[RichardG]

On my cruise from Miami to Southampton last year UKBA staff boarded the ship in La Coruna and we all had allocated appointments to clear immigration. It took us around 15 minutes. Strangely, this was done the day before we arrived in Le Havre.

[MartynSinclair]

There should be no exceptions at UKBA. I have been with pax on private jets, who also need to pass immigration and clear customs.

Not just about terrorists, its about knowing he is in our country, including wealthy expats trying to sneak in and avoid paying tax!!

[NTarrant]

No one should be exempt from the checks laid down. This hysteria about turning business away is just a red herring. How many people queue for ages to enter the US but still go there.

On a cruise a few years ago between Dubai and India the imigration officers boarded the ship in Dubai and interviewed all passengers and stamped passports on a sea day before arrival, no problem.

What is usually forgotten is that bearing the terrorists and tax avoidance aside, there are ilegal imigrants. English is an international language which is spoken widely and therefore that is another reason why they make thier way across numerous countries to get to the UK.

You also can’t tell by any type of profiling from a list of passengers and passports that any particular person(s) are not what they are. In the mid 1990’s I did a spell of driving Eurolines coaches between London and Paris. The usual people trying to get in then where Bosnian and Serbians, travelling on fake passports or usually ID cards of Portugal or Greece. From a list it looks legit, when they get to Dover the ID card or passport has either been dumped or given to a courier. Then they are in and can’t be sent back!

[BigDog.]

What prevents some UKBA personnel joining the liner when the harbour pilot boards and start the processing 30-60 mins before embarkation?

[Edski777]

Simon, I never claimed there was some sort of special dispensation. Either you are part of the Schengen agreement or you are not. If the UK opts to stay out and keep their own border control policies: feel free and suffer the consequences.

Martyn, I’m sure that for wealthy expats there are plenty of ways not to pay any taxes in the UK. Border control will not change that.
Just the term “sneak in” probably says a lot about your basic attitude towards foreign people in general.

This thread is about tourists that arrive on a boat from friendly shores, spend a day visiting the UK, spend a large sum of money, thereby stimulate the local economies, and leave the way they came.
Or stay a few days in the UK, stay at hotels, spend even more and take off on a plane, paying APD and helping the airlines sell seats.
If you treat those people in a civilized way they may even come back as repeat visitors.
Do you have any idea how big and economically important the tourist industry is for Britain or worldwide? Plus: in these days of economic misery every penny counts! Even if you don’t like foreigners.

[MartynSinclair]

Edski777 “sneak in” meaning a wealthy expat enters the UK (unrecorded), leaves the UK (unrecorded), thereby avoiding a count towards maximum nights per year. Nothing to do with my “basic attitude towards foreign people in general”.

It is imperative that ALL people who enter the UK have their passports recorded, when entering and when leaving, whether by sea, air, UK national or any other nationality.

This is standard practise in nearly all other countries, especially those where people wish to benefit from the system!

[Edski777]

Martyn, sorry, I misinterpreted your comment. Still I believe that your point has very little to do with the subject of this thread.
Wealthy foreigners using the UK for tax evasion purposes or otherwise have a reason for a long stay have very little in common with tourists arriving on a cruise ship and that leave within a day.

Rules and practises for people with a resident or multiple entry visa indeed differ and probably rightly so.

[MartynSinclair]

My point is Edski77, is that there should be no exceptions made with UKBA. I was using the example of a UK expat to show that I was not differentiating between nationals & “foreigners”.

Its not about what the wealthy and/or tourists have in common, its about the UK authorities needing to know who enters the UK and who leaves the UK.

No exceptions.

[Binman62]

I must agree, there can be no exceptions, not for millionaires, wealthy cruise passengers or drunken hoards on stag weekends.

Personally would prefer we were part of schengen but hat is wishful thinking so whilst we choose to go it alone it must be all or nothing.

[SimonS1]

Binman62 21:49 “Do they get dispensation in other countries?”
Edski777 23:49 “Yes they do”

So Edski you DID suggest there was some form of dispensation for cruisers. Whereas all that is happening is the Schengen countries are applying normal border controls in a normal way.

Why not put a sign up at LHR saying ‘tourists this way’. Then they could be fast tracked through without any controls. Which is after all what would happen if cruisers were exempt.

[FormerlyDoS]

“It is imperative that ALL people who enter the UK have their passports recorded, when entering and when leaving”

This doesn’t happen, though, does it?

As an expat, they count me in, but not out.

So I have to keep a log of entries and exits, supported by boarding passes, to act as evidence that I spend less than 90 nights in the country.

[MartynSinclair]

The only difference in how one gets into and out of the UK should be speed, i.e. fast track, IRIS, UKBA officer etc.

In fact I cant think of any other country, where passports are not checked by a border control officer (as opoose to airline for name spelling), when leaving the country (I am sure someone will mention a list of them).

Our border control is begginning to get stricter but still has wide open gaps.

Glad to see you keep a log of UK dates FDoS – please do feel free to stay longer and hand more over to HMRC 🙂 !! – btw, look forward to seeing you in London soon…. (naturally, subject to UKBA etc etc……!!)

[Eastbourneguy]

Whenever I have been in a cruise and it has covered many countries (including Europe) you are never subjected to a passport check **. You have your photo taken on your cruise ID cards and this is used for boarding and disembarking at ports

** the only exceptions I have had was Russia and Israel where immigration boarded the ship and stamped passports in advance Of disembarking.

Agree with the limited time people have to visit the places on a cruise why should you be subjected to lengthy immigration queues in the UK when nowhere else.

[DavidGordon10]

Why lengthy queues at immigration anywhere and in any country? The systems should be quick and efficient, everywhere. Very long delays at borders are a security risk, because disaffected passenger in long slow queues get angry, and look to ways to subvert the system.

[SimonS1]

“Eastbourneguy – 08/03/2013 08:58 GMT

with the limited time people have to visit the places on a cruise why should you be subjected to lengthy immigration queues in the UK when nowhere else.”

Why should people on a cruise be treated any differently to say a traveller with limited time for a business meeting in London?

[Author]

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