Delays if you lost old passports?

Hey all,

So I don't have my old passport I used to first enter the country a good 8 years back. I noted this down in my application and the post office check and send person very grumpily told me that my application would be delayed.

Given that passport was cancelled and they do only ask for uncanceled passports, how much do you think this delay will be?

Anyone experience this?

My ILR BRP was linked to my current passport which I submitted and which is still active.

Chamelion,

There is no need to submit original Cancelled Passports or mention them. For a Passport Application the Current Travel document along with the Original Certification of Naturalisation is all that is needed.
cheers
vr

chamelion wrote:Hey all,


Given that passport was cancelled and they do only ask for uncanceled passports, how much do you think this delay will be?

You already know that they only ask for uncancelled passport.

So bascially you did not submitt something that they do not ask for.

Based on this, I would say there would be a substantial delay of zero days.

thanks so much guys. can't tell you how rude the post office woman was. When I pointed out the whole only wanting uncanceled passports thing she said "why even bother coming to check and send if you'll disagree with everything I say."

I don't know why people bother with check and send.

For first passport applicants, check and send is a waste of time and money.

Actually Ayyubi72 you will find that around 250,000 passport applications are rejected each year because the form is not completed correctly so the check and send service can be beneficial for many.

For immigrants who have filled visa applications and been through naturalisation process etc, I think passport application is a walk in the park.

Its nothing more than writing your details, and adding info from naturalisation cert.

250 000 are rejected every year because a third of the population of the country cannot read and write properly.

Agree the service is a waste and a walk in the park for those of us who have dealt with visa application forms and residency applications all our life! Only reason I did it is because they definitely process applications sent via check and send faster than if you apply directly. Check passport timelines thread the evidence is quite clear.

Dear Amber,

Why talk of the 250,000 who cant read or write properly? Is there any statistics to show how many Naturalisation Certificates were issued with wrong spellings and and wrong names despite the Form AN being correctly filled up? Also was there any followup action taken to ensure these errors were reduced or did they fire the erring staff?

The more you interact with people and problems, the more you feel bewildered and disgusted at the way this whole migrant journey is handled.
cheers
vr

M8,

Whatsup? These days you have moved from Iceland to romantic stuff!!

''Walk in the park'', ''Date in Preston'', ''Riding a high horse''!! Whats happening friend. Share with us!! LOL And by the by did you find your preston date??
cheers
vr

I beg to disagree. There is no system to differentiate between check and send and direct applications. Check and send applications get to HMPO just like any other SD mail. Once the mail is processed, all the applications go through the same motions.

On the contrary, many a times some post offices will hold the applications for a day or two, in the hope they will get more people applying and they can send more than one application under one SD envelope, and making them a few more bobs.

And actually, SD mail is not any safer than recorded delivery. Most of the times, first class recorded is also delivered next day. Recorded delivery is tracked all the way exactly like SD. The only benefit with SD is that it has a bigger claim cover if the mail gets lost.

VR wrote:M8,

Whatsup? These days you have moved from Iceland to romantic stuff!!

''Walk in the park'', ''Date in Preston'', ''Riding a high horse''!! Whats happening friend. Share with us!! LOL And by the by did you find your preston date??
cheers
vr

I pondered over private ceremony. I rang them to arrange, and they quoted £ 50. But I quickly changed my mind. There was no rush so I booked for the first available group ceremony date on 8th Jan 2014. Ten minutes later the lady rang me back and said that she can book me on for an earlier date of 18th December. I agreed, so I am now booked for 18th Dec.

Long live the queeeeen .............................

Ayyubi72 wrote:I beg to disagree. There is no system to differentiate between check and send and direct applications. Check and send applications get to HMPO just like any other SD mail. Once the mail is processed, all the applications go through the same motions.

I don't think this is true. HMPO state the standard application service time for C&S is a week faster (as less checks need to be done).

I found that even for experienced visa applicants, C&S is good value. They saved me twice in the past. The passport office are very strict on the application and the photos and having someone familiar with those restrictions going over the application is worth it especially if this is your first passport application.

Jambo wrote:
HMPO state the standard application service time for C&S is a week faster (as less checks need to be done).

I wonder what these less checks are, or rather what extra checks are there for direct applicants? They still have to input all the info on their computer systems manually. A post office staff will be no more knowledgeable than someone frequenting this forum. We hear on this forum regularly is that post office staff gave or adviced them wrongly.

And what are those strict hidden requirements for passport application that only PO staff are knowledgeable about?

Anyways, I think its a personal choice. There is also an element of people feeling better after spending a bit more money than they need to.

Jambo and Ayyubi,

While the PO C&S service may be useful overall, they are not error proof either, as it happened a month ago with my friends application. Actually he sent it across through them and the Passport office got back to him saying there was with a problem on the Naturalisation Certificate.

For the money paid for the service I thought they should have stopped the application from going across if there was any discrepancy in the first place.

This whole thing is a gamble. Many may be lucky, but a few find themselves at the receiving end and that is when the delays, tensions, anxieties etc kick in isnt it? and the system and its weakness get exposed.
cheers
vr

Conclusion: on the whole the Migrant lady till the Red Passport comes to hand is a roller coaster ride. If you manage to get off it unscathed well and good! Else a trip to the GP will inevitably have to follow!

I agree with the learned Jambo. Also, VR I never insinuated that anyone could or could not spell properly. I just stated that around 1/4 of a million Passport applications are rejected each year, not necessarily due to spelling mistakes, for a whole host of reasons. As Jambo states, the HM Passport Office are particular.

I will grab a passport application form and I will make a post "first time passport application for dummies"



See there is lot of confusing things in the application form, like Name, DOB, Address.

Also some very hard questions like

Were you born outside UK? Now they must clarify what UK actually stands for.

Have you naturalised or registered as British Citizen? How is one supposed to know if they naturalised or not?

They also ask for date and place of naturalisation. Can they not find out themselves from the attached certificate?

Do you want your documents returned via secure mail for £ 3.

I mean how one is supposed to add £ 3 to application fees? Now do they want people to buy calculators to do these complex sums?

Oh, and they want passport photos that are not available from a million photo kiosks. You have to go to a specialist chartered certified photographer who has the full and in depth knowledge about the passport photo requirements.

Ayyubi72 wrote:I will grab a passport application form and I will make a post "first time passport application for dummies"



See there is lot of confusing things in the application form, like Name, DOB, Address.

Also some very hard questions like

Were you born outside UK? Now they must clarify what UK actually stands for.

Have you naturalised or registered as British Citizen? How is one supposed to know if they naturalised or not?

They also ask for date and place of naturalisation. Can they not find out themselves from the attached certificate?

Do you want your documents returned via secure mail for £ 3.

I mean how one is supposed to add £ 3 to application fees? Now do they want people to buy calculators to do these complex sums?

Oh, and they want passport photos that are not available from a million photo kiosks. You have to go to a specialist chartered certified photographer who has the full and in depth knowledge about the passport photo requirements.

I consider myself to be slightly knowledgeable about immigration forms but as I said I got caught twice by C&S for issues with the photos I had. It's a personal choice. For the £8 they charge (which would only be a few quids more than sending it recorded delivery myself), I think it is a good value. Naturally, some PO branches are better than others. I had a good experience which I wanted to share. That's all.

Jambo, you are wasting your valuable time with Ayyubi72, he is on very -thin ice- for his cantankerous nature.

Dear Amber,

Never doubted your intent or questioned it! Also having been familiar with Forums since 1993, I never form judgements based on web communication.

I dont know if I alone feel this way. I work in IT and am accountable for every bit of the work I do. Dealing with these Home office folks and hearing of others experiences makes me feel something drastic needs to be done to reduce the anxieties of migrants.
Many a politician have said they are not fit for purpose but what is really being done to improve services is anybody's gues.
Best Rgds
vr

No problem VR, I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I was making the judgmental comment about peoples literacy rate and applications failing. The most intelligent people make mistakes. Indeed, I am not sure I have met a person who has not made an error on a form. Even more so when you are doing them often (complacence). Keep up the positive and helpful posts and I am sure that your -thin ice- will be eventually removed

Dear Amber,

I objected to some comments made by a fellow boarder and took him on as nobody was doing anything about his posts. Nothing personal . Then forged a peaceful co-existence with him.

See we do things without expectation. Last thing you care about is a virtual board giving you a certificate or a tag. Help when you can and where you can.

On a personal note, I am about to go far far away on project and the limited time I have I am trying to help fellow migrants.

Best Regards,
vr