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non-EU spouse/ child use EU line at LHR?

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Old Jan 9, 2017, 6:17 pm
  #16  
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I've travelled on an Australian passport with my old Australian passport with a RoA in it and an Australian friend in tow and used the EU line no problem. Once you get to the booth they don't really seem to care whether or not you queued in the correct line.
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Old Jan 10, 2017, 2:17 pm
  #17  
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If your daughter is young and your wife is visibly pregnant the "helpers" may let you skip to the front of the non-EU line

The EU queue is usually populated with families with young children (as others use the auto gates) therefore less likely to skip to the front of the EU line
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Old Jan 11, 2017, 5:06 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by :D!
If your daughter is young and your wife is visibly pregnant the "helpers" may let you skip to the front of the non-EU line

The EU queue is usually populated with families with young children (as others use the auto gates) therefore less likely to skip to the front of the EU line
Indeed. It seems like a bunch of the kiosks in the EU are disabled for use by a big chunk of EU minors, and so families with relatively young children end up waiting for staffed counters.
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Old Jan 11, 2017, 2:45 pm
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by IAN-UK
AFAIK the border is the border, and the official manning the booths will deal with whoever rocks up. The helpers are your challenge
Well, yes and no, recently in AMS one of the 'helpers' asked one of the 'officials' manning an EU only booth if he can move some PAX from the non-EU queue to his queue and he firmly said no, unless they are holding a residence permit

On the other hand, when the EU queue was empty, he did call up PAX from the non-EU queue, but only one at a time so EU passport holders will always have priority
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Old Jan 12, 2017, 10:24 am
  #20  
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Originally Posted by Ditto
Well, yes and no, recently in AMS one of the 'helpers' asked one of the 'officials' manning an EU only booth if he can move some PAX from the non-EU queue to his queue and he firmly said no, unless they are holding a residence permit

On the other hand, when the EU queue was empty, he did call up PAX from the non-EU queue, but only one at a time so EU passport holders will always have priority
We are talking about the UK helpers and it is quite OK to ignore them.
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Old Jan 14, 2017, 7:56 am
  #21  
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Thanks for the responses. I think we'll try to the EU line whilst trying to avoid the helpers. Although I appreciate my wife's "state" may mean we skip to the front of the non-EU line, if that doesn't happen, it will probably be much worse.

Heard from a US citizen whilst queuing at immigration at PEK yesterday that lines at LHR are 90 mins for non-EU at the moment!

tb
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Old Jan 27, 2017, 2:15 am
  #22  
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By way of feedback, we did join the EU line, which the "helper" also ushered us to. Very quick and professional.

By way of obseration, the chap next to us was not EU citizen, was chastised, but nonetheless processed quickly...so it seems that, at least on the day, there was considerable flexibility at LHR immigration.

tb
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Old Jan 27, 2017, 12:31 pm
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by trueblu
Heard from a US citizen whilst queuing at immigration at PEK yesterday that lines at LHR are 90 mins for non-EU at the moment!
Haven't you heard, Brexit Britain is open for business!
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Old Jan 27, 2017, 3:51 pm
  #24  
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Originally Posted by Mizter T
Haven't you heard, Brexit Britain is open for business!
Get over it or go to bad OMNI
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Old Feb 1, 2017, 5:07 am
  #25  
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Originally Posted by GUWonder
Indeed. It seems like a bunch of the kiosks in the EU are disabled for use by a big chunk of EU minors, and so families with relatively young children end up waiting for staffed counters.
Most EU countries require minors to be seen by an agent out of concern for child abduction.
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