MaggieNoodles

Hi everyone,

Just found this forum and think it's great. We are hoping to emigrate to Perth this year. I am australian, been living in UK for 8 years and hubby has just been granted spouse visa.

We have filled out applications for Aussie Passports for the kids (citizens by decent) and it looks like we have to lodge these applications in person in London. Is this correct? I originally thought I could send them in by post but now i'm not so sure.

Can someone please confim what we have to do. I have sent an email to the AHC Passport dept but hoping that you guys might know the answer as I'm not sure how long it will take for the AHC to get back to me.

Thanks.

Maggie.

Mr B

Hello
My feeling is that the visit needs to be made in person - but I may be wrong. This is based on us going to the Australian consulate office in Edinburgh (more local than London) in person to submit our son's passport application. However, it was also fortunate that we did, as they have recently got picky on the exact format of the photo, and we had to nip out for 10mins and get some others done.

Maybe others can shed some light on this.

Cheers, Andrew

MaggieNoodles

Thanks for the quick reply Andrew.

I hope that things are different in London and that we can apply by post, I don't fancy a trip to London and queueing for hours this week. I also hope that our photos are ok as it took me ages to get a decent photo of the kids, they are nearly 2 years old and won't sit still for one second let alone for a passport photo.

Mr B

We had the same thing with our boy as he was around 2 at the time - & couldn't sit still - and he looks mighty grumpy in the new shot.
My wife was also getting a new passport at the same time, and by memory the photos need to have little background and be predominantly face. However I'm sure that the new forms detail all this - it was just that our application forms had been festering in the house for some time before we bothered to go to the edinburgh office

A

JohnoBronco

Hey there,
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding for AHC London is that they will not deal with any applications in person or over the phone. I would wait for a resonse from the email or try the immigration forum and ask George Lombard or JaJ

MaggieNoodles

Andrew, I ended up downloading some software to get the size right for the passport photo's and they look pretty similar to what they request on the form. I just hope that the background colour is ok as it is not white, but light grey.


Thanks JohnoBronco. I'll post on the immigration forum as see what they say.

melbournehelp

You can visit the embassy but they are only open three hours a day and there is no booking system just queuing.
You can lodge by post .
As others have said, the photo issue is so finniky now that they may ask you to get more.
I posted a thread on this a while ago .You should make sure the photo people KNOW EXACTLY what is required in a photo-it comes down to the size of your head in the picture.
Good luck with waiting for an email reply -I never got one from them at all.
In the end I lodged at Manchester consulate , three sets of photos later we were done .You can pay extra to have the application 'expressed' if you are in a hurry.

Steve

Jaykay

I had to take my daughter's application up to London in person. She is also a 'Citizen by descent' and this was her first Australian Passport.

Didn't take too long once I got there, but I did make sure I was there for when they opened.

This was in July 2003.

Regards

JAJ

Don't get confused between the processes for visa evidencing and passport application.


Jeremy

MaggieNoodles

Hi Steve,

Did you apply by post or in person? I really would prefer to apply by post but worried that if it isn't what you are supposed to do my application might get lost with our citizenship and birth certificates.

Thanks.

Maggie.

MaggieNoodles

Hi Jaykay,

Thanks for your response. Looks like I might have to make the trip to London and if I do will make sure I get there at opening time. Actually, might send hubby.... he loves ques and waiting around

Maggie.

moneypenny20

Maggie

We did the Citizen by descent for our girls personally in London - without the girls and then did the passports by post.

You have to do the spouse visa application by post.

Confused, you will be

MaggieNoodles

Hi Moneypen

I think they make it slightly confusing to keep the application numbers down.
Looks like it is a trip to the passport office as I have just received an email from them... they said:
__________________________________________________ ___________
Good Afternoon

Application must be lodged by one of the parents in person at London,
Manchester or Edinburgh. Id is required for the parent lodging at the
interview.


Regards
Australian Passport Office
Australian High Commission,
Strand
London
WC2B 4LA
__________________________________________________ ___________

At least they have made it clear.

Thanks again everyone for your replies.