Hello all. Just wanted to share my recent experience of applying for a Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode for my daughters in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. I am British by birth, married to a Malaysian, and our daughters were born in Malaysia. This was my third application over the last 10 years or so (unfortunately, Malaysian passports are only valid for 5-years)
On the previous two applications, in 2010 and 2015 the application form was relatively short and was submitted via VFS in Kuala Lumpur and was decided by the British High Commission, again in Kuala Lumpur. Access to information was also quite good, and I received replies to messages I sent to VFS, and also the UK visa authorities. There was a document checklist available and generally things were quite transparent.
On this third occasion, it quickly dawned on me that there has been a drastic overhaul of the whole process, with information available online, which often lacked clarity, with no access to email or telephone support, unless you paid for it, and even when you do, the replies received are rather generic (I tried, and the 5 pounds charged to send an email is ridiculous, especially considering the reply just signposted me to a website).
1. The online application
The form is rather long, and numerous questions including previous applications, number of visits to the UK, and elsewhere, details of family members living in the UK etc etc. I answered all questions. I read somewhere to specify 'British' as nationality of the applicant on the form. I however opted for Malaysian, as my daughters of course have Malaysian passports. I kept financial details to a minimum, simply stating the cost of the flight ticket home to London.
2. Evidence.
There is lots of information regarding submission of documents, what to submit and what not to submit etc. Bottom line is, need to provide evidence that substantiate the applicant claim to ROA.
I submitted
A. My full UK birth certificate
B. My daughters consular birth certificates
C. Local/Malaysian birth certificates with Kuala Lumpur sessions court certified English translation
D. UK Marriage certificate
E. TB certificate
F. Letter of support, in which I highlight the relevant immigration legislation, (in this case British Nationality act 1981, Section 2(1)(a)) that grants my daughters ROA.
No photographs were required, as these were taken electronically at the VFS centre, and ROA applications are exempt from biometrics.
I submitted color photocopies of all the above documents (except F). Since I submitted two applications, I gave two copies of everything, one for each application.
3. Additional details
I paid VFS for the 'Bronze service' and I also paid extra for them to certify all the color copies. A member of staff went through my application and documents, checking everything was in order, and then stamped the color copies as genuine. He then returned all originals to me. The color copies were then scanned into the system during submission (not the originals)
I asked VFS staff a few questions regarding the application and I was told they are not permitted to give any advice, and that all information is available online.
Important to note that my daughters Malaysian birth certificates are laminated, which has been brought up in some posts as a potential problem. However I think since I provided color copies, and paid for the certification service, and they scanned the copies and not the originals, this was not an issue.
4. Submission
I submitted the application on the morning of the 3rd of August and received an SMS acknowledgment from VFS on the same day, stating my applications had been forwarded to UKVI Sheffield.
UKVI Sheffield emailed me on on the 9th of August, stating my applications had been received.
Received an SMS on the 28th of August from VFS, stating that my processed application for GWxxxxxxxxx etc was received, and with no further correspondence, I got the passports back via courier on the 30th of August, thankfully with a COE stamps.
All in all, it was quite a lengthy and demanding process, trying to make sense of all the information out there. I'm glad it's over, for now. Next time, I anticipate the applications will be from within the UK, which apparently can take up to 6 months.
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