Returning to the UK after previous temporary admission?

Question

I've had successive visits to the UK since 2015, but I've never returned so quickly until last year, and that was a problem. I have a husband of 4 years and we have a daughter together. She lives in the UK with him. We are of course about to work on the visa as he has a job now that pays over 18,600.

1. Last year I spent 6 months in the UK and returned to the Caribbean (my home) in October 2017. My husband bought my ticket to return to the UK for our daughter's birthday in December 2017 (too soon). On top of that the ticket was booked for up to 6 months. WRONG MOVE. Right? I told both him and his mom that. I had a return ticket as well.

2. So I travelled back to the UK on December 13, 2017 for my daughter's birthday and upon arrival at immigration, they asked a lot more questions than before. I was held up like some prisoner in a room, was fingerprinted, interviewed by an immigration officer. They told me I came back into the country too soon, I didn't satisfy them and I that I didn't seem like a genuine visitor. Plus my husband booked my ticket for 6 months, which is definitely a wrong move. I'm from Antigua and Barbuda and we don't need a visa to visit the UK. Usually when I travel to the UK the immigration officer would put a 6-month stamp in my passport and I'm good to go. I always leave before my 6 months are up.

3. On the bright side, they gave me temporary admission for a week to be there for my daughter's birthday. They held my passport until I returned to the airport to travel back to Antigua. I cooperated with them. Everything went well and I went back to Antigua on 21 December 2017. I now have a job in Antigua, my husband and I are working on my UK spouse visa, but we have to put it on a hold for personal reasons. We're planning on having me travel to the UK in July 2018, a week before our wedding anniversary for just 2 weeks. While I'm in the UK, I planned to take back documents with me as well as put in for my application when I return to Antigua, because we have to apply in Barbados.

Can I return to the UK in July for 2 weeks? From December 2017 to July 2018 is about 7 months since I've been out of the the UK and was refused entry. Do you think there would be a problem? I would be travelling with my daughter. My husband is coming to pick us up at Gatwick airport.

Answer 1

You failed your landing interview and got a Temporary Admission (TA) instead of Leave to Enter. You were served a removal notice, and your passport held; this is now part of your UK Immigration record.

While you are have been allowed visa-free entry into the UK in the past, you would be better served to apply for a visa, rather than risk appearing at the border and being refused entry (immediate removal). With a husband and daughter in the UK, and previous lengthy stays (per your chronicle of events), it is very likely you are suspected of trying to live in the UK rather than pursuing the appropriate route of a Family visa, as you noted.

Now, before travelling to the UK, you should apply for entry clearance, making sure that you include the reference number of the notice you were given in December. As you intend to emigrate, you would want to avoid any more strikes against you on your immigration record.