How to Prepare for Passport Application (Double Descent)
 

Hi all,

I am applying for a UK passport through the "double descent" route:

- Grandfather born in the UK in 1920
- Grandfather enlists in the RAF in London in 1941 and is stationed in Canada to train pilots
- Marries grandmother in Canada in 1943
- Father born in Canada in 1944 while Grandfather is still in UK Crown Service
- Grandfather leaves RAF in 1945

I practice Canadian immigration law and think I can walk the Home Office through the applicable parts of BNA 1948 and BNA 1982 to prove my citizenship. I am planning on attaching the following documents:

- Grandfather's birth certificate
- Grandparents' marriage certificate
- Father's birth certificate
- Parents' marriage certificate
- My birth certificate
- RAF Certificate of Service and Release
- Enlistment documents proving my grandfather was recruited for Crown Service in the UK

First, am I missing anything? Should I include any other documents?

Second, does the Home Office need all originals? Paper copies? Emailed copies?

Third, besides highlighting how the BNA applies to my situation, can Phillip Gamble or any other specialist do anything more to help my case?

I'd really appreciate any help!

Re: How to Prepare for Passport Application (Double Descent)
 

What year were you born?

Gable would not add value to a case where the records showing recruitment in the UK and release.

Re: How to Prepare for Passport Application (Double Descent)
 

I was born in 1993!

And that's good to know - I took one of their tests and they provide very little info on what value they can actually add to an application.

Re: How to Prepare for Passport Application (Double Descent)
 

You shouldn’t have any problems applying with what you have so long as you include colour copies of the relevant passports. All the other documents should be original however.

Re: How to Prepare for Passport Application (Double Descent)
 

Exactly what I needed to know, thank you very much! Kind of a pain getting all the documents physically from family members, but worth it in the end.

Re: How to Prepare for Passport Application (Double Descent)
 

I used them for a (relatively complex) application that required a balance of probabilities assessment. I know my application would not have been successful if I had applied without them. This is not an endorsement of them - I was not entirely satisfied - but rather the reality of the process for cases similar to my own. I spent weeks on original research in support of my application (I did all the 'work'), but the value for me was the argument they advanced and the back and forth between my immigration advisor and the passport examiner that likely would otherwise not have occurred. Judging by some of the posts in this forum, applications without an immigration advisor are either approved or rejected outright without requests for clarification, additional information, and so on but perhaps this is not always the case. If my case had been as straightforward as yours, though, I would have submitted it on my own.

Their value is highest in relatively complex cases or those that require a balance of probabilities assessment by the Quality and Examination Support Team. That said, they do add value to more straightforward application when the applicant is not comfortable applying on their own by:

Stating precisely how the applicant qualifies. There are straightforward cases featured in this forum that are improperly decided by the passport examiner primarily because no such statement is supplied with the application (such as the straightforward Romein application from a few weeks ago). This can lead to an application taking many more months due to the need for a request for consideration or a fresh application. Even with the supporting statement, passport examiners occasionally make mistakes but the risk is minimized.

Ensuring that all the correct documentation is supplied and not including documentation that is unnecessary. People do frequently neglect to include required documentation, colour photocopies of the passport pages, and so on. This document check avoids delays and rejections.

If the passport examiner believes that the application requires additional evidence or has a question, they will contact the immigration advisor. Based on many of the posts here, those applying on their own are often not extended the same courtesy and have their applications rejected.