Deported out of England

[Caisiy]

Just a heads up,
People have been being deported from England in the last 2 weeks. Yea people get deported all the time from there, but not like this. They are looking for street performers. Nigel, Mr.Spin got the boot and a few others now back in Holland.
Make sure you know what you are doing before you board that plane.

[jester]

Don't panic folks. It's to do with the name "Nigel." The UK exceeded its quota of people called "NIGEL" Years ago.

Deported or refused entry? There is a slight difference.

[UCO]

That sucks, so you have to have a plan eh?
If you were going to ed fringe do you bullshit your way through or just say you are going to the fringe.
Did immigration go to the pitches?

[Caisiy]

Okay Deported means "To expel from a country" Refused entry means "you never got in."
So how to blag your way in.
Best bet post your props ahead of you.
Go with clothes and look like a tourist.
Part of thier job is to stop you, yeah you personally.
I have been refused entry, if you wanna know who else to talk to start another thread "great stories of gettin' the boot". Ask Rumple (but not if you want a straight anwser!)
Never travel anywhere with a diary (journal), have no evidence that you are a performer, no ruber noses, no ballons that you forgot to take out of your pockets, no business cards in your wallet from shakes the clown, you can not tell them that you have a sex fettish and get in with a straight jacket. It dosnt matter if you go by ferrie or to heathrow (though heathrow is the hardest point of entry in the world).
Have a plan and a really good story!
Imagine being pulled out of immigration and put in a lobby to wait for 2hours, no toilet, no anwsers, just wait. Then they come and help you find your luggage, search everything, your wallet, your shoes, your tooth paste. They they make you wait again. Now 4 hours later you really have to pee. So the lady comes to watch you while you pee, no doors. Then hours later they take you in a small room, the chairs are chained to the floor and the table is bolted down. There is a small swinging light over the table the walls are white. The officer has a notebook and my/your diary. "do you feel of sound mind to be anwsering these questions?" My diary was book marked, all the good pages, "i am never going home, had sex with so and so, tried to do a show" There is no way to blag yoru self out of this situation.
Dont walk into somthing you are not prepared for.
Have money, cash in hand, have a return plane ticket, have the address and phone number of where you are staying, no questions unanwsered. They are serious. It goes on your passport record, now 10 years later i still have trouble getting in. It is illegal for you to perform in England, well any where really, read the inside of your passport. YOU ARE NOT TO ACCEPT MONEY FROM ANYONE AT ANY TIME. You are a criminal!

[jester]

Once you are in you are pretty safe performing for money or streetperforming.

However, I used to live with an English born American who moved back to England after his father died so he could be near his remaining family. His mother was English but she had died.

He was English born, he had a national insurance number, he paid tax... he went on holiday to Poland and on his return he was rumbled. He was Expelled.

Immigration is a big issue in GB at the moment because the economy is good and the media can't find anything more serious to wind up the public with. The government are desperate to be seen to be even handed so there are no exceptions.

[nick nickolas]

Does that mean Mr Spin missed the Glastonbury Waterworld...?

[Caisiy]

sound like a few people were blessed with the gift of "refusal" and dry shorts! Fate?Bad Luck?

[MissFire]

Uh Oh! DEPORTATION! The very word sends me into the corner to weep and tremble. I have been dragged over the immigration hot coals more times than one can count - most of the time in England. It's a shame because once in, you do feel like a crimnal and really paranoid of every officer in uniform that you pass on the street - I avoid that country like the plague now.
There's this new show on TV called Border Security - my boyfriend loves it but I just end up in the fetal position on the couch by the end of it - all the same scenarios, the same excuses come tumbling out of the unsuspecting "innocent". Excuses that make me cringe because I know what the immigration man is going to say about it.
Best advice - ONLY ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THEY ASK!!! Don't offer ANYTHING! Keep your answers short, accurate and confident. After all, the best lie is 99% truth!
Oh yeah, and all that stuff that Caisiy said.
After all the attempts - not one country ever denied me access or deported me...thank god.

[jester]

Miss Fire.

I am writing a letter to immigration, asking them personally to let you in. You are exactly the kind of competition I need.

In fact I am writing to the queen and to Tony Blair. I think I shall phone him during the G8 Summitt.

It's not exactly difficult to get into Britain legally.

[MissFire]

Oh really? Have you ever tried? I mean, with a foreign passport, idiot.
Immigration isn't doing a hell of a lot for British tourism when they're turning people away with
"Listen little lady, we didn't invite you into Britain"
Please don't put a nail in your idiocy coffin by telling me you have an EU passport, or even worse - a British one.

[stickman]

Well off to the UK

Flying into Belfast to visit old friends and see what the customs guys are like. Not to mention I'm sick of being "home" without festival bookings. Let you know if I get deported.

Stickman

[jester]

My idiocy metaphorical thingy.

Serious advice now.

DON'T GET TURNED AWAY. Not even once. Go the the British Embassy where you live, check out the facts and at least get into the country legally.

Yes I have a British Passport.

However the person sat in the chair next to me has an Australian Passport and the girl I'm working with tommorow has a Swiss (Non EU) passport.

Both are legally in the country, - both are working legally and neither had any trouble getting in. This is because they filled in the forms and have no previous record of being turned away.

I've been grilled by US immigration before now so I know how hard it is after a long journey. If you look like an anarchist and are wearing a subcultural identity that suggests "anti capitalist" they are going to be a little more careful then they let you through. Especially this week.

Even with an EU passport I've had all my stuff searched at customs more than once.

Frankly, if you aren't legal you probably lack a few other important things like insurance and proffessional attitude. If that's the case - don't come here. Britain doesn't need you. Our culture is varied and rich and the best of the rest are coming in.

One of the reasons I lack sympathy is I have been at a border where one of our party just didn't do his homework. Consequently we had to hang around for almost 2 days while they sorted him out which really screwed up our schedule and made the next week very difficult.

If you are coming in for legitimate reasons and you are turned away then mention it here. I'll gladly write to my MP on your behalf and see what can be done.

[le pire]

Re: My idiocy metaphorical thingy.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jester
Frankly, if you aren't legal you probably lack a few other important things like insurance and proffessional attitude.

So we should have a "professional attitude" when border jumping? I never thought of that... No wonder Mexico kicked me out!

I haven't been turned away from Britain, but got detained in Dover when I was taking the ferry up from France. This was not long after mad cow so the British were screening everyone REALLY aggressively. When they took my shoes, I said "You know, it was you guys who gave mad cow to the continent, not the other way around." We all had a great laugh together as they upended my luggage and questioned me for 3 hours.


etienne

[stickman]

Well just entered the UK, and didn't have a problem. I just used my standard tactic. "Honesty" Got all my toys here on the plane. Sword, chainsaw, machette, hand grenade, bullwhip, etc... I keep them in a locked box for transport. Though they did test the fender ampcan for chemical residue. Seems it was clean, even after the fireworks from July 1st in Canada. I wasn't flying into London however, never do and never want to. Maybe that makes a difference.

Stickman

[jester]

Re: Re: My idiocy metaphorical thingy.

Originally posted by le pire
[so the British were screening everyone REALLY aggressively. When they took my shoes, I said "You know, it was you guys who gave mad cow to the continent, not the other way around."


etienne

Are you sure you aren't confusing it with the Foot and Mouth epidemic of 2001?

I would gloat about beating Paris for the Olympic games but given the bombings I don't feel nearly so smug now.