I have a TIER 2,but my child does not....

[trinistylin]

I have a summer job (7 weeks) in the UK for which I got a Tier2 Visa. My child has traveled with me, but she has no Visa (employer said it was not necessary). Now, on my weekend off, I wish to travel to Europe before returning to complete my summer job and returning to the USA in a few weeks time.
My flight into the UK took me through Dublin and then to London. At Dublin, during the fliht transfer process, we were sent to the non-EU line and when I gave my passport at the desk and told them I was not stayign in Ireland, my daughter and I were waved on without our passports being stamped. They were not stamped at Heathrow either - as a matter of fact, they were not even checked since my luggage was delayed and after waiting about 25 minutes for it to emerge, I went over to the airline customer desk where I was told that my passport did not need to be checked since I had arrived on a flight from within the UK.
So, I am in the country with a Tier 2 (General) Migrant visa with my daughter who has nothing in her passport. When I expressed my concern to my employer, I was basically told I was on my own.
Questions: (1)Should my child in fact have a visa - she's a minor and is just accompanying me?
(2) Should our passports have been stamped on entry either in Dublin or at Heathrow? Was there some kind of slipup, or is that how it works?
(3) Should I shelve my plans to travel to France with my child on my free weekend? Is that going to create problems that I should just avoid by waiting until the end of my summer employment and leaving then?

[vinny]

1. A non-visa national (e.g. US citizen) does not require a visa for visits.
2.

Current arrangements within the common travel area

The United Kingdom currently makes no routine immigration checks on passenger travel within the CTA, and passengers are not required to carry a passport or national identity document for immigration purposes.

See also Annex I - Entry through the Republic of Ireland.

[The Station Agent]

Whilst a US national does not require a visa for visits, strictly speaking the dependant of a person who has a T2 CoS should have entry clearance too (T2 is a mandatory entry clearance category) - and you should ideally have applied for both at the same time.

Now you're here on such a short posting there is no chance to get entry clearance so it's a moot point. But if you both leave and come back your child might have some queries at immigration.

When you enter via Dublin you should get an Irish entry stamp but you don't get a UK one.

[trinistylin]

.

Now you're here on such a short posting there is no chance to get entry clearance so it's a moot point. But if you both leave and come back your child might have some queries at immigration.

When you enter via Dublin you should get an Irish entry stamp but you don't get a UK one.[/quote]

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Thanks both for the replies. I was pretty much just following the advice of the employer, but I did not mention to them my plan to take along weekend outisde of the country. Do you think I should shelve those plans, or if I don't what do you recommend I do/carry with me to ease my re-entry to the country.
Wit hrespect to Dublin, I, too, was surprised that I was just waved on by, but when I told him I was not staying there, he no longer seemed interested, and I assumed I'd be given a closer looking over at Heathrow.