Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
#31
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Toronto
Posts: 135
Re: Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
I received a response from Lilian Greenwood's office this morning. They were asking for my address when I move back because they can only directly help constituents. Let them know that I don't have one yet, wasn't asking for help on my case alone, and was just trying to raise general awareness of the problem in the hope that it might get escalated.
#32
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Clermont, FL....but cant wait to go home.
Posts: 82
Re: Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
I received a response from Lilian Greenwood's office this morning. They were asking for my address when I move back because they can only directly help constituents. Let them know that I don't have one yet, wasn't asking for help on my case alone, and was just trying to raise general awareness of the problem in the hope that it might get escalated.
#33
Re: Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
Signed and shared via Facebook. From a former stuck in the FBI namecheck for 2 years+ ex-pat I know how frustrating dealing with officialdom is. This side of the Atlantic or the other, it doesn't matter. My UK passport is good till March next year. Hopefully when I come to renew, this problem will be taken care of (and pigs might fly!).
#34
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Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Toronto
Posts: 135
Re: Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
I don't unfortunately. I have a lot of friends in Notts, but having checked Ms Greenwood's constituency boundary, none of them live in her area. So I am hoping I will hear back from Chris Leslie, Graham Allen or Kenneth Clarke some time soon!
#35
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Toronto
Posts: 135
Re: Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
Signed and shared via Facebook. From a former stuck in the FBI namecheck for 2 years+ ex-pat I know how frustrating dealing with officialdom is. This side of the Atlantic or the other, it doesn't matter. My UK passport is good till March next year. Hopefully when I come to renew, this problem will be taken care of (and pigs might fly!).
#37
Re: Passport Delays
p.s. - posted on Facebook too.
#38
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Clermont, FL....but cant wait to go home.
Posts: 82
Re: Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
38 Degress Campaign page http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forum...ssport-delays-
Please go there and add 3 votes to it if possible. Thanks.
Please go there and add 3 votes to it if possible. Thanks.
Last edited by LP9; Jun 23rd 2011 at 3:03 pm.
#39
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 24
Re: Passport Delays
I just e-mailed the three MPs for Nottingham, which is where we will be settling if (when) we can travel.
I want to have faith in the system that it will eventually right itself and people will get their passports, but nonetheless this needs to be brought to the attention of the people in power.
Is it correct that the passport centre is prioritising applications based on situation/travel dates, etc.? A couple of people have suggested it, but then it seems like everyone still ends up waiting a really long time. You would think that someone who needs their passport for business would be bumped further up the queue than someone who simply uses theirs for vacations but doesn't actually have one planned, for instance.
I want to have faith in the system that it will eventually right itself and people will get their passports, but nonetheless this needs to be brought to the attention of the people in power.
Is it correct that the passport centre is prioritising applications based on situation/travel dates, etc.? A couple of people have suggested it, but then it seems like everyone still ends up waiting a really long time. You would think that someone who needs their passport for business would be bumped further up the queue than someone who simply uses theirs for vacations but doesn't actually have one planned, for instance.
#40
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 24
Re: Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
38 Degress Campaign page http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forum...ssport-delays-
Please go there and add 3 votes to it if possible. Thanks.
Please go there and add 3 votes to it if possible. Thanks.
#41
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Toronto
Posts: 135
Re: Passport Delays
I'm not necessarily talking travel date, I am talking travel reason, i.e someone who uses their passport for business, or someone who is making an international move, should take priority over someone who needs a passport for vacation if both applications are submitted at the same time.
#42
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
If everyone who has Facebook could go to this page: https://www.facebook.com/peoplepowerchange and leave a comment under what I posted it would be appreciated. Its the 38 Degrees page, which as some of you may or may not know is a community driven activist group that were pivotal in halting NHS reform. Thanks.
#43
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 24
Re: Passport Delays
I'm not necessarily talking travel date, I am talking travel reason, i.e someone who uses their passport for business, or someone who is making an international move, should take priority over someone who needs a passport for vacation if both applications are submitted at the same time.
#44
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: Clermont, FL....but cant wait to go home.
Posts: 82
Re: Passport Delays
At this point, I don't think they are looking at anything...............I think all of us would just probably be told "change your travel plans" regardless of the situation..............it is a very sad state of affairs. I contacted the Passport and Identity Office in the UK.................another complaint, but hopefully if we can rattle some cages, some sort of investigation will take place. I have been looking at a lot of stuff regarding this...........I was under the assumption that the applications were being processed in the UK, but apparently they are not.............they are still being processed here...........it is all very misleading, confusing and of course totally frustrating. I saw a news report from DC were a lady and her family actually went to the Embassy and did come away with their passports..............lucky for them....but low and behold, they Embassy when questioned about the delay, needless to say had no comment.............typical!!!!!!!
Thanks for all the help everyone, please keep it coming!!!! We are having an impact. I've made a number of important phone calls today and things are moving.
Last edited by LP9; Jun 23rd 2011 at 4:41 pm.
#45
Re: Passport Twitter/Petition Campaign to speed the process up
I've always thought the UK is an excessively passport-centric country, I always remember seeing stupid travel programmes on British TV looking down their noses at Americans because so few of them had passports. Well the reality is that Americans don't need passports because they can travel (or could at any rate) anywhere in North America without them. You can still visit Mexico and get back into the US using a SENTRI card or an EDL (I think, by land at least). And also visit Canada using NEXUS, EDL - and you only need those to get back into the US, Canada is okay with a driver's licence. You can also use your US LPR card, if you happen to have one, even Canada will accept it.
Also in the US there is the option of a passport card - why is there not a UK equivalent, it would be much more useful when visiting places where they don't stamp your passport (which is pretty much the whole of the EU and Switzerland at least). You could use ID cards but it cost jazillions and has now been scrapped. A lot of EU states have various types of ID that are acceptable (if they're even checked, because you know, they actually adopted Schengen).
One of the more bizarre experiences I had with this was in the 1980s, you had to have a passport under the Prevention of Terrorism Act to visit Northern Ireland (at least this was the impression given to me by customs) but you didn't need one to visit ROI. Huh?
Also because the UK never fully adopted Schengen (thank you Thatcher) in many cases you only need a passport to get back into the UK.
So now, because you need to have a passport to a far greater degree than in pretty much any other developed country, as soon as there are cutbacks, everyone goes bonkers.
Another classic example of insular British "we know best" thinking, imo.
Also in the US there is the option of a passport card - why is there not a UK equivalent, it would be much more useful when visiting places where they don't stamp your passport (which is pretty much the whole of the EU and Switzerland at least). You could use ID cards but it cost jazillions and has now been scrapped. A lot of EU states have various types of ID that are acceptable (if they're even checked, because you know, they actually adopted Schengen).
One of the more bizarre experiences I had with this was in the 1980s, you had to have a passport under the Prevention of Terrorism Act to visit Northern Ireland (at least this was the impression given to me by customs) but you didn't need one to visit ROI. Huh?
Also because the UK never fully adopted Schengen (thank you Thatcher) in many cases you only need a passport to get back into the UK.
So now, because you need to have a passport to a far greater degree than in pretty much any other developed country, as soon as there are cutbacks, everyone goes bonkers.
Another classic example of insular British "we know best" thinking, imo.