How can I know if I am still refused entry to the UK?
When I traveled to the UK about two year ago (in April 2014) with my British Oversea Citizen (BOC) Passport, the officer at the counter said, 'you're refused entry', after scanning my BOC Passport.
'Why?' I asked. She did not answer but asked back, 'Have you applied Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) before?'. 'Yes' I answered and continued, 'and I left the UK when they refused my application and asked me to leave the UK asap.'
The other officer let me in anyway after interrogating me for about one hour - with a condition that I will leave the UK in six weeks, which I did just before that.
I am still baffled today why I was refused entry. Just because I applied for the ILR? Where are my refused entry records logged? Are they stored in the chip of my BOC passport?
Will I be refused entry on my next visit? What should I do? How do I know they still continue to refuse my entry or not?
NOTE:
That was my first time being refused entry. Never been refused entry before to the UK, nor to any other countries.
EDIT:
'When the IO scanned your passport at the primary control point (PCP) the system came back with a stop indicator.'
How does the system work? Does it store and 'flag' my name + date of birth or my BOC Passport number?
It is extremely unpleasant and tense to go through that kind of situation, maybe I should not use my BOC Passport anymore. Will I be refused entry on my other passport? Note: I still possess the passport from my original country.
Best Answer
You were likely "refused" (though eventually let in) on your last visit because you previously were refused Indefinite Leave to Remain. So one could say the root cause is whatever prompted them to reject your ILR before. We don't know anything about that.
However, as to your question about whether you will still be refused entry today, I suggest that if you do want to visit the UK again, you can apply for a visa online here: https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/ . By applying in advance you will know for sure (or nearly so) if you will be let in again.
Hopefully, over time, if you make occasional visits to the UK they will stop holding the failed ILR application against you. Their goal (at least in principle) is to deny entry to people who were refused ILR and then try to get in on tourist visas.
Pictures about "How can I know if I am still refused entry to the UK?"
What happens when 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.How do you know you have been refused a UK visa?
You'll get a letter or an email explaining why your application was refused. Your passport will be returned, if it was kept as part of your application. Your refusal letter will explain if you have the right to either an: administrative review.Can I be refused entry to UK?
An immigration official can deny you entry to the UK at the border, even if you have valid entry clearance. Nationals of certain countries do not require a visa before travelling to the UK and are referred to as non-visa nationals.How long does the UK embassy keep refusal records?
As long as the databases are backed up and they don't deliberately delete the data, your visa issue history is accessible for life. This isn't like a bad credit report where a default drops off after 7 or 10 years. Your visa refusal history is like a NICS denial: it is kept for life.I WAS DENIED ENTRY IN THE U.K | STORY TIME 😔
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Brett Jordan, alleksana, DS stories, Ylanite Koppens