deelink

I am in a similar situation to you Oldsteel. On Monday it will be 13 weeks since my initial application and I had a trip booked.... and paid for. So like you I got an ETD - and glad to get it. Again like you, that 'exclusion clause' annoys me - who would think that getting a passport renewed would take more than 13 weeks. I haven't added up the amount this whole drama has cost me but it would have cost me a whole lot more if I hadn't been able to get that ETD.

CharlesComb

This morning, a comedian called Helen Grant, masquerading as the government's Minister for Sport, announced (from Brazil, where she had presumably travelled on a passport) that passport applicants should take the opportunity to holiday at home.

Further evidence that (a) the current administration has no real understanding of the gravity of the situation and (b) the diaspora are irrelevant.

On another forum, it has been pointed out that this is doing immeasurable damage to British business interests around the world. Allegedly, the current administration is business-oriented, but reality does not bear out the political hot air.

JAJ

Since it appears you are resident in the Republic of Ireland, for the longer term, you may wish to reflect on whether you should take out Irish citizenship, once eligible. Normally after 5 years residence, sooner if there are ties by way of descent or marriage.

Oldsteel

Haha it had occurred to me more than once! I have lived here for 17 years and whilst I have no Irish family I am sure I could do it. I wonder how many others are considering the same?

Gozit

17 years? You're eligible for sure, as is your wife if she isn't already Irish... I'd go for it. You won't lose UK citizenship by doing so, you'll be able to have the conveniences of both British and Irish passports.

jamjax

Just to finish up my posts and for general info my passport was delivered to my friend's UK address in six days from when I went into the London office, a day less than the week they told me it would take to process a 'damaged' (I put it through the wash) passport.

I should mention that more than one person at the office told me that the delays were in the overseas passport applications/renewals and that the backlog did not affect one day renewals or one week renewals that were brought into one of the six or seven regional passport offices.

If you have the option of getting to one of those offices it is clearly the fastest way to get your passport these days.

Good luck to all of you and thanks for the comments.

CanBrit

Would love some advice please. I have read every page of this thread, but still don't know what to do for the best, so perhaps someone can help please and thanks.

My husband and I live in Canada. I was born in the UK and I am now a dual citizen with both British and Canadian passports. My husband was born in Canada, but became a British Citizen in May 2014. He was able to get his citizenship because his Mother was born in Scotland and he was born before 1983. He had the right of abode in the UK because he was brought up in Scotland from the age of 4 years old, then when he left school he joined the British Army and served for 10 years, leaving the army in 1986 and returning to Canada to live. In effect after the age of 4 he spent 20 years in the UK, 10 at school and 10 in the British Army. Even though he was in the British Army he never had a British Passport just a Canadian one.

Anyways, we went to the UK last November and whilst there applied for his citizenship, we left the UK in February this year and returned to Canada. We were told it would likely be October 2014 before he got his citizenship. 2 weeks after we returned to Canada he got a letter to say that he had to attend a citizenship ceremony in the UK on May 1st so we had to fly back just for that. We only went for 6 days this time.

In his citizenship pack he got a form to apply for his British Passport, so we filled it all out, he had photo's taken, got someone to sign it etc and was going to send it off then found out that he would have to send his Canadian Passport with the application. He couldn't do that of course because we were only there for 6 days and we had to return to Canada on May 4th. Also, it said that he would have to go for an interview in person and it would take 6 weeks.

We came back to Canada and I checked the online form and now I am a little confused. It did not say anything about getting a counter signature, but I have read everything on this forum and it seems like he must get one. Also, does he have to send in his Canadian Passport? Or just a coloured copy of every page, or a coloured copy of just the photo page? I haven't looked at the online form lately, people say it has changed. We work in Canada, but on November 1st we will be going to the USA until mid April 2015, so he will definitely need his Canadian passport for that.

We have the option of going to the UK for the months of December 2014 and January 2015, but would have to get back to the USA by February 1st. What would happen if he applied when we got to the UK, do you think he would get his Canadian passport back in time for us to go back to the USA and what if he didn't? We wouldn't have a choice we would have to book a return flight. He can't do the premium thing because it's a first time British passport.

Sorry for the long explanation, but I don't know what to do, should we apply from here in Canada, if so and there's all this delay will he get his Canadian passport back in time for us to go to the USA on November 1st? Or, should we just go for the 2 months of December and January and apply when we are there?

Anyone please?

BritInParis

Why didn't your husband take his citizenship ceremony at his local British consulate in Canada?

To answer your question your husband doesn't need to send in his Canadian passport with his British passport application - a colour photocopy will suffice. He will need to have his photos countersigned and the countersignatory will need to be willing to give you a photocopy of his or her passport to include with the application as well.

CanBrit

Hello BritinParis, To answer your question, he applied when we were in the UK which meant he had to go back there for his Citizenship Ceremony. He wasn't given the option to do it in Canada. That would have been nice, it would have saved us $4,000 if he had been given the option.

Thank you for answering my question about the photocopy's of passport, is that the whole passport or just the photo page?

Gozit

Why he was asked to take a citizenship ceremony at all is my question - mum was born in Scotland, so he should have been British by descent no problem, correct? No ceremony needed.

CanBrit

I agree with you wholeheartedly, but not correct sorry. He spent 10 years in the British Army as well and you would think that would make a difference, but no. Apparently British by descent doesn't work like that, he had to apply for citizenship just like anyone else. If his Mother had registered him in the UK when she first went there all those years ago he wouldn't have had to apply, but she didn't because she didn't know she had to do that. He got the right of abode because he was schooled there and in the UK your Social Insurance number is mailed to you automatically when you leave school.

One other question I forgot to ask previously. My husbands father who was Canadian, died when my husband was 4 years old and his Mother has been deceased for 20 years. He has no idea when they were married or any information like that and there is no family to ask, so how do we get past that? Could he just put down any date of his parents marriage? Would they be checking in Canada for that?

BritInParis

Hmm, sounds like it would have been a lot cheaper to apply from Canada. Surprised that you weren't able to have the ceremony in Canada even if you did apply from within the UK.

The guidance states the entire passport but the bio-data page should suffice as it's not a requirement to hold a foreign passport in order to obtain a British passport.

Not if he was born before 1983. At that time British women were unable to pass on their citizenship to their children born abroad. Only married British fathers could do this. He would however, as a Commonwealth citizen, gained Right of Abode in the UK from birth from his mother enabling him to live in the UK and as a Commonwealth citizen he would have also been eligible to join the British army. The law changed in 2002 and those born to British mothers before 1983 who would have become British citizens on 01/01/1983 if women were able to pass on their citizenship in the same way as men are now able to register as a British citizens under S.4C BNA 1981, only paying for the citizenship ceremony.

BritInParis

I would make an application to the Vital Statistics agency or similar in the province in which husband's parents married for a copy of their marriage certificate presuming they married in Canada. If they married in the UK then you can make an application to the GRO.

Gozit

Ah I understand now. Thanks

CanBrit

Yes, definitely a lot cheaper to apply in Canada. We did look into it, but it was much too complicated and as we were going to the UK for a few months it was just easier to do it there. If he was allowed to have the ceremony in Canada we were not told about it and didn't think to ask because we already decided that we would go back in October this year for it. However, it was approved much more quickly than we were told it would be so it didn't work out the way we thought.


Thanks for answering this question, you are extremely knowledgeable and I appreciate your input. He doesn't have a bio-data page in his Canadian passport so that's not relevant anyways. Our new 10 year Canadian passports have them now since last year, but his passport is an older one.