Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
#32
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
Do they still stamp your passport when you leave and enter UK or Canada?
#33
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 13
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
They don't stamp when you leave, but the airline check-in process does scan it which I'm sure retains tracking information. Also when you arrive in the UK, they scan your passport there. I guess the main concern here is if you send it to the UK for renewal, they will run it against their records and see your last entry was into Canada and not the UK at all. This would clearly arouse suspicion and probabally delay the whole process.... hhmmm yeh I think I may have just talked myself back into forking out the extra + doing it here
#34
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
All they do in uk is wave you through. No clocking/swiping of passport
#35
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: On
Posts: 389
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
I travel on a UK passport. I landed in Birmingham in May and had to go through UK Border control. I was swiped and scrutinised. Everyone I saw was swiped.
Big brother is watching you!
FWIW and IMO if the website says that you must renew in Canada, do it. Even with PR status, they can still kick you out of the country. So why risk it?
The amount of money spent on getting here, getting PR etc is relatively small compared with the money and worry of sending a passport back to the UK.
Big brother is watching you!
FWIW and IMO if the website says that you must renew in Canada, do it. Even with PR status, they can still kick you out of the country. So why risk it?
The amount of money spent on getting here, getting PR etc is relatively small compared with the money and worry of sending a passport back to the UK.
#36
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Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC (originally from Huddersfield, W. Yorkshire)
Posts: 1,223
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
Returning into Newcastle from Norway on the (final) DFDS ferry 2 weeks ago I clearly saw the Immigration Officer in the Passport Control booth scan my UK passport and look at the screen before handing my passport back to me...I am sure they can see your movements!
#37
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
To add to that, passports aren't stamped on leaving Canada and British passports are not normally stamped on entering the U.K.
Moreover, many countries do allow their citizens to send their passport renewals "home" and quite a few no longer issue any regular passports at overseas missions.
Last edited by JAJ; Sep 12th 2008 at 1:30 am.
#38
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 54
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
Speaking as an ex immigration officer I wouldn't be overly bothered about obtaining a passport in the UK. However UK Customs are always on the lookout for passports in the mail and I'm fairly sure Canadian Border services do the same. This is to intercept bogus identities. It could cause you a problem if they intercepted your documents.
As for the comment about passports not being scanned. Well sorry to burst your bubble Welshman but the UKBA introduced passport scanning of all passports a couple of years back. You passport is also scanned when you leave the UK, not by UKBA, but by the carrier who's system links to UKBA so yes they do know when you come and go, but given the amount of traffic they are only interested in a limited number of people. On rare occasions they suspend swiping UK passports inbound, but only for example when demand is too high.
BTW we often encountered UK residents who held foreign passports. They were required to renew their leave to remain but as this costs £170 and takes months most of them didn't bother. They would carry around their expired passports containing the entry clearance. Back in the day we were allowed to transfer their conditions from the old one to the new for free. Unfortunately a number of immigration officers started exploiting this for financial gain amongst their immigrant friends so the government took away the option.
As for the comment about passports not being scanned. Well sorry to burst your bubble Welshman but the UKBA introduced passport scanning of all passports a couple of years back. You passport is also scanned when you leave the UK, not by UKBA, but by the carrier who's system links to UKBA so yes they do know when you come and go, but given the amount of traffic they are only interested in a limited number of people. On rare occasions they suspend swiping UK passports inbound, but only for example when demand is too high.
BTW we often encountered UK residents who held foreign passports. They were required to renew their leave to remain but as this costs £170 and takes months most of them didn't bother. They would carry around their expired passports containing the entry clearance. Back in the day we were allowed to transfer their conditions from the old one to the new for free. Unfortunately a number of immigration officers started exploiting this for financial gain amongst their immigrant friends so the government took away the option.
#39
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
There are other things that show up using special equipment that we don't know about.
I was on an anti fraud course once and immigration officials showed us a couple of things that were real eye openers. I can't tell you what because I'd have to kill you.
One thing was a red line that wasn't really a line at all.
But my main point is the passport holder may claim to have not left Canada while presenting a passport only issued to someone who was in the UK.
#40
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2006
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 47
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
Hi all..
I'm in Toronto and need to renew my passport (simple name change). I know we can send this via Ottawa but this costs heaps more and takes longer than doing it in the UK. My question is: couldn't I send the signed UK renewal form, pics and passport to family back home and have them mail this off and apply from there? Would this mess up the immigration records? Also, does anyone know if the passport number changes for amendments?
Thanks
I'm in Toronto and need to renew my passport (simple name change). I know we can send this via Ottawa but this costs heaps more and takes longer than doing it in the UK. My question is: couldn't I send the signed UK renewal form, pics and passport to family back home and have them mail this off and apply from there? Would this mess up the immigration records? Also, does anyone know if the passport number changes for amendments?
Thanks
#41
Corn Nibbler
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Burlington, ON
Posts: 254
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
My passport runs out this November, but i cannot apply to take my citizenship test till next March.So if i apply to renew my UK passport for ten years,and then next year become a Canadian citizen.And I travel on my UK passport because i will still have roughly 9 years left on it,does this cause any problems when i return to Canada via a holiday in say France,because i am travelling on a UK passport but i am a Canadian citizen and live in Canada.
In principle, you can travel on it and use your certificate of citizenship to prove your status when you return to Canada.
You'd still be wise to get a Canadian passport, though. It's a lot quicker to replace if lost than a citizenship certificate, and won't confuse airlines that expect Canadians to travel on Canadian documents.
There's no need to give up your British passport when you do that; you can carry on using it for entry to the UK and for other countries (such as those in the EU) that offer smoother entry to British citizens.
Last edited by cornmatthew; Sep 16th 2008 at 11:16 pm.
#42
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
Speaking as an ex immigration officer I wouldn't be overly bothered about obtaining a passport in the UK. However UK Customs are always on the lookout for passports in the mail and I'm fairly sure Canadian Border services do the same. This is to intercept bogus identities. It could cause you a problem if they intercepted your documents.
#43
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
There are all kinds of indicators in passports. It could be something in the number that indicates where it's been issued. There is another number tucked away in my FCO issued passport. That could show it too.
There are other things that show up using special equipment that we don't know about.
I was on an anti fraud course once and immigration officials showed us a couple of things that were real eye openers. I can't tell you what because I'd have to kill you.
One thing was a red line that wasn't really a line at all.
But my main point is the passport holder may claim to have not left Canada while presenting a passport only issued to someone who was in the UK.
There are other things that show up using special equipment that we don't know about.
I was on an anti fraud course once and immigration officials showed us a couple of things that were real eye openers. I can't tell you what because I'd have to kill you.
One thing was a red line that wasn't really a line at all.
But my main point is the passport holder may claim to have not left Canada while presenting a passport only issued to someone who was in the UK.
#44
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
BTW, my new passport arrived back from Ottawa 12 days after we sent off the application.
#45
Re: Renew passort -- why not send to UK?
Right from my 2nd post (nearly 30 posts back) I have clearly been suggesting that giving officials the impression you were outside of Canada on a particular date may look very odd and arouse suspicion when later on you claim you were not outside Canada on that date.
Remember that one must reside in Canada for minimum periods to maintain PR status. If Immigration officials conclude you were outside of Canada (because of the UK issued passport) then maybe that's no longer straightforward. And when you start contradicting that passport maybe you look a dit dodgy.
And if you broke rules to obtain that passport under false pretenses, then just what else might you mislead officials about?
Speaking as an ex immigration officer I wouldn't be overly bothered about obtaining a passport in the UK. However UK Customs are always on the lookout for passports in the mail and I'm fairly sure Canadian Border services do the same. This is to intercept bogus identities. It could cause you a problem if they intercepted your documents.
Last edited by BristolUK; Sep 17th 2008 at 3:34 am.