Travel on Emergency Passport w/ Tier4 Visa Extension Pending

Hello All,

I'm a U.S. post-doc student studying here in the UK, and 11 weeks ago I submitted my a Tier 4 (Student) Visa Extension Application. My problem is that I need to travel for an academic purpose next Tuesday (the 14th of July).

I have not been able to get any information from the Home Office regarding the status of the application as they say they cannot give any status updates unless one has been waiting for 14 weeks or more. As a result, I went to the U.S. embassy yesterday and got an emergency passport so that I can travel.

However, I have heard that travel outside of the UK even on a valid emergency passport automatically cancels any pending Visa applications. I have also heard that some people have successfully traveled without this happening.

1) Does anyone have any experience with this?

2) Is there any way I can inform/convince the Home Office to let me travel while the application is pending?

3) Failing that, does anyone know of any way to get them to speed up the application so that I receive my permanent passport (and renewed Student Visa) by next week?

Thank you very much for any advice - it is extremely appreciated.

We are having the same problem.

I sent in our visa renewal application in May 2009. They were backlogged and could only fit the biometrics in for us end June 2009. When I phoned them after the 11 weeks of application (which I was told by one of their staff to do), I was told no it is from 14 weeks of biometrics. As if our fault they are backlogged.

To cut a long story short, my husband's mother is very ill in hospital back home and I phoned home office to find out what to do. To get told only way is that they send back our passports and cancel the application and of course keep the monies which was taken back in May already.

It is very frustrating, as I have also heard to go to embassy to get emergency passport, but this will cancel our application once we leave UK.

I do not know which way to go anymore. As 14 weeks from biometrics is October!!!!!

Any help will be appreciated.

Cheers
Traci