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Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

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Zainabalvi
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Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by Zainabalvi » Mon Mar 30, 2020 4:56 am

Hi,
I'm stuck in India and have indefinite leave to remain in the UK but I'm an Indian passport holder.

The UK government are planning to evacuate the Brits stranded in India. Do I find myself eligible to ask the UK govt to allow me to return to the UK alongside the British nationals?

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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by CR001 » Mon Mar 30, 2020 6:46 am

Unlikely. It is for British citizens, not those who hold visas or ilr.
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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by blondesafari » Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:56 am

No. Even Dual British passport holders cannot expect help from the British Government if they are in the country of their other passport. It’s in the small print.

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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by seagul » Mon Mar 30, 2020 6:50 pm

Even those British citizens who never have any other citizenship are also still trapped overseas such as in indonesia, Peru etc.
The opinion expressed as above is neither a professional advice nor contesting/competing to other member's opinion/advice.

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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by secret.simon » Mon Mar 30, 2020 10:32 pm

blondesafari wrote:
Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:56 am
No. Even Dual British passport holders cannot expect help from the British Government if they are in the country of their other passport. It’s in the small print.
Can you link to this "small print"?

To the OP:See this article on the gov.uk website New government partnership with airlines to fly back more tourists stranded abroad.

Note that it encourages taking commercial flights where possible. There are direct Air India flights and indirect (Kenya Airways and LOT Airways) flights from India to the UK after April 15th (though of course a lot can change before then).

Remember that the first priority of the Foreign Office will be British citizens (though I doubt that they will distinguish between solely British and dual British citizens; that applies to consular access, by international law, not to humanitarian flights).

It is highly likely that you will not be eligible for assistance as you are not a British citizen (particularly as you are an Indian citizen in India), but there is no harm in contacting the relevant British (Deputy) High Commission in your part of India (possibly via social media) to check with them directly. They are best placed to advise you.

But, as mentioned by others, keep in mind that the British authorities are responsible for British nationals globally. They may not be able to assist or may not prioritise ILR and other visa holders.
I am not a lawyer or immigration advisor. My statements/comments do not constitute legal advice. E&OE. Please do not PM me for advice.

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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by blondesafari » Tue Mar 31, 2020 8:06 am

Hi Secret Simon. It’s on the front page of this Gov.UK, so, not even in small print, but BOLD. I hold Dual and was told this when I applied.

https://www.gov.uk/dual-citizenship

“Travelling abroad
As a dual national you cannot get diplomatic help from the British government when you are in the other country where you hold citizenship.

For example, if you hold both British and Chinese citizenship you cannot get diplomatic help from the UK when you’re in China.”

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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by alterhase58 » Tue Mar 31, 2020 9:32 am

What is the definition of "diplomatic help"?
In my mind certainly, if you are imprisoned, especially where human rights are concerned.
However, if you have been robbed of your British passport, cards and cash? Would the embassy just say you are a dual citizen, not our problem?
And the unfortunate British travellers now stranded in all corners of the world are expected to pay their share of the costs of repatriation, unless they or the government can recover this from the airline and/or insurance companies.
This is just my opinion as a member of this forum and does not constitute immigration advice.
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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by bobby525 » Tue Mar 31, 2020 1:11 pm

HI

In addition to the OP, my parents are in a similar position. My father/Mother/Uncle and Aunt are all stranded in India are all over 70 with various health issues. All are British Citizens except for my mother who is a india passport holder with ILR. She also applied for British citizenship via the windrush program in Nov 2019. She was advised by her case worker to pause the application while travelling abroad in case she was granted British Citizenship while abroad.

I guess the rules would say only British Citizens (Father/Uncle/Aunt) would be entitled to the repatriation flights. However leaving my mother at her age behind by herself is not an option. During the registration process with the embassy i did register her details along with the others. However like others i only received the automated response from the embassy so far.

Can anyone advise what my options are in the absence of commercial flights?

thanks in advance

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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by blondesafari » Tue Mar 31, 2020 1:55 pm

alterhase58 wrote:
Tue Mar 31, 2020 9:32 am
What is the definition of "diplomatic help"?
In my mind certainly, if you are imprisoned, especially where human rights are concerned.
However, if you have been robbed of your British passport, cards and cash? Would the embassy just say you are a dual citizen, not our problem?
And the unfortunate British travellers now stranded in all corners of the world are expected to pay their share of the costs of repatriation, unless they or the government can recover this from the airline and/or insurance companies.
More and more complications of dual nationality are coming out which makes me question the wisdom of keeping mine. I have been following the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran since the beginning, and I read somewhere that it is because of her dual nationality (British/Iranian), which has complicated the negotiations about her release. Now, this new complication..... if I happened to be in my birth country during this time, I’m wondering how this would affect my repatriation to the U.K.? When entering my birth country, I have been told that I have to use that country’s passport, not my British one. The same applies when I leave that country. I will never move back to that country permanently, so, I am questioning why I should keep that passport now, other than sentiment. Being a dual national also affects your security clearance level. You cannot get the top level with dual nationality. It seems that there are more cons than pros.

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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by secret.simon » Tue Mar 31, 2020 2:23 pm

alterhase58 wrote:
Tue Mar 31, 2020 9:32 am
What is the definition of "diplomatic help"?
In my mind certainly, if you are imprisoned, especially where human rights are concerned.
However, if you have been robbed of your British passport, cards and cash? Would the embassy just say you are a dual citizen, not our problem?
And the unfortunate British travellers now stranded in all corners of the world are expected to pay their share of the costs of repatriation, unless they or the government can recover this from the airline and/or insurance companies.
blondesafari wrote:
Tue Mar 31, 2020 8:06 am
Hi Secret Simon. It’s on the front page of this Gov.UK, so, not even in small print, but BOLD. I hold Dual and was told this when I applied.

https://www.gov.uk/dual-citizenship

“Travelling abroad
As a dual national you cannot get diplomatic help from the British government when you are in the other country where you hold citizenship.

For example, if you hold both British and Chinese citizenship you cannot get diplomatic help from the UK when you’re in China.”
Correct. That is consular access. As per international law, you don't have access to consular support from the UK if you are also the citizen of the country that you are currently in.

But humanitarian flights are not consular support or diplomatic help. It is just provision for you to return to your home in the UK. So I am not sure that dual citizens can't take advantage of the flights to return to the UK, especially as they have to pay at least part of the cost anyway.
blondesafari wrote:
Tue Mar 31, 2020 1:55 pm
More and more complications of dual nationality are coming out which makes me question the wisdom of keeping mine. I have been following the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran since the beginning, and I read somewhere that it is because of her dual nationality (British/Iranian), which has complicated the negotiations about her release. Now, this new complication..... if I happened to be in my birth country during this time, I’m wondering how this would affect my repatriation to the U.K.? When entering my birth country, I have been told that I have to use that country’s passport, not my British one. The same applies when I leave that country. I will never move back to that country permanently, so, I am questioning why I should keep that passport now, other than sentiment. Being a dual national also affects your security clearance level. You cannot get the top level with dual nationality. It seems that there are more cons than pros.
Some people would have a strong attachment to their original nationality/identity, some would have family that they would want to visit regularly, for some it may be necessary to be a citizen of a country in which they have or hope to have property (i.e. foreign citizens are barred from inheriting or acquiring certain types of properties). So it really is dependent on the circumstances and feelings of the individual person as to whether it is worth having dual citizenship or not.
I am not a lawyer or immigration advisor. My statements/comments do not constitute legal advice. E&OE. Please do not PM me for advice.

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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by secret.simon » Tue Mar 31, 2020 2:34 pm

bobby525 wrote:
Tue Mar 31, 2020 1:11 pm
Can anyone advise what my options are in the absence of commercial flights?
India is known to have some quite excellent private health provisions (such as the Apollo chain of hospitals). Indeed, some Brits travel to India specifically for health reasons (i.e. the hospitals are supposed to be cleaner, the health care more superior, etc). So perhaps you may have to look at registering her with a local private hospital, until commercial flights start up again.
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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by secret.simon » Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:57 pm

Updates as to repatriation plans.

https://twitter.com/lisaocarroll/status ... 0647502851

The Guardian: First British rescue flight set to depart as part of £75m operation
Nicola Pollitt, the British ambassador in Nepal, confirmed there would be charter flights out of the country and that ticket prices would be capped.

She also revealed on social media that British Gurkhas had been helping to extract tourists from remote locations, including six trekkers in the Himalayan Langtang region and seven in the mountainous district of Manang.
...
In India, the acting high commissioner is under severe pressure from worried Britons to reveal details of flights. Jan Thompson said there were “many thousand of British nationals” stranded and that the dates and location of flights would be announced as soon as they were confirmed.
Not to put a dampener on the discussions in these threads, but I wonder if these repatriations will lead to the same type of reactions in the UK that occurred in Canada, a country much more liberally minded towards immigration, in 2006.
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Re: Stuck in India, can I get UK GOVT HELP FOR EVACUATION?

Post by secret.simon » Mon Apr 06, 2020 3:07 pm

Update

UKinIndia High Commission on Twitter

The links in the tweet state, among other things,
Special return flights have been arranged for <<dates vary per airport>>. If you complete this registration, you should have your bags packed and be prepared to depart <<airport>> by the afternoon of <<date>>.

Please note that registration does not guarantee a place on a flight. You will be sent further information if you are allocated a flight. Those who are not allocated a place on a flight will be put on a waitlist for the next available set of flights.

These flights are offered to UK travellers who normally reside in the UK and their direct dependants (spouses and children, regardless of nationality, only). Anyone found not eligible to fly will be denied boarding and we reserve the right to deduct an administration fee before offering any refund.
So, based on that language, I would assume that @Zainabalvi and all of @bobby525's relatives mentioned in their post would be able to apply to use these facilities.

Be aware that as per the replies to the tweet, the one-way fare per ticket is about £600. So Home Office pricing, even though the flights are being organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

And currently the service is only for eligible people resident in Delhi, Goa and Mumbai. Because of Indian rules about the movement of people, people living elsewhere may have issues accessing the flights/airports. Therefore the form requires you to enter your GPS location as well.
I am not a lawyer or immigration advisor. My statements/comments do not constitute legal advice. E&OE. Please do not PM me for advice.

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