15 year old daughter going away with friends family...

CKhalvashi

zagfles wrote: »

And they just want an excuse to question the kid, make sure they have a British accent etc and aren't obviously foreign?

My two weren't born in the UK, but speak 3 languages perfecly with very little accent.

So how do you safeguard against this situation with UKBA?

Never had a problem, just interested in your point of view.

zagfles

CKhalvashi wrote: »

My two weren't born in the UK, but speak 3 languages perfecly with very little accent.

So how do you safeguard against this situation with UKBA?

Never had a problem, just interested in your point of view.

Don't know - I'd imagine if they speak good English without any accent there won't be a problem, if they don't then maybe they'd take a very close look at the passport and perhaps ask them to go to an interview room with an immigration officer if there's any suspicion.

But my point that these checks on arrival back in the UK are obviously not checks on parental permission to leave the country!

peachyprice

zagfles wrote: »

These examples sound like immigration checks. They're obviously not about making sure people don't take children out of the country without parental permission, if they're questioning people on return! What would the point of that be?

Maybe some people try to sneak kids into the country, possibly using some other kid's passport either stolen or borrowed? And they just want an excuse to question the kid, make sure they have a British accent etc and aren't obviously foreign?

Yes, this is exactly what it's all about.

The ONLY time I/my children have ever been questioned is coming back into the UK. And, yes, once was definitely just to make sure my children (with a Portuguese surname) were British.

I don't think I've ever heard of anyone, here, on TA, or in RL having been stopped leaving the UK.

peachyprice

CKhalvashi wrote: »

My two weren't born in the UK, but speak 3 languages perfecly with very little accent.

So how do you safeguard against this situation with UKBA?

Never had a problem, just interested in your point of view.

They question the children, they ask innocuous things like 'where is mum/dad' if travelling with just one parent, 'did you have a nice holiday' etc. It wouldn't be difficult for them to detect a nervous child, regardless of lack of accent.

balletshoes

peachyprice wrote: »

Yes, this is exactly what it's all about.

The ONLY time I/my children have ever been questioned is coming back into the UK. And, yes, once was definitely just to make sure my children (with a Portuguese surname) were British.

I don't think I've ever heard of anyone, here, on TA, or in RL having been stopped leaving the UK.

I have - last April, leaving Ebbsfleet on the Eurostar. I was travelling with my daughter (same surname as mine) and my 2 nieces (both different surnames, none of them the same as mine). It may have been because, as well the different surnames on the passports, my daughter and I have dark hair and dark eyes, and both my nieces are blonde and blue-eyed.