Can I use the E-gates at UK airport with new citizenship, having had a previous visa refusal on a prior citizenship?
I'm a recently naturalised Australian citizen. I'm looking to travel to the UK with my wife for a holiday. My wife is an Irish citizen and Australian as well.
6 years ago I applied for an EEA family permit on my previous nationality (as a visa national) so we could go on a honeymoon together (this was easier than applying for a tourist visa at the time). The visa was denied due to lack of evidence, the immigration officer said we needed to provide further proof that our relationship was genuine. This included things like chat conversations and Marriage photographs (not listed online or in the T&C's but it's fine). We didn't appeal at the time and decided to push the holiday off. Even though I travelled with my wife together to some European countries on a Non EU family member visa. Also now they got rid off the EEA family permit as well after Brexit so I can't apply for it anyway.
Now six years have passed and I have become an Australian citizen. We want to go on a holiday next year to visit the Republic of Ireland and the UK. I'm not sure if I would able to use the E-Gates in the UK on my new Australian passport or if I should apply for a standard visitor visa because I had a past refusal?
As Australian citizens aren't required to apply for visas, would it be smarter to travel there with all our proofs on the airport?
I tried contacting UK immigration but didn't get much information even after spending some money on calls and emails. They just said as Australian citizens don't need a visitor visa for up to 6 months in the UK.
Best Answer
There are over 270 eGates in place at 15 air and rail ports in the UK to enable quicker travel into the UK.
You can normally use eGates if you:
- have a biometric symbol on the cover of your passport
- are aged 12+ (12 to 17 year olds must be accompanied by an adult)
- are either: a British citizen; a national of an EU country, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the USA; a member of the Registered Traveller Service
Those travelling with ID cards cannot use the eGates
And then goes on to note that you may need to avoid the gates and get a stamp if you are carrying out paid engagements or seeking to move to the country. There is no mention of previous refusals etc mattering.
It's worth noting that being able to use the gates in no way implies automatic entry to the UK. There are border force staff desks by the e-gates at every place I have seen them, and they occasionally pull people in for further questioning. In the event that your previous refusal has caused you to be flagged in some way (this seems unlikley given the innocuous nature of your refusal) then I'm sure the border force staff will be alerted to investigate further.
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What happens if you are refused entry to the UK?
If you are denied entry into the U.K., you will be held at the airport until you can be returned to the location from which you departed. You are not under arrest and no criminal charges will be filed, you are simply not eligible to enter the U.K. on this visit.Can I enter the UK before my visa starts?
Normally you cannot travel to the UK before the start date of your visa, as you must enter after the start date in order to 'activate' your Student visa status.Can I travel while my visa is being processed UK?
If you are going through the UKVCAS process, you should not plan to travel outside of the country until you have received your decision. If you have travelled and your application has been withdrawn, then you will have no legal right to re-enter the UK and make another application.How can I enter UK without visa?
EU , EEA and Swiss citizens can travel to the UK for holidays or short trips without needing a visa. In other cases, find out if you need to apply for a visa to enter the UK . You can cross the UK border using a valid passport which should be valid for the whole time you are in the UK .How to use eGates
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