however, you think she deserves a compensation of any sort, shape or form, then, talk consult a professional solicitor.

Vicjustice: we'll never really know now, will we? I only heard her side of the story, so there may very well be more to it like you suggest. I would  hate to hear worse stories than this one, especially if the parties involved are "innocent". The lady is new to me, so I cannot proffer any character judgement, but she didn't sound too loud as a first impression, but you never know. Per spitting, you know that pregnancy can induce really increased volumes of saliva, and any attempt to swallow it will lead to vomitting; its a nasty little cycle, for which there's not too much to be done, so I cannot blame her for that. I am just wondering if it would be worth her while to seek redress from either BA or the Immigres.

juzme:

It is a pathetic story but the truth is that she requires a visa to enter UK. And I guess if she cooperate with immigration officer things may not be that worse.
Sure, these people treat Nigerian passport holder very bad and you may not blame them for that. It still boiled down to our image which is battered. We all one way or the other suffer similar situation abroad in the hands of immigration officers or the local authorities.
So, my advice is that she should bear whatever that have happend to her and take it in good fate. Let her forget the whole issue and carry on with her life. When time comes for her to visit Uk if they didnt ban her from visiting, she will visit.

Juzme: You do present a rational point, and its probably the best thing to do. BUT,  should we be passive in such a situation? It takes one person to make a change; That person could be you or me. If people are not made to face the consequences of wrongdoing are they not condemned to repeating the said wrongdoing? Is this perhaps how we as Nigerians have fallen to the dismal abyss of decay that we find ourselves in today? By always just lettting this go, letting that slide, and one day you wake up, and your whole world has disintegrated?  cry
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by otawa: 7:26pm On Jun 07, 2010
She should call a lawyer right away in Canada.

I am sure they have women organisation in Canada that will act on this barbaric act of the UK immigration.

Honestly, i am of the opinion that the lady was probably loud and abusive, and most probably doing some mess with the "spitting" and causing a scene by self victimization owing to the fact that she was pregnant: i don't accept that she was so gentle and cooperative (as the Original Poster explained) and yet, she was led away with handcuff.


will they handcuff her if she is pregnant caucasian woman? NO.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by juzme: 7:33pm On Jun 07, 2010
Well, I agree with you that it requires one person to make a change. But in this situation some Nigerians need to change their mentality and be well informed before such changes will be done. And I have to agree with what VicJustice said here. Some people are so ignorant about the rules and regulations that govern entry or exit of a country.  I have seen a situation where an immigration officer was investigating a nigerian passport and the person was so uncooperative and very abusive to the immigration officer. He was saying that the passport belonged to him and that it is a nigerian property with all sort of nosense. He failed to understand that under international law that immigration officer has the right to check your passport and even seize the passport if it find out that the passport is fake or has been tampered with. Of course, the immigration has no choice but to handcuff the guy & sent him back to Nigeria. Also to add, placing a handcuff is never a against any law and never a big deal if officer find any reason to do so.
Also, as Vicjustice said, if the lady thinks that she has a good case then she can contact a lawyer but if not she should just forget it and carry on with her life.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Vicjustice: 9:49pm On Jun 07, 2010
otawa:

She should call a lawyer right away in Canada.

I am sure they have women organisation in Canada that will act on this barbaric act of the UK immigration.
What is your definition for BARBARIC?
otawa:

will they handcuff her if she is pregnant caucasian woman? NO.

   Again, another display of inferiority complex. People like you are very quick in branding uncooperative white folks as racists.
The answer to your question is YES, a law enforcer can handcuff a pregnant woman (even if she's giving birth) as long as she poses a threat to someone or herself or the baby, irrespective of her race.

@Juzme, i acknowledge your supportive comment.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by tunnytox(m): 10:28pm On Jun 07, 2010
@Vicjustice
You are very right, if you travel often you'll be amased at the level of ignorance that many Nigerian travellers displays, immediately they step out of Nigeria they'll start behaving as if they are above the law. In the case of this lady I cannot say much but I believe there MAY be a reason/reasons to justify the action of the immigration officials
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by oyewolejos(m): 10:49pm On Jun 07, 2010
justwise:

[/b]

Nonsense!.

If you don't have an answer to the poster's question then shut it and stop talking nonsense.

U dont need to take issues personal on a forum like this.This was just my opinion and i believe everybody is entitled to their opinions.
Though i understand your frustration cos u live in Lagos Phase 2 (London) but u dont need to be bitter about it. Is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that UK is a police state and they are always overzealous in their actions esp their Law Enforcement Agencies.This woman was in a critical condition so why treat her like a criminal?Was she the one that caused the Volcano?They are just trying to persecute the woman cos she once applied for a UK Visa.I think there is more to your post than meets the eye.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by apolonius(m): 1:27am On Jun 08, 2010
There should be more to the story than what she shared.Just keep it past and pick the lessons.Yes,it should be counted as experience;that great parent of wisdom and knowledge.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by justwise(m): 11:07am On Jun 08, 2010
oyewolejos:

[/b]
U dont need to take issues personal on a forum like this.This was just my opinion and i believe everybody is entitled to their opinions.
Though i understand your frustration cos u live in Lagos Phase 2 (London) but u dont need to be bitter about it. Is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that UK is a police state and they are always overzealous in their actions esp their Law Enforcement Agencies.This woman was in a critical condition so why treat her like a criminal?Was she the one that caused the Volcano?They are just trying to persecute the woman cos she once applied for a UK Visa.I think there is more to your post than meets the eye.

From your previous posts, i know ur views about London, so i'm not going to waste my time arguing with u about UK and USA. To some Americans, the world starts and end in America and you can see Russia from your window. Every black man is a Nigerian in the mind of some Americans.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by dancewith: 12:42pm On Jun 08, 2010
Medlabgirl:

I met a young Nigerian woman today. She came into the NVP (Nausea\Vomiting of Pregnancy) Clinic. When I saw her name on the ticker, I decided to go up myself rather than send someone, and I am glad that I did. She told me the most incredible story. I am writing it here, because I am sure that there must be someone out in NLand who will know if there is something that can be done, and if there is, how to go about it. So here goes,

She is a new Canadian Permanent Resident, pregnant with her first child. Her husband lives in Nigeria. She had applied to go to the UK a few months ago, but her application was denied because she wasn't working. She said she wanted to go visit her sister. She does not work, as she is supported by the husband, who according to her is doing very well. She plans to go to school, but is ill right now. This is all again what she told me.
After being denied a UK Visa, she generally forgot about the whole thing, and decided to go home to visit hubby. So she did; and this is where it gets interesting!

She is a new Canadian resident, so she still travels Nigerian i.e with a Naija passport. I understand that as a Canadian resident flying even on a Nigerian passport, that you do not require transit visas. She flew British Airways. The trip to Nigeria was good she said, but on the return trip to Canada, she was caught up in the volcanic ash problem and had to wait in London. Now, BA agreed to provide her hotel accomodation for one night, and had a vehicle waiting to take her to the hotel, but unfortunately the British Immigration refused to let her in at the point of entry. They said that because she had made a prior application to come there, that she had the intention of remaining in the UK. This she denied. She said she lived in Canada, was happy to be there, and had not even planned to leave the transit area on her layover, prior to the flights being cancelled due to the ash situation. She says she was there, really ill and vomitting into her spitty-cup(ladies you probably know what I mean), arguing with them. They refused, handcuffed her, and took her to a detention center, where she was held for 7 days. Sometime in those 7 days, she was taken to the hospital, given an ultrasound to determine if she was truly pregnant, given some meds, she doesn't know what, and sent back to detention. At the end of the 7 days, she was put on a flight to Canada. One of her bags was gone, and of course all the dried fish, egusi, crayfish, stockfish, fried snails etc, were discarded.

This is one of the most incredible things I have ever heard, and I just cannot get over it. She is pretty much ok now, geting along nicely in the pregnancy, she just cannot shake the throw- ups which is why she came in tonight, and I got to meet her.

Now here is my question. IS SOMEONE LIABLE HERE? DOES SHE HAVE ANY RECOURSE? IS THERE ANYTHING SHE CAN DO? Surely no one should be mistreated like this. I thought, wow this is somebody's daughter, sister, wife and soon to be mother (Deo Volere). I would like to help her, as I think it is an outrage. So please, if you know what to do in a case like this, kindly let me know. I will be seeing her soon I think, so I will let her know what you suggest. Thanks for your help.




This is a show of barbarism from the British. Too many Nigerians are going through the same or worse things in their hands. Time to start protesting loudly!

To start with, send a strongly worded protest letter to the Home Secretary. Explain in details what happened. Specify the flight number, the time of flight, date and the terminal

Make your views known. Be harsh!
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Vicjustice: 6:22pm On Jun 08, 2010
oyewolejos:

[/b]
U dont need to take issues personal on a forum like this.This was just my opinion and[b] i believe everybody is entitled to their opinions[/b].
Though i understand your frustration cos u live in Lagos Phase 2 (London) but u dont need to be bitter about it. Is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that UK is a police state and they are always overzealous in their actions esp their Law Enforcement Agencies.This woman was in a critical condition so why treat her like a criminal?Was she the one that caused the Volcano?They are just trying to persecute the woman cos she once applied for a UK Visa.I think there is more to your post than meets the eye.
   When you began this comment by saying that a person doesn't need to take issues personal on a forum like this, one would think that the rest of the statement would be reasonable, and when you added that everyone is entitled to his/her opinions, one would misunderstand you to be a respecter of other people's opinions. But going through the whole of your comment, i must admit that i'm utterly disappointed at your sense of reasoning, this explains why your previous comment was absurd and inappropriate.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Vicjustice: 6:42pm On Jun 08, 2010
dancewith:

This is a show of barbarism from the British. Too many Nigerians are going through the same or worse things in their hands. Time to start protesting loudly!

To start with, send a strongly worded protest letter to the Home Secretary. Explain in details what happened. Specify the flight number, the time of flight, date and the terminal

Make your views known. Be harsh!
   Oh yeah!?
British immigration officers showing barbaric attitudes to a Nigerian ignorant traveller?
Waoh! Let's match to the Queen's palace and stage a "HARSH" and violent protest. Join all Nairalanders together and organise a riot!
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Medlabgirl: 6:17am On Jun 09, 2010
Hi everyone, thanks for your contributions and thoughts on this issue. I had planned to talk to the lady today as I am off till thursday, but now I am cross border shopping in the US, so I will wait till I get back home, to avoid roaming my phone.

@VickyJay, you never know oh!!! Nothing venture abi? wink I think Dancewith might be on to something with that letter, it might just be what is needed to get things rolling you never know.

@Otawa; I did a bit of research per your suggestion, so far I have come up with Mosaic, which I am not too sure of, but I will keep looking thanks. I really can't imagine why she would be handcuffed, and when I speak with her again, I will try to get her to give me a more comprehensive picture.

I respect the differing opinions I have garnered so far on here, Bones1 also presented a good solid argument when I had this on the general forum. I will look out to see if more comes up, and I will be back on here prob on thur or friday. For now its shop till you drop for me cool.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by goldylucks(f): 12:07pm On Jun 10, 2010
I must admit, What a pathetic story!!But being objective,i know to even transit in d UK,one needs a visa called Transit Visa.
I'm surprised she was allowed to board at MMA knowing so well she was going on BA which would by all means transit in London.I'm saying this cos once,in 2001 my elder sis and i were refused flying on BA even though our destination was New york but we were to transit in d UK.We were told we imperatively needed a transit visa.
Her's isnt dat different cos she still was yet to obtain her canadian passport so will still be given the same treatment that'll be given to a 100% nigerian.
My advice is that next time,she should make sure she gets her canadian P before any such traveling or better still get all the visas she needs.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by wazobiang: 12:34pm On Jun 10, 2010
she should sue their ass. what? handcuff a pregnant woman, and give her kini to drink? she too sef no behave. a pregnant woman is not supposed to drink any kini. they should have scanned her stomack not give her something to see if she swallowed illegal substance.

i believe she can make some cool change from this.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by DisGuy: 12:42pm On Jun 10, 2010
Is there any particular reason why she hasnt been advised by a LAWYER and not a health proffessional

Medlabgirl, you are very caring- best advise is to refer her to a competent lawyer
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by DisGuy: 12:47pm On Jun 10, 2010
dancewith:

This is a show of barbarism from the British. Too many Nigerians are going through the same or worse things in their hands. Time to start protesting loudly!

To start with, send a strongly worded protest letter to the Home Secretary. Explain in details what happened. Specify the flight number, the time of flight, date and the terminal

Make your views known. Be harsh!

Totally agree with you LETS BOYCOTT THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN NIGERIA grin that will cause a dent in the income of their part national carrier

patronise nigerian airlines cheesy
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by insight04: 1:06pm On Jun 10, 2010
The lady had a Nigerian passport and needed to have obtained a UK visa before transiting through UK. Being a Canadian Resident doesnt give her any exemption or special concession.

UK Immigration Officers at the passport control desk do not have handcuffs and dont have the powers to do so. However, Immigration Officers at the Detention Centre or Enforcement section do have such powers.

The lady had previous visa applications refused so she would demand closer attention.

The lady was most likely refused entry to the UK and removed to Canada. Hence, she would be having at least a one year visa application ban.

The lady must have thrown up a tantrum that played into the hands of eager Officers who handcuffed her.

Pregnant Nigerian women are a perceived security risk to UK Immigration Officers due to NHS medical abuse(i.e medical tourism).

She should appeal against any decision granted against her.

If she wasnt of good behaviour to the Immigration Officers before being handcuffed she should just move on
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Vicjustice: 1:21pm On Jun 10, 2010
goldylucks:

I must admit, What a pathetic story!!But being objective,[b]i know to even transit in d UK,one needs a visa called Transit Visa.[/b]I'm surprised she was allowed to board at MMA knowing so well she was going on BA which would by all means transit in London.I'm saying this cos once,in 2001 my elder sis and i were refused flying on BA even though our destination was New york but we were to transit in d UK.We were told we imperatively needed a transit visa.
Her's isnt dat different cos she still was yet to obtain her canadian passport so will still be given the same treatment that'll be given to a 100% nigerian.
My advice is that next time,she should make sure she gets her canadian P before any such traveling or better still get all the visas she needs.
[b]   NO, Nigerian citizens with valid Canadian Residence Permit or visa do not normally require transit visas to connect through the UK or any other European country provided they hold confirmed reservations for onward flight within 24 hours, and that they are staying within the transit hall of the airport. But if however situation demands that a traveller enters the country, then, it's up to the immigration officers to determine the traveller's eligibility. The immigration officers have to be satisfied that the traveller will comply with the terms and conditions of the temporal admission.


   And as for this woman, she is a Nigerian living in Canada and yet, she was refused a UK visa; doesn't this explain that there is something questionable about her?
   Look at it this way: a woman once sought a UK visa on normal ground and her application was declined, how would Immigration Officers now trust her entering the UK on circumstantial ground?
  The genuine fact is, she is not deemed eligible to enter the country as the officers were concerned that she would abscond and then give birth to her child in the UK.
[/b]
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by monkeyleg: 2:31pm On Jun 10, 2010
@Medlabgirl,

Though I do sympathise with you both, unfortunately this sort of treatment is all too common against Nigerian world over. The right channel would be to contact the Nigerian high commision in the UK to lodge a formal complaint, but I am almost certain nothing would be done.

Let me share my own story. In 2002 I wanted to visit Nigeria from the UK, and I decided to fly KLM which at that time had the best deal and was flying on the day I wanted. When I bought my ticket from the agent, they did not mention anything about transit visa, and I did not see the point because I was only transiting for about 30mins. Anyway it turned out that I required a transit visa, which one would feel was probably 2/3hrs in the Dutch embassy and one was done, but I was shocked at what happened. Quite a few Nigerians and I were made to queue for well over 48hrs in the cold and rain, with no toilet facilities or chairs to sit down on. Listen it was sheer madness. At that point I wanted to complain, but did not know who to. Eventually I was forced to book with another airline and practically loose all the money I paid to KLM.
Nigerians either in Nigeria or outside are not protected, that is the simple truth, and our government does nothing to stand up for its citizens, that is the reason why we are treated like dirt by other countries, and the more reason why we must all collectively get our acts together and move Nigeria forward as a nation.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by agathamari(f): 3:07pm On Jun 10, 2010
her biggest mistake was arguing, you NEVER argue with an imigration official or police officer - it will never end well. she should have gone back to the airport/airway official and allowed him/her to explaine the situation with the imigration official or allowed the airport/airway official make other arangements for her.

as to the medication she was givien - she had ever right to refuse to take anything without knowing what it was.

her issues could have been prevented by her own actions - the imigration officials may be stepping over thier bounds but that all depends on thier laws. no international laws were technicaly broken since she willingly took the medication and was not forced to do so. you can have her check with a british lawyer but from what i know about british laws - this was within the guidlines
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by Nobody: 3:20pm On Jun 10, 2010
dont believe the story, , at least not the bit about the cuffs,british officers are not as babaric as nigerians and would only place cuffs on a crime suspect or violent person
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by hercules07: 3:43pm On Jun 10, 2010
insight04:

The lady had a Nigerian passport and needed to have obtained a UK visa before transiting through UK. Being a Canadian Resident doesnt give her any exemption or special concession.

UK Immigration Officers  at the passport control  desk do not have handcuffs and dont have the powers to do so. However, Immigration Officers at the Detention Centre or Enforcement section do have such powers.

The lady had previous visa applications refused so she would demand closer attention.

The lady was most likely refused entry to the UK and removed to Canada. Hence, she would be having at least a one year visa application ban.

The lady must have thrown up a tantrum that played into the hands of eager Officers who handcuffed her.

Pregnant Nigerian women are a perceived security risk to UK Immigration Officers due to NHS medical abuse(i.e medical tourism).

She should appeal against any decision granted against her.

If she wasnt of good behaviour to the Immigration Officers before being handcuffed she should just move on

You do not need a transit visa if you are doing what is called a Direct Airside Transit, as long as you have a Canadian Visa on your passport, you can transit via the UK ( as long as it is airside o)
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by paraphase(m): 4:23pm On Jun 10, 2010
smiley
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by buzugee(m): 6:12pm On Jun 10, 2010
lol if she has tonnes of time to waste and tonnes of money to waste but will still lose the case, she can go ahead. it is standard procedure to handcuff you and lock you up in a detention centre in britain and america if something looks awry with your immigration entry papers. me myself, i have been handcuffed and locked up in a detention center in america and britain for a whole day. i have also been strip searched. grin was fun. i was assed out with my nuts hanging and dangling for the white women to see grin it is within the rights of any country to let you in or not. you cannot sue them for that. of course she is a flight risk if they let her enter. first she has already applied and been denied. second she is naija. and seeing as flights were grounded for a while what were they supposed to do to her ? let her go into britain and report for flight when ash clears ? grin tell her to go on her knees and thank God that this happened to her in britain. if this was like say spain or italy or libya they will throw her in maximum security prison with no medical check up, then on the day the ash clears they will come and throw her inside van and take her to airport and while still handcuffed escort her inside plane. they will only release the handcuff when the flight is about to take off.

oh and please this does not happen to only nigerians. i was in the detention prison with white people from europe and mexicans.
Re: Her Uk Travel Woes; Any Recourse? by omoabike: 7:55pm On Jun 10, 2010
I must commend the poster for her compassion for a fellow Nigerian. I do not know about people in Canada, but as someone on a work visa here in the US, I was told I needed a transit visa to join a BA flight to Naija with my family last year.
I would have paid for the visa as I would have been reimbursed the cost by my company but for the fact that I know that there are other airlines whose countries do not require paying for transit visas for US visa holders/ or people whose final destinations are in the US.
The lesson in this story is for all of us to always ask before buying tickets for international travels. Like the saying goes, he who asks does not get lost.
It’s sad to hear about the lady’s story and this goes to show that it is not worth the stress that Nigerians go through just to have “citizen” children. The woman is away from loved ones and people who will pamper and care for her during pregnancy and after delivery. This is a time that she is in a vulnerable state emotionally and needs all the help she can get.
For someone whose husband is “doing well”, I do not understand why she will have to go through this stress to be in Canada in her state. If she cannot attend school as she has planned at the moment, her best bet would be to be with her husband in Naija, that is if he cannot be with her in Canada

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