THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WRITE to inform the Jamaican public of my recent experience entering the United Kingdom.
On my arrival in the UK, the passengers on my flight (Air Jamaica) was told by an immigration staffer that we should form a line separately from the other passengers in the arrival hall at Heathrow. I must admit that I was embarrassed when the lady said, "All Jamaican passport holders please come this way." It was as if she was saying all 'drug smugglers' please come this way.
At this point another immigration staffer started looking through our passports. It was from there that I realised that Jamaicans who had visas for England were sent through and those who did not have visas were sent to another section of the airport for interview.
From my observation most of the passengers on my flight did not have a visa and therefore had a long wait ahead of them to be individually interviewed by immigration.
I was lucky enough to have a visa even though I had been told by the British Embassy that I had an 'option' of travelling with or without.
My advice to Jamaican travelling to England is to get a visa first.
I am, etc.,
SHARON JACKSON
