Immigrating to UK, I have a layover in Dublin. Will that cause me problems?
All the affordable flights that I could find seem to have a layover in Dublin. It seems like I'll have to go through border control/immigration in Dublin, and though I'm not settling in Ireland I have heard this may cause issues. I don't exactly know what issues those are, though (even if any). People on the Internet can be rather vague.
StackExchange is a place of incredibly knowledgeable people that's become a touchstone when looking for information, so I thought it couldn't hurt to ask here. There are so many headaches involved in immigration that the last thing either me or my partner wants is for me to be turned away at Ireland because I needed to take a direct flight to the UK.
So... Any advice (especially based on recent experience) would be immeasurably valuable.
Best Answer
The problems you have heard about on the net have to do with people who came to the UK via the ROI and then in the future they want to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (spouses and workers can apply for ILR after 5 years). Because they entered through the Common Travel Area, they do not have a UK stamp in their passport and hence have no way to substantiate their start date in the UK for residency purposes. This leaves them in a state of limbo, which creates anxiety and thus you see internet lore about transiting through the ROI making problems.
Tourists have the same problem, but it's slightly different. Instead of 6 months leave to enter, they only get 90 days leave to enter. This has the effect of making them overstayers after they have been in the UK for more than 90 days. This is because they mistakenly think that when they enter the UK, their ROI visa "automatically converts" to a UK one (a false assumption). And in other cases, visitors who enter the UK through the ROI become illegal entrants (especially if they have a criminal history in the US/Canada or have been previously refused a visit visa).
You didn't say what type of visa you have so I have covered both cases, the tourist case being topical for this group. If you have questions about a spouse or work visa, please use the Expats site.
Adding...
Per commentary, if you arrive from the ROI and try to get a British IO to stamp your passport, he/she will adamantly refuse. Also, in an earlier, more relaxed era people used boarding passes to substantiate their UK start date. It doesn't seem to work well in this era so people find that channel hopping is a better strategy (i.e., go to Calais and return).
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Is UK to Dublin classed as a domestic flight?
Dublin will be classed as an international flight whilst Belfast is classed as a UK domestic flight - you could fly to Belfast with a photo driving licence as acceptable ID with Easyjet but not Dublin.Do I need a visa if I have a connecting flight in Dublin?
You do not need a transit visa to connect to a flight to any country, providing you do not pass through Immigration and into Ireland (eg to re-check bags).Do you have to go through customs from Ireland to England?
The only difference in your journey through Dublin Airport is that you should use the Green Customs Channel, or the Red Customs Channel if you need to make a declaration. If you are a UK citizen, you have free movement between the UK and Ireland as part of the Common Travel Area (CTA).Can I transit via Dublin?
According to INIS (the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service), if you are transiting through Dublin Airport, you will have to enter Ireland to catch your connecting flight unless: Your connecting flight is scheduled between 4 am and 4 pm and. Your connecting flight is on Terminal 2.Do's and Don'ts in Connecting Flights | Points to Remember
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Luciann Photography, Luciann Photography, RODNAE Productions, Lukas Kloeppel