Ceri

A question:

Do I have to travel on an aussie passport ( I am a citizen , think it was around march I received it)to get out of Aus, and then come back in. Or can I use my British passport ( my Pr visa in my brit passport is still within multiple travel date time)



We've only just decided at last minute to go home for xmas, flights booked now, and it is one mad rush to try and get Aussie passports. I don't know if we've left it too late. We've just filled out the forms today and will be going down to the PO before it closes tonight.

my question is basically if I take the citizenship certs with me when I leave Aus , can I just use those to get back into the country ( with my Brit passport) .

Or can I still use my PR visa in my passport - or do the immigration at the airports have numbers on file, and know that this visa is sort of cancelled as we are citizens?

Just worried we will not get the Aussie passports back in time before we fly. I can see there is a priority service, but still may have left it too late.

And wondered if I can just travel out and in on my Brit passport ( with my certs)


Hope that makes sense.

JAJ

As far as DIMIA are concerned - yes.

DIMIA will not refuse you entry if you get as far as Immigration (you'll get a talking to plus a delay though), but I don't fancy your chances in being allowed to board an Australia bound flight if you have a British passport and no visa. Irrespective of whether you have your citizenship certs or not.

DIMIA are quite capable of electronically cancelling the visas of those who have acquired Australian citizenship. Whether they've done that in your case is something you cannot know.

Unless you have an NZ or Australian passport or fall into a few tiny categories that are exceptional, airlines check the DIMIA system for a valid visa in all cases to allow you to board a flight.

Jeremy

Ceri

Thanks for that, If I've left it too late ( I'm going to the PO after with the passport forms) , I could always get the Aussie passport in the UK from the consulate I would think.

It's just one mad rush at the moment, we didn't even bother to get a passport earlier this year because we wasn't intending to fly at last minute at Christmas

ProofReader

Since when did DIMIA cancel PR visas in Pommie passports once Aussie citizenship is taken out?

I hold both passports (Brit one with PR visa) and always thought I could choose to use whichever I liked! To save immigration hassles, though, I've always chosen to enter Oz on my Aus passport and enter Britain on my Pommie passport. Have they now stopped this practice?

Ceri

My Pr visa is not cancelled , well not to the eye anyway. I was wondering if I re enter using my Brit passport and my PR visa in my passport, if they check will it come up "no such number' , or cancelled. And if so, can I just show them my citizen certs. That was the reason for the question

Basically as soon as you are Citizen it cancels out your PR visa, but do they know that in the airport when they look at your passport?

you are supposed to travel out and into Aus on an Aus passport, you use your British one to enter and leave Britain. I've left it to the very last minute to get an aussie passport. And may have to travel on my Brit passport if my Aussie one does not to get to me in time, to get out of Aus ( I booked the tickets with the Brit one of course, as I have not got an aussie yet). This will be fun at the airport

JAJ

It has been policy for a long time that Australian citizens should use Australian passports to enter and leave Australia.

Visit http://www.citizenship.gov.au/faq.htm and read questions 7, 8 and 9

Jeremy

JAJ

But they don't just look at your passport, they look in the DIMIA system too.

Jeremy

ProofReader

Are you surethat they cancel PR visas when citizenship is taken out? I travelled to UK and back on UK passport with PR visa in 1989, which was four years after I took out citizenship, so unless it's changed since ... ???

JAJ

The stamp in your passport is just evidence that a visa was granted at one point. It's not a visa itself.

Visas are permission for non-citizens to enter and remain in Australia. It is legally impossible for an Australian citizen to apply for, be granted, or hold an Australian visa.

That is not to say there have been cases where Australians have been mistakenly 'granted' visas. There was one case a while back where some former migrants who had a child born in Australia included in their new PR visa application when they wanted to re-migrate.

The reason for the confusion was probably the fact the child was born around 1988 (ie after the rule of automatic citizenship by birth was changed) and the DIMIA case officer may not have understood that under the revised law children born in Australia to PRs (and not just citizens) are automatically Australian citizens. However the grant of a visa to this child was legally null and void irrespective of any passport stamp.

It's possible in limited circumstances for Australians to get permission to use a foreign passport. Form 931 has details:
http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/931.pdf

Jeremy

Ceri

That was what I was asking, and hope they didn't do things like that

Oh well if it doesn't get to me in time here , I'm going to have to sort it out in the UK with the consulate, and maybe get the aussie passport that end, I'm going home for a month.

JAJ

They might not have done so in the past, but the introduction of Advance Passenger Processing in early 2003 has changed this.

Can you get someone in Australia to pick up the passport (with your authority) and courier it to you in the UK?

Jeremy

Ceri

I was just thinking that myself funnily enough. I was going to with hold all our mail with the PO. Maybe they can redirect it to my address in the UK.

Or I could get it sent to a friend here to send on to me. I'll ask in the PO when I'm there later on.

Anyway thanks for your help.

JAJ

I would be cautious before entrusting a document as valuable as a passport to any kind of postal redirection service. If your friend can get hold of it and courier it to you that's got more chance of being ok.

Jeremy

Dave, Tracy & Emily

I think you may have to have a return visa, as if you were a resident without citiz. better to be safe than sorry and delayed

JAJ

With respect you have misinterpreted the whole point of the thread. Australian citizens *cannot* have Australian visas (of any kind) and in general need to use Australian passports to show to DIMIA officials on entry and exit.

Jeremy