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Does celebrities have to wait in line on immigration?

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manuelaux
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Does celebrities have to wait in line on immigration?

Post by manuelaux » Tue Apr 27, 2010 5:05 pm

Does e.g. Brad Pitt have to stay in the line at immigration (e.g. at airport) and answer the questions, fulfill lending card, show hotel booking, return ticket ...? He is non-EU/EEA citizen!

:):):)

Sorry for such a stupid topic but I can not stop wondering ...

ejw4h9
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Post by ejw4h9 » Tue Apr 27, 2010 8:55 pm

Yes, I'm sure they have to go through some sort of immigration. I think a couple of celebrities have been denied admission to the country before...though I'm not sure of that. I remember hearing about a couple of celebrities that had outstanding warrants or improper/non-existent visas though. They may have separate screening of celebrities and politicians, much like airport security is often different for these types.

newperson
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Post by newperson » Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:18 am

I know that Heathrow has a VIP facility for special visitors, but I believe that is not used for every "celebrity" that happens to arrive in the UK. I would imagine it's more for visiting heads of state and their entourages.

A few years ago I had Matt Damon in line behind me going through the non-EU queue at Heathrow, so I'm guessing that in the fast majority of cases, they're treated just like anyone else. They just probably are more likely to use the FastTrack queue.

ElenaW
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Location: Back and forth between California and Norwich :D

Post by ElenaW » Wed Apr 28, 2010 4:59 pm

Even if they go through the same queue as everyone else, I bet they get a lot more leeway!
I tell it like it is.

kiwigirl25
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Post by kiwigirl25 » Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:01 pm

ElenaW wrote:Even if they go through the same queue as everyone else, I bet they get a lot more leeway!
Maybe and maybe not. I was behind a "one hit wonder" band in immigration (not going to even name them 'coz they were big for their 15 minutes of fame then promptly disappeared). I watched them as they were rushed up to the immigration desk ahead of us norms. 20-30 minutes later I was through immigration okay with a cheery "enjoy your day" and they were still being questioned by immigration officers.

Depends what they are famous for. Rock bands and "R&B" acts tend to get a lot of grief at immigration.

Plus I'm dead famous and I never get special attention at immigration .... hang on .... sorry I meant infamous :lol:

ElenaW
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Post by ElenaW » Thu Apr 29, 2010 7:50 am

kiwigirl25 wrote:
ElenaW wrote:Even if they go through the same queue as everyone else, I bet they get a lot more leeway!
Maybe and maybe not. I was behind a "one hit wonder" band in immigration (not going to even name them 'coz they were big for their 15 minutes of fame then promptly disappeared). I watched them as they were rushed up to the immigration desk ahead of us norms. 20-30 minutes later I was through immigration okay with a cheery "enjoy your day" and they were still being questioned by immigration officers.

Depends what they are famous for. Rock bands and "R&B" acts tend to get a lot of grief at immigration.

Plus I'm dead famous and I never get special attention at immigration .... hang on .... sorry I meant infamous :lol:
Haha!

I was kind of just imagining the biggies (Jennifer Anniston, Brad Pitt). I can't imagine them being questioned for 30 mins honestly.
I tell it like it is.

kiwigirl25
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Post by kiwigirl25 » Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:09 am

I don't about that. If I was working on the immigration desk and Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp came up I will keep them for 30 minutes+. As for Jennifer Aniston, she can go straight through :lol:

The Station Agent
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Location: UK

Post by The Station Agent » Fri Apr 30, 2010 4:46 pm

All depends on the officer on the day. Usually A-list celebs get fairly quick treatment, but so do any well-travelled rich people who pose no threat to UK jobs and are only here for a few days.

The new Points Based System means most bands coming here get Tier 5 Certificates of Sponsorship for less than 3 months and if they're not visa nationals they can just show the CoS number when they enter. However, because these have to be activated by immigration at a different desk, it actually leads to a longer delay at passport control. But only by like 15 minutes. That's too long for some of these divas.......................

UKBAbble
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Post by UKBAbble » Sat May 01, 2010 8:47 pm

Celebrities are usually wealthy enough to travel business or first class so can use the ast track lanes at airports. Money does have its privileges.

pyke
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Post by pyke » Sun May 02, 2010 6:57 am

I'm guessing that even if they do use the regular queues and their mere presence causes some excitement or crowding among regular folk in that area, the commotion may cause them to be ushered to a fast track or special lane for security purposes. Proper celebrities, not some has-been or minor celebrity.

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