First of all many thanks to this forum for the incredibly helpful information on all things visas and immigration, I have been a long time reader and with this, a first-time poster.
I am a US citizen with ILR living in and currently at the moment inside the UK. This week my home was burglarised and all of my ID documents, including my current/previous passport, US and UK driving license, and current ILR BRP card were stolen. I have filed a police report and reported the BRP card as lost/stolen.
I have an appointment this week at the US embassy to request either an emergency passport or a full replacement passport. Also, like many of the forum members, I have several work and holiday related trips scheduled over the next week (5 days from now) / and months and if possible would like to travel and resolve these issues as soon as possible.
My questions would be the following:
- Is it necessary to wait to apply for the replacement ILR BRP card until after I have a passport, or can I submit a BRP replacement request now (I heard a BRP replacement can take weeks to months)? The form asks for the original documentation like passports which I do not have anymore of course. However, I have all the digital copies of my former passports and documentation I submitted for ILR
- If I should get a passport first, should I request an emergency US passport (no biometric chip, could be processed in 1-2 days) just to have some ID and then apply for the BRP, or wait first several weeks for the full validity passport then apply for the BRP? Is it possible to apply for a new passport (e.g. an exchange from emergency to full validity) while the months-long BRP replacement process is ongoing?
- As a non-visa national with ILR, is it possible to travel outside of the UK while waiting for the BRP? I have seen mixed comments on this forum, with users like Zimba saying that the ILR status would be sufficient to grant entry (regardless if the e-gate were used) while others recommending not to leave the UK during this application process. I usually use the e-gates with no further questioning / issue in my normal travels but last year had to speak with the Border official when the gate did not work. I forgot to bring my BRP at the time, but after some questioning he let me through.