“I am detaining you, please step into the waiting area sir,” said the immigration officer.
“What? Why? I don’t understand,” I pleaded. But before I knew it, and without any explanation, I was ushered into a rectangular pen in the middle of the immigration hall.
I took a seat, buried my head in my hands while I tried to process what had just occurred.
“What did I do wrong,” I asked my self. The immigration lady was a sweet older woman and I answered her nearly 50 questions calmly and in truth. The truth being that I am a backpacker and I plan to leave the UK in around a week through the port of Dover.
“Maybe she thought I was on drugs,” I thought, as I envisioned my drowsy disposition after the sleepless flights from NYC to Reykavik and Reykavik to Gatwick.
“Or maybe, she found my old record!” I wondered as a pang of anxiety put even more stress on my already plane pressurized colon.
When I was 16, Scottish police believed that I was selling drugs, an accusation that couldn’t have been more far fetched. While I was never caught, I was always worried that I might be in their database.
“But that was over 8 years ago, and I have since entered the UK without any problems, so it couldn’t be that,” I thought as I clenched to hold in another mean post plane fart.
Frustrated, I walked over towards one of the guards to try and find out why I was being detained and for how long. I asked, “Excuse me sir, I know you get this question a lot, but how long does this….” Before I had finished my sentence, I was accosted with a flurry of incomprehensible British slang and curses. So rude was his response that I was momentarily stunned.
I was treated like a criminal and I didn’t even know my crime. Essentially, I was guilty until proven innocent.
Now furious over his lack of manners, and the injustice of the situation, I walked to the center of the holding area and yelled, politely yet sternly “Would someone please tell me the reason why I am being detained”
Suddenly, the direct attention hundreds of passengers passing through immigration was now on me. “Oye” I thought, as I temporarily shrunk under their bleary eyed and confused gazes.
While my fellow passengers had heard me, the guards pretended not to notice. And in a matter of seconds, my outburst had been forgotten.
Defeated, I sulked back into my chair.
Sitting next to me was an Arab, a Frenchman, and a hardcore looking band from Japan. Since I speak some Japanese, I introduced my self and asked them why they were being detained. To which they responded, some of us don’t have the proper visas. “Well at least there is no confusion as to why they are here,” I thought.
As time passed and my frustration grew, I decided I would do something that would surely get someone’s attention. I decided I would hit the record button.
As expected, guards quickly arrived, demanded that I turn off my camera, and delete my video. Gathering as much bravado as I could, I responded, “Not until you provide an explanation as to why I am being detained.” Not wanting to cause a scene in front of the passengers, the power hungry guards scurried off in search of their superiors.
After 10 minutes, an agent who seemed to be of higher authority politely greeted me. Together, we retrieved my luggage and he searched through it. He then instructed me to empty all the cards from my wallet and wait yet again for another bag check and interrogation.
After 30 minutes of waiting, I was greeted by a friendly looking agent named Ken who ushered me into a holding facility that seemed to double as a children’s playroom.
He then handed me a document, which stated, You have been detained under paragraph 16 of schedule 2 to the 1971 act 01 arrested under paragraph 17 of schedule 2 to that act.
Upon reading, I defiantly demanded a copy of this act and further explanation as to why I was being detained.
To this, Ken calmly responded in his British accent, “Look, I am on your side. And if you want to get out of here, you don’t want to be demanding these kinds of things. Just stay calm and answer all questions truthfully”
As I heard his words, I realized that he was right. I had no choice but to comply. I had no rights in this detention facility. And if these agents so decided, they could imprison me in a proper detention facility for days before being deported. As much as this injustice had angered me, I decided to keep my cool and do what they said.
Following a pat down and a few more questions, he then escorted me to another holding facility. Here, he offered me tea and a sandwich, sustenance I was incredibly grateful for.
After around two hours, a lady officer took me to another room for another round of interrogation. She was cold and expressionless and I could tell she had done this a thousand times before. But as the questions progressed and she began to realize that I really was just a backpacker, she began to lighten up.
When the questions ended, I asked her, “So what was the meaning of all this?” She responded, “I believe my colleague initially detained you because she was unsure of your plans in the UK and also because you don’t have a flight out of here.”
To my great relief, she then said, “I will grant you permission to enter the UK.”
After being detained for 6 hours, I was finally free!
Though the guards amiably escorted outside and wished me good luck on my travels, no one offered any kind of apology or offered to reimburse my buss ticket.
Lessons learned: In order to avoid detention in the first place, make sure that you convey to the immigration officer a clear plan and date of departure. Even if your plans are not yet finalized, like many backpackers plans aren’t, just make them up. It’s also a good idea to fake a return plane ticket in advance.
Don’t give them any impression that you are seeking to reside or work in the UK. For more info on avoiding detention, check out, How To Get A Visa For The UK.
If you are detained as I was, hide your defiance, be compliant, and kill them with kindness, because like Guantanamo Bay, YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS.
Is there something you’ve found that you can do the next time you enter the country to ensure you dont have to be detained again? I am afraid this will happen every time I enter…
If you have a return ticket and a bank statement proving sufficient funds you should be fine.
Crazy man, basically the same happened to me from JFK to Gatwick. I think I spent around 8 hours in detention along with some Cameroon people who were speaking some angry French at one another.They asked some really personal and non-relevant questions too like how much money are my parents worth, how much their house costs, etc. Funny thing was, I was being interrogated by an Indian immigration officer in the UK. Oh, the irony! Luckily, I had a big deposit come through the day before in my bank so they were much nicer after they learned I was bringing money with me :) I did the same thing though, kill them with kindness.
Awful, awful experience overall however. I am flying into Costa Rica tomorrow with a refundable ticket this time. Never want to repeat that again.
Great read man. Will definitely follow your blog more often.
Hey Chad, it’s really crazy how strict it has become especially immigration into the UK. They’ve become increasingly xenophobic and think everyone is out to steal jobs. Have a good trip!
i love this website/blog…love it above all the millions of other travel bloggers…. but am incredibly disappointed to read that people think the english are unfriendly and racist… i think it was an appauling abuse of power that the immigration officers did not tell u why u were being detained.. probably some jobs worth got out the wrong side of the bed that day! …im sure all of us pommies would sincerely apologize for that. immigration has now become very strict because many nationalities come to our country for assistance…we have the welfare system that so often gets abused..
Hey Paula, I don’t think the English are unfriendly and racist, quite the contrary. But border security definitely is :)
I think this is good. The British press are continually banging on about how poor our immigration controls are, and I’ve heard numerous stories of people being detained upon entry to the USA and Australia. I always thought that the UK was a soft touch, but it turns out its exactly the same as anywhere else in the world.
There are some simple rules to passing immigration in any country:
1.) have a defined date of departure even if you don’t really have one.
2.) Always have an address of where you are going to stay even if it is not yet organised.
3.) Never EVER hint you are there to work. Always say business or business meeting if it is a work trip, and always say pleasure if its a holiday. Never say the words “Work, look for work, working” or anything like that.
Good tips, all three of them! The first is definitely the most important. If you don’t have a date of departure like I didn’t, the best thing to do is forge a flight e-mail receipt.
It’s because the English are predjudiced and racist – I’m English, I was born in London and have a British passport. But I am regularly detained on internal flights (where you don’t need your passport) for ‘looking foreign’… -.-
They asked me to go off to a room on the side for a strip search once, so I just stayed where I was, whipped off my shirt and shorts and was all “Look! Can I go now?!” They let me, and I got a cheer from everyone else in the immigration hall XD
That’s terrible, I’m sorry to hear it. I don’t think the English are that racist, I just think those tasked with enforcing the border are.
Im sorry to hear that i have been in uk 13 years when i go back home see family and come to uk they all ways stop me asking stupid question each time when i travel hold in me 1 hour and letting me go just the stupid immigration rules wasting people time in 13 years time i never involved crime never broke any uk rules still they not happy i all ways worked and pay my tax national insurance they should catch on the street crimenals not some one decent …
It seems like the UK is getting stricter and perhaps more xenophobic.Sorry you have to go through all that, its a bummer.
this actually happened to me too, and i was held for 10 hours then sent back home again to australia, they thought i was there to work, which looking back i kinda was as i was going to work as a nny for a lady i used to work for, was meant to live there for 4 months, not thinking this would be a huge deal but i used to live in england so i has records on file. i must admitt this was a crazy experience, im a small blonde girl ages 24 and upon arrival it was about 6am london time, so after they told me i was detained and searched my bags and all they interviewed me and it all went down hill from there…. my friend who they called said she knew me longer then she actually did and they lady who i was going to live with over there just told them everytihng…. so i was kinda screwed from the start, i now respect that they were doing there job and with the state of the uk at the moment with ther massive immigration problem i was silly to believe i as an australian would be given the benifit of the doubt… so i spent nearly 5 days in transit, they kept my passport all the way back to aus and yes treated my like a complete criminal,, needless to say the flight back was sooo painful.. but looking back i met some amazing people and actualy met some ppl from far off countries that i still to this day keep in touch.. also i was soming home ot aus allot of the ppl i met in there had no where to go… god im lucky to be australian;) point of advice….. avoid heathrow at all costs if u can!!!!