On a side note, we asked the immigration official who hangs around to answer questions which line we should go in and were directed to either, as long as we were together. The non UK citizen should also still fill out the landing card.
When we entered the UK for our civil partnership, my (Indonesian) partner joined the non-EEA queue, while I (UK citizen) joined the EEA one, as we had done numerous times previously.
His queue was much shorter and he therefore reached the counter before me. Upon seeing his marriage/CP visa, the UKBA officer asked where I was: my partner pointed me out and the officer signalled to me to come over. She explained that as a couple, we should always queue up together when at the UK border, and that we could join either queue. We have done this on every trip to the UK and in various EU countries since.
Thanks for saying that, Teuchter... I was wondering about whether or not I could join the UK line in the future when Ed (my UK fiancé) and I travel or would we be relegated to the Non-EU line because I am a Canadian. It's important to us to have this information, as Ed is blind and would be dependent on my status to get through the whole customs process and knowing that we will have a choice of lines will make it that much easier for us to back into the UK (i.e. we will choose the shortest line possible).
From our experience (8 entries to the UK over the past 5 years*) the non-EU/EEA queue is always much shorter - although it moves more slowly than the EU/EEA one, there are usually more counters open.
(*6 entries via Glasgow Airport and 1 each via Edinburgh and Manchester Airports.)
LOL, every time I come through Edinburgh the non-EU/EEA line is miles long (I exaggerate but only a little) and the EU/EEA is always short and moves like lightning! I must be booking the wrong flights:lol:
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