The DUB Passport/Immigration Queue Thread

I passed through there this evening. Some delays indeed. Not a staff issue I feel though. There were plenty immigration staff and most booths were open. They do need more though. they also need a big e gate area at the side and not in the middle. What an awful design but they're not even working anyway.
The non EU line was moving painfully slowly and some were not allowed through and sent to side rooms.

I think you can get a perfect storm of a handful of slightly delayed flights causing multiple aircraft arriving at the exact same time.

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

When we hit Brexit the non EU Q will multiply by about 20-30 times.

I would be hopeful that the CTA will still be around and the EU line becomes EU and UK or else we amend the CTA immigration law in Ireland to allow them to skip passport control like it is in the UK. We may be at the mercy of the bigger nations in Europe dictating these rules to us.

eeguy wrote: »

Because busy times may only be an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. They can't bring in 6 people to work a 2 hour split shift.

But surely there are people doing other things during the day. Reassign them for an hour during the rush-time should not be a big thing...

E gates will not help CTA passengers, who are not required to present a passport, or, indeed, any type of identification unless requested to do so.

I'd note that the administrative processing of this has even been considered utter lunacy by a judge - see http://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IEHC/2011/H491.html#para18 for reference to Catch-22 Joseph Heller.

As for the request for balance above , you (as in your organizations ) are the one refusing to implement the spirit of CTA ; removal of CTA passengers from the throng would allow immigration personnel concentrate on those who actually are required to be checked and you can do random checks as required. this would reduce queue size hugely.

There is nothing in law stopping this occurring.

EEguy - you know it is so messed up that INIS run T1 immigration and GNIB run T2 immigration ? i.e. you have two completely different bodies doing the same thing

Here's a thought. Why don't we just let passengers arriving from the UK through without any checks (sorry with random spot checks) like we do at the NI border and the sea ports, and like we used to do?

trellheim wrote: »

E gates will not help CTA passengers, who are not required to present a passport, or, indeed, any type of identification unless requested to do so.

I'd note that the administrative processing of this has even been considered utter lunacy by a judge - see http://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IEHC/2011/H491.html#para18 for reference to Catch-22 Joseph Heller.

As for the request for balance above , you (as in your organizations ) are the one refusing to implement the spirit of CTA ; removal of CTA passengers from the throng would allow immigration personnel concentrate on those who actually are required to be checked and you can do random checks as required. this would reduce queue size hugely.

There is nothing in law stopping this occurring.

EEguy - you know it is so messed up that INIS run T1 immigration and GNIB run T2 immigration ? i.e. you have two completely different bodies doing the same thing

Again though, the CTA freedom of movement only applies to UK & Irish citizens.

What about non-Irish and UK citizens making a CTA trip? They are still subject to full immigration controls and are required to have a passport and a specific visa for Ireland and a separate one for Britain.

How do you suggest that is policed - you keep ignoring that point whenever I ask it.

What would stop those citizens from using a notional Irish and UK citizen corridor? That issue is far greater for Ireland than for the UK given the vast disparity in terms of direct flights from outside the EU into the UK over those into Ireland, which is presumably one of the reasons that Irish immigration view it as a bigger risk.

Until we get a proper international agreement covering the CTA, along with common visas this problem is going to continue.

eeguy wrote: »

I'll just repeat myself then.

That doesn't explain why at all.

trellheim wrote: »

I suggest it is policed in a consistent way with that of taking the other CTA transport operators , e.g. bus from Newry to Dundalk , the train from Central to Connolly, Irish Ferries Holyhead to Dublin Port , i.e. random, intelligence-led checks .

Let's be honest though - the numbers using those routes are dwarfed by those using the airlines to come into Ireland.

There really isn't any comparison between the two.

There is an issue there in terms of immigration control into this country, whether you like it or not.

lxflyer wrote: »

Again though - the numbers of people potentially arriving into the CTA via Ireland and proceeding to the UK is considerably lower than those doing it the other way around given the massive difference in the number of flights into the UK.

you think it is being used as a backdoor to illegal immigration into ireland? if they want to do that they can just get the boat.

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

you think it is being used as a backdoor to illegal immigration into ireland? if they want to do that they can just get the boat.

From what "The Veteran" has posted in the past, it is an issue yes. They've already said that there are more problems found in the EU queue than the other one.

There are minute numbers of sailings into Ireland each day, making it much easier to police, when compared with the massive number of flights that operate.

J.pilkington wrote: »

You are completely missing his point, the checks at ports on arrival are non existent / very minor compared to those at airports (even before the recent increased checks at airports)

You have always had a better chance of gaining illegal entry via boat (although you would first need to gain entry to the uk / France)

It is far easier to do intelligence based checks (or indeed checks of any form) on the sailings though, given the very small of sailings each day.

It's a completely different situation to the large numbers arriving by air.

trellheim wrote: »

1. The numbers crossing the IE/NI border every day is far larger than the airport numbers.
2. There IS a comparison : one is entitled to consistent immigration procedures irrespective of the location.

stop trying to muffle the issue.

With respect I am not trying to "muffle" anything - I am highlighting an aspect of the CTA that you just want pushed under the carpet. It might not be what you want to hear, but the risks are there.

I seriously doubt that the numbers of non-Irish & UK citizens crossing the ROI/NI border is far larger than those passing through the airports. It's far easier to police them and the ports by intelligence and random checks.

In my opinion the checks are greatest at the locations where the numbers entering the country that need to be checked (i.e. non-Irish and UK citizens) are doing so.

I realise that doesn't sit with your view of zero CTA checks, but until we have common visas for the whole of the CTA, along with a full international legal agreement backing the status of the CTA up, then I don't see this changing.

The queues at the airport on the other hand are down to not having large enough immigration halls primarily, and that is ultimately a DAA issue. It's also not helped if a bunch of flights are delayed and all arrive within a short period.

With respect I am not trying to "muffle" anything - I am highlighting an aspect of the CTA that you just want pushed under the carpet. It might not be what you want to hear, but the risks are there.

I seriously doubt that the numbers of non-Irish & UK citizens crossing the ROI/NI border is far larger than those passing through the airports. It's far easier to police them and the ports by intelligence and random checks.

In my opinion the checks are greatest at the locations where the numbers entering the country that need to be checked (i.e. non-Irish and UK citizens) are doing so.

I realise that doesn't sit with your view of zero CTA checks, but until we have common visas for the whole of the CTA, along with a full international legal agreement backing the status of the CTA up, then I don't see this changing.

The queues at the airport on the other hand are down to not having large enough immigration halls primarily, and that is ultimately a DAA issue. It's also not helped if a bunch of flights are delayed and all arrive within a short period.

The key phrase here is 'opinion' and that is fine, just as all of our posts here are. Yours and mine are very different.

Again - you are trying to muffle the issue. I am not arguing for zero CTA checks, only a consistent implementation across all borders. Random checks does fine everywhere other than airports. This, implemented for CTA , would remove the queues instantly, and allow the CTA to function as it should.

I repeat - for UK & IE citizens on inbound CTA flights, you are not required by law to show ID unless it is demanded.