Thread by @aspiratas

Did I just tell the border control officer at Manchester Airport.

“I’M SORRY BUT WHAT A JOKE OF A COUNTRY YOU ARE RIGHT NOW?”

Yes, I just did.

Did I just risk being deported back to Spain?

Probably.

But again, WHAT A JOKE of a country you’ve become, UK.

Landed at Manchester from Spain. Handed my Spanish ID card to the border control officer. Got asked if I have “settle status”. ‘Yes, I do’. ‘Is it linked to your ID card or your passport?’. ‘Probably passport’, I said. ‘Do you have an email to proof your settle status?’, they ask

‘Ermmm, I don’t know, should I?’. I struggle to find it for a few minutes (but start getting angry that I need to ‘prove’ that I am ‘legal’).

‘What does the email normally say so I can search it? I can’t find it’.

‘I don’t know, normally it says something like Gov.UK’, officer says. ‘I mean, I have my passport here too if you want, if it’s linked’. ‘I know… it’s just… our system for that is down and I can’t check it.’

As I understand, border officers have the right to deny entry at their own discretion.

I am really hoping that this doesn’t mean they can deny entry to EU citizens with settle status if they can’t find an email they were told they didn’t need just because the Home Office system to check settle status is down.

This is the email I had to show to ‘prove’ my settle status and gain entry to MY RESIDENT country for the last 6 years.

🤦‍♂️