Albanian/Kosovan Unable to Obtain Passport

Hi all, looking for a bit of advise regarding passports/travel documents.

I entered the UK as a minor in 2001 claiming asylum as a Kosovan. I was in fact travelling over from Albania. I was granted stay but asylum was rejected and was given discretionary leave. In 2004 I got into some trouble (still as a minor) and was convicted and given a three year prison sentence serving 18 months. In 2007, the UK started deportation process on me which was appealed by my solicitor and after going all the way to supreme courts, I was eventually told I could stay in the country.

I have been on discretionary leave to remain extensions ever since.

This year I married a British citizen and we started looking at potentially applying for indefinite leave the remain. I requested my file from the Home Office and this was given to my solicitor. It has transpired that I wont be eligible for indefinite until 2022 due to the conviction (have to wait 15 years after sentence finishes) also on review of my file, my solicitor failed to apply for an extension on September 2011 - September 2012 leaving a year gap.

The issue now is that I haven't been able to travel due to 1. Not being a British citizen with a British passport 2. Falsely claiming Kosovan citizenship and subsequently unable to obtain a kosovan passport as I dont have a kosovan birth certificate 3. I do not fall into any British travel document categories.

Has anyone else had this issue or is there any advise anyone has?

Thanks all

Apply for the Albanian passport that you are entitled to.

Frontier Mole wrote: ↑

Fri May 10, 2019 7:29 am

Apply for the Albanian passport that you are entitled to.

Would I not have issues travelling with this in and out of the country if I am registered as Kosovan?

The Home Office knows you are not from Kosovo. If you were you could have produced a birth certificate, ID card etc. There were 1000’s of Albanians who did exactly what you did. There is no reason not to get an Albanian passport as you were not granted asylum so there is no restrictions in you holding an Albanian passport or even traveling to Albania.

You have leave to remain under discretionary leave, it does not prevent you exercising your right to a passport from your country of origin. No one is coming after you to remove your leave because you have gained a passport from your actual country.
Obviously you are treated as an Albanian for travel purposes once you have a passport. Many countries will require you to have a visa and there is a reasonable possibility that it will not be granted for some of the countries your wife can readily travel too visa free.