Deported form US twice, visiting England

Question

I would like to take my boyfriend home for 1 month to visit meet my family and as a surprise for my grandma's 90th birthday.

He is from El Salvador where I work and we both live. The problem is he has been deported from the United States twice for being an illegal immigrant (Not ideal I know!!!). Now as a Salvadoran national he does not need a visa to visit the UK and get a leave to remain. I am very aware of the fact that his deportations in the states are going to make this very difficult.

We considered applying for a visa for him but due to the location of the nearest biometrics centre and the visa process it is going to cost nearly as much as the flight which he cannot afford. He is also unable to take the time from work to go as they will only grant permission for leave for visiting the UK. There is no possible way to actually get him to the centre as we can only have an appointment on a Wednesday as that is the only day they are open.

So my question is:

How do we help convince the immigration officer he has reason to return?

So far we will be making sure he has the following documents (translated where necessary) with us for immigration:

• Police check
• Travel Insurance
• Sponsorship letter me (girlfriend)
• Sponsorship letter dad (girlfriend's dad)
• Letter about relationship
• Pictures of relationship
• Banks statements for 12 months from him
• Credit card statement from him
• Bank statements (Salvadoran)
• UK bank statements (girlfriend and girlfriend's dad)
• UK credit card statement (girlfriend)
• Car ownership
• Driving licence with current address
• Rental agreement (house contract with both mine and his name on)
• Receipt for the deposit he paid on the house (1 full month's rent which is more than his base monthly wage)
• My work contract (to prove I do work in El Salvador and I will be returning)
• His work contract
• Letter from work detailing dates he has been given off, level of commitment, whether leave is paid or unpaid, years worked at branch, days taken off in last 12 months
• Copy of my passport
• Copy of visas in my passport to show travel and my right to return to El Salvador

Should we include a letter that he has written in English explaining that the time he chose to enter the US illegally was a difficult time in his life with a lot of his closest friends and family being state side and him having no job and no home? This would only be given as a last resort as his English is ok but I think he will struggle with immigration officers in the airport.

I have paid for his flight through my work as it part of my contract that they pay for me to come home each year. This is the only way we can make sure we are on the same flights. I will state that this is my present to him for Christmas so that he can have a larger sum of money in his bank account. His base monthly salary is only 500 USD. He will be travelling with approximately 1000-1200 USD in his account and credit cards that come to around 400 USD which are fully paid off so he has the full limit. My dad will be stating that all accommodation, food and travel costs in the UK will be covered by him or myself. We will be staying at my dad's house. I will also be stating that any food, travel or accommodation costs will be covered by either myself or my dad.

So if anyone has any pearls of wisdom/words of encouragement I would be truly grateful. I know this is a diffcult situation and it makes me incredibly anxious at the thought of having to deal with this in the airport so if any and all advice and comments could air on the side of productive that would be great!

TIA

Answer 1

He’s the one applying to enter the UK, not you. The more documents he has to prove his financial independence, the better. He’s an adult, heavy reliance on a sponsor is not viewed positively.

The list contains too many documents about you, total overload. A letter of invitation from you/father and bank statement is enough. Everything else should be his.

The probability he would be asked a question about being deported from USA is likely low without him volunteering it. UK and USA increasingly share immigration information however so IF asked he shouldn’t lie.

What is meant by "personal impact and articulation skills" in the context of border entry?

He should have good personal impact and articulation skills to convince the immigration officer if/when it comes up. Should probably wear a nice jacket and shoes.

With all said, his chances of being granted entry if his previous two deportations come up during his landing interview are as close to nil as one can get. Unlike one deportation which is a civil offense, two deportations from the USA actually becomes a criminal (not civil) offense.

Should we include a letter that he has written in English explaining that the time he chose to enter the US illegally was a difficult time in his life with a lot of his closest friends and family being state side and him having no job and no home?

Simply No. He did it twice. That’s flagrant disregard of laws. It won’t fly.