On my last trip to the UK I got this strange stamp. I have the feeling I have been flagged but not sure why. Does anybody know if it is something I have to worry about?
I am a US citizen.
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2Was your conversation with the immigration officer unusual in any way?– Michael HamptonCommented Apr 1, 2019 at 16:34
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2It's possibly a little unusal having Americans fetching up at Stansted anyway.– StrawberryCommented Apr 1, 2019 at 17:00
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9What exactly are you considering strange?– chrylis -cautiouslyoptimistic-Commented Apr 1, 2019 at 18:24
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6@Strawberry There aren't AFAIK any scheduled flights from the US to Stansted but it's not even slightly suspicious for an American to arrive in the UK from some third country.– David RicherbyCommented Apr 2, 2019 at 16:39
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1 Answer
Rather than an 'Open' date stamp (an all-in-one) that grants six months, the Officer has done a "coded" landing". This means he/she was not 100% confident you were a genuine visitor, but landed you anyway. The ref number relates to the ref number on the Landing Card that you completed. This means the card will be retained. On future arrivals if there are any concerns, the Officer can retrieve the info given on your Landing Card of 23 March 2019.
On the front of your card are your personal details. On the rear of the card the Officer will make notes as to what was said re: reason for visit etc. The ref number is on the rear of the card also. Those notes will be available to other Officers on future visits.
This is what an 'Open' date stamp would look like:
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10So in other words, that means it's not really a 6-month stamp, it's actually "your departure date had better match up to what you told the IO verbally, or you will have trouble in the future entering the UK". I mean, that's always a potential issue because they keep a dossier on everyone, but this stamp is a reminder to the next IO to check it. Commented Apr 1, 2019 at 20:40