Complaint about unfair interview

I had exactly the same experience at the Glasgow IPS office but it just never bothered me. Here are some of the annoying questions that are in no way related to confirmation of my identity.

* How did u come for the interview?
* What colour is your car?
* Whats the registration number of your car?
* Is your house old or new?
* Does your house have high roof?
* Do you have a garage?
* How do you get to the main road when you come out of your house?
* How do you enter your house?
* Do u have a neighbour and do you know her name?
* what do you see when you look out of the window?
* Which shop or store is closest to you?

These are just a few I can remember. It was really annoying but I managed to keep my cool to avoide any complications. Finally got the red book yesterday. Sometimes in life, we just need to play the fool to avoid going the long route to a short destination.

mrworld9 wrote:I had exactly the same experience at the Glasgow IPS office but it just never bothered me. Here are some of the annoying questions that are in no way related to confirmation of my identity.

* How did u come for the interview?
* What colour is your car?
* Whats the registration number of your car?
* Is your house old or new?
* Does your house have high roof?
* Do you have a garage?
* How do you get to the main road when you come out of your house?
* How do you enter your house?
* Do u have a neighbour and do you know her name?
* what do you see when you look out of the window?
* Which shop or store is closest to you?

These are just a few I can remember. It was really annoying but I managed to keep my cool to avoide any complications. Finally got the red book yesterday. Sometimes in life, we just need to play the fool to avoid going the long route to a short destination.

glad i am not the only one. Yeah what you see when you look out of your window does help identify you. NOT. I did manage to keep my cool though yesterday, almost answered in a rude way but I thought it will not do me any favors

cricinfo wrote:

nolia wrote: sent a request update will wait for update and will let know. How long did they take to respond roughly?

I sent the request around 12 and got reply at 14.26. Normally they give you response within 4 hours

responded at 5:10pm and it's positive. I sent email at 2:57pm. They said it will come with DX secure mail

I wouldn't really call it unfair interview but a very strange one indeed. As this interview is only suppose to confirm the identity of the applicant. So they will ask you questions from whatever information you have provided in your application. Like Father/Mother date of birth. When did you attend Oath ceremoney etc. Something that you have already provided in the passport application form. They may not ask you a straight forward question e.g. they may ask how old will be your father this year? Now since you have already given the date of birth you would ofcourse know. So every question is related/suppose to be related to the information you have provided.

I had my interview in London (Victoria) Office and barely took 20 min, infact I was there 1 hours before my actual time and I still didnt had to wait. Same happened with my wife. Quick and fast.
Must be related to a particular office.

nolia wrote:

cricinfo wrote:

nolia wrote: sent a request update will wait for update and will let know. How long did they take to respond roughly?

I sent the request around 12 and got reply at 14.26. Normally they give you response within 4 hours

responded at 5:10pm and it's positive. I sent email at 2:57pm. They said it will come with DX secure mail

That's really a good news. I am sure you will be less angry now with the interviewer

Are you still going to complain?

nolia wrote:

cricinfo wrote:

nolia wrote: sent a request update will wait for update and will let know. How long did they take to respond roughly?

I sent the request around 12 and got reply at 14.26. Normally they give you response within 4 hours

responded at 5:10pm and it's positive. I sent email at 2:57pm. They said it will come with DX secure mail

I got a positive response too. I enquired last night again with the correct bar code and got the response around 11:31. It looks like they take 2 to 3 hours.

Nolia, I did a bit of time working as a border guard in my home country, so I might be able to help explain what was going on in your interview.

When I was trying to judge whether someone was telling the truth in a border interview, oftentimes I wasn't paying as much attention to what someone says as how they say it. What I was really looking out for is a general feeling that something was fishy. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a similar case in a passport interview. If your interviewer were to ask you obvious questions about the stuff you include in your application, that's exactly the sort of thing someone posing as you would have memorised. They could answer easily and coolly. By asking you these slightly weird questions about the layout of your town, how you travelled to the interview, what modules you're doing etc, someone posing as you would probably have to start making stuff up, and that would be more likely to give them away.

I have sympathy for you and others being interviewed, because these weird questions can seem like a waste of time, or like someone is deliberately trying to mess with you. Perhaps your interviewer did ask her questions in a patronising tone. But I can see how asking these slightly left-field questions is part of making sure you're you.

They do sound increasingly like cognitive questioning.

Whilst this is an understandable approach it does however raise the question of what has triggered them to "toughen" the process. With how UKBA have been at airports etc over the last few months it doesnt feel as if it is something good.

jonnyb wrote:Nolia, I did a bit of time working as a border guard in my home country, so I might be able to help explain what was going on in your interview.

When I was trying to judge whether someone was telling the truth in a border interview, oftentimes I wasn't paying as much attention to what someone says as how they say it. What I was really looking out for is a general feeling that something was fishy. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a similar case in a passport interview. If your interviewer were to ask you obvious questions about the stuff you include in your application, that's exactly the sort of thing someone posing as you would have memorised. They could answer easily and coolly. By asking you these slightly weird questions about the layout of your town, how you travelled to the interview, what modules you're doing etc, someone posing as you would probably have to start making stuff up, and that would be more likely to give them away.

I have sympathy for you and others being interviewed, because these weird questions can seem like a waste of time, or like someone is deliberately trying to mess with you. Perhaps your interviewer did ask her questions in a patronising tone. But I can see how asking these slightly left-field questions is part of making sure you're you.

I agree completely. I realised it during my interview that some of the questions being asked, they will never verify these questions. They were just observing myself

I would suggest all the applicants that they need to remain calm during interview and answer the questions to the best of their knowledge. treat the interview as you are meeting with a very old and close friend. The maximum time they will take will no longer more than 30 minutes.

blacksta wrote:Are you still going to complain?

letter sent

jonnyb wrote:Nolia, I did a bit of time working as a border guard in my home country, so I might be able to help explain what was going on in your interview.

When I was trying to judge whether someone was telling the truth in a border interview, oftentimes I wasn't paying as much attention to what someone says as how they say it. What I was really looking out for is a general feeling that something was fishy. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a similar case in a passport interview. If your interviewer were to ask you obvious questions about the stuff you include in your application, that's exactly the sort of thing someone posing as you would have memorised. They could answer easily and coolly. By asking you these slightly weird questions about the layout of your town, how you travelled to the interview, what modules you're doing etc, someone posing as you would probably have to start making stuff up, and that would be more likely to give them away.

I have sympathy for you and others being interviewed, because these weird questions can seem like a waste of time, or like someone is deliberately trying to mess with you. Perhaps your interviewer did ask her questions in a patronising tone. But I can see how asking these slightly left-field questions is part of making sure you're you.

I don't have any problems with them trying to identify me, but the left questions, seriously guys.

I attended my interview today at Victoria and was basically asked about information i provided on the passport application form, people living/has lived in my property and bank/credit cards/voters registration details. It lasted i think about 10 minutes. I was then told to expect my passport within the next 4 working days and that i should contact them if is not delivered within 10 days or so.

I had my interview in Crawley office. I have to admit perhaps I had better circumstances than the people who are unhappy about their interviews as the guy I was talking to was very polite but he asked a lot of questions not connected to my identity. Like
- Is it your first visit to Crawley?
- How did you get here?
- How easy did you find the office? (though it’s just across the road from the station and I am not blind;))
- What type of accommodation do you live in?
- How many floors in your house?
- How many flats?
- How did your parents meet? And so on

And he asked the same questions about my current address, date I moved in there several times. He sort of tried to catch me out. But it’s his job to make sure that a person in front of him isn’t a con artist who is trying to lie his way to a British passport.
As for the questions which are not related to your identity, I believe they look at your body language, face expression (I got this impression because my interviewer was watching me, looking at my reactions) trying to determine how you react to that sort of questions. If you go into a defensive mode I guess this is sort of a signal for them that you have sth to hide. I was very open about every question he asked, answered as fully as I could and my interview lasted about 10-15 minutes. He started by asking me questions about my journey to the interview so questions an interviewee answers honestly. This gave him some idea about my body language, face expression when I am telling the truth

I wonder what the reaction would be if the answers were:

* How did u come for the interview?

Not a superman, so I suppose flying all the way here can be safely ruled out.

* Is your house old or new?

Are you alluding to the date of construction or how I have maintained it?

* Does your house have high roof?

That depends....matter of perspective, isn't it?

* How do you get to the main road when you come out of your house?

Walking, of course....btw, please could you clarify what you mean by the 'main road'?

* How do you enter your house?

Very quietly.... and only occasionally through the window (when I have lost the key to the main door).

* Do u have a neighbour and do you know her name?

Yes, and I wish the neighbour was 'her'.

* what do you see when you look out of the window?

Please could you rephrase that question in a slightly better manner. During the day or during the night time? Window in the front of the house or the backyard window. And looking how far from the window?

* Which shop or store is closest to you?

Shop or store closest to me? Distance as the crow flies, by the car or walking? Closest as in where I shop regularly?

* How did your parents meet?

That, sir, is none of your business.

I'm tempted to put in an FOI request asking them whether their interviewers undergo behavioural detection training, from whom, the cost to the taxpayer and the rate of rejected applicants since it was introduced.

There wa an article (in the telegraph I believe) 1 or 2 years after the interviews were introduced which claimed not a single ID theft was detected in the interviews. IPS would argue that by having the interviews, that alone have stopped people from trying...

mrworld9 wrote:I had exactly the same experience at the Glasgow IPS office but it just never bothered me. Here are some of the annoying questions that are in no way related to confirmation of my identity.

* How did u come for the interview?
By Car
* What colour is your car?
White
* Whats the registration number of your car?
xx-xxx
* Is your house old or new?
Old
* Does your house have high roof?
Yes
* Do you have a garage?
Yes
* How do you get to the main road when you come out of your house?
Driveway
* How do you enter your house?
Front Door
* Do u have a neighbour and do you know her name?
Yes Mz Kelly
* what do you see when you look out of the window?
Road
* Which shop or store is closest to you?
Post Office

These are just a few I can remember. It was really annoying but I managed to keep my cool to avoide any complications. Finally got the red book yesterday. Sometimes in life, we just need to play the fool to avoid going the long route to a short destination.

Above answer are sample. Save your energy, keep cool and enjoy her frustration. One word answer is key for passport interview