A Little Information Before You Leave Home Arriving In The UK Education and Study Student Life Living In The UK Traveling Around Reverse Culture Shock
 
 

Arriving in the UK and Onward Travel

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
There are more people in and out of Heathrow than any other airport. Over 60 million passengers go through Heathrow every year.
 

If you a United States citizen, you do not need a visa to enter the UK as a student. However if your length of study will be for more than six months or if you plan to stay on after your program for travel you will need to apply for an Entry Clearance before you Ieave home for the UK. Please see the section in this guide titled Entry Clearance for more information.

When You Arrive

When you arrive in the UK, the first thing you will have to do is to go through immigration or passport control.  You will find that there are two different lines (queues) of people going through passport control:

§         European Economic Area (EEA) Nationals

§         All other passport holders

1. Follow the signs for 'arrivals', unless you are transferring to another plane at the same airport.

2. Arrivals will take you to immigration control. As you approach immigration control, you will see electronic screens or signs that will show you which line you should join. Make sure that you join the right line or you could waste a lot of time.

3. There are separate channels for passengers who have UK or EEA passports, and all other passport holders.

4. The immigration officer will want to see that your documents are in order and that you have an up-to-date passport that does not expire during your stay.

5. If you are staying in the UK for 6 months or longer the immigration officer will be checking to see that your have your Entry Clearance information. This will be in the form of a vignette or sticker that was placed in your passport at a visa issuing post while you were in the US. Please see the section on Entry Clearance in this guide or visit www.studyintheuk.org for more information.

6. The immigration officer will put a stamp in your passport. (See Working and Permits section).

At some major airports, arriving passengers are again split by flight number for immigration purposes. You will also need to remember your flight number later to reclaim your baggage. Your boarding card and ticket stub will have this information. When you reach immigration control you should have all your documents ready and be prepared to answer questions about yourself and what you intend to do during your stay in the UK.

Though unlikely, you may be asked to undergo a routine health check by the airport doctor. If this happens, remember that it is merely a formality and that after the health check you should go back to immigration control. Again, this is highly unlikely.

Immigration Issues

Hopefully you will pass through immigration without encountering any problems but if you do have problems you should either:

§         Ask the immigration officer to call your UK college or university

§         Ask to see a representative of the Immigration Advisory Service.

Customs Control

Once you have collected your luggage, you will then have to pass through customs control.

If you are carrying more than your permitted allowance of duty-free or tax-free goods, or any prohibited goods, then you must declare them. If you are unsure about what you can take into the UK, check with your local British Embassy or Consulate before you leave your home country (number located in the back of this guide). Even if you have nothing to declare, you may still be stopped and asked to open your luggage.