stuck in England !!!!!!

[Guest guest569]

We got a nasty shock last friday that my wifes father had had a severe heart attack. The phone call that all migrants dread !!!

Trolled through the net and got flights to the uk as quick as we could to see him. We are all Australian citizens and the 2 kids have Australian passports.However the wife and i only still have British passports as they still have a few years left on them and we didn't want the expence of having two at the same time . We were going to get Australian when the others had run out like the kids.

We have heard stories of people in this situation that have been told they need a re-entry visa to get back into Oz. As it was the weekend and immigration was closed when we booked we had no choice but to go for it !!! everybody at immigration i have spoken to ( adelaide, Hong Kong and Heathrow ) have told me different things ????? So i've phoned Australia House in London and am now being told the only way i can return to Australia is with an Australian passport !!!! getting the forms filled in today was a nightmare as living in Adelaide for the last 6 years and then trying to find a teacher, doctor, policeman ect.. who has known you for a couple of years ( and you've kept in touch with !!!) was harder than expected, ive also only got 7 working days left here so they will have to be expressed !$!$!$$$$

Lets hope today in London goes smoothly as with all the other stress thats going on at the moment i might flip and end up on the news at 10 !!!!

 

So all the Aus citizens out there with their British passports thinking it will be alright and will just get a slapped wrist , think again !! Save yourself the stress and get your new Aus ones .

 

Rant over. Sorry everyone. 4 am and wide awake !!! Bloody jet lag !!!

[Guest mez10]

My sister's been here 16years now and she has both Aussie and UK, she uses the UK one to get into UK (beat the queues) and the Aussie one to get back home (same again) Though she goes back every 18mnths (worth it she says)

[Diane]

Sorry to hear your news, fingers crossed things work out for your father in law.

 

As you've found out though, once you take citizenship, any visa you had beforehand is thenceforth effectively cancelled and you need to get your Aussie passport sorted out straight away. Happened to the son of a friend of mine, and he only found out once he was in England, so there was a lot of fedexing of certificates over to London, and he had to get his aussie passport through the embassy there.

[Guest Coleen&Darren]

Hi

 

So sorry to hear your news and we keep our fingers crossed for your father in laws speedy recovery, Darren was going to text you today to see how you were as we kept seeing your cars in your drive and wondered if you was ok, thought you may have gone on hols or something then Darren said you told him you go on holiday at xmas.

I know there is nothing we can do but will keep everything crossed it all works out with the least amount of stress as thats the last thing you need.

 

Keep in touch or let us know if there is anything at all we can do to help

 

Coleen Philpott x

[Guest Guest5035]

you'll be right mate..

 

stevo

[Guest guest569]

Passport office tell me that the earliest appointment they can do is next thurs. They don't understand i fly out on the sunday !!!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!! Immigration say they can't help us !!!! What a totaly stupid system !!!!!!!

[Guest Guest5035]

Passport office tell me that the earliest appointment they can do is next thurs. They don't understand i fly out on the sunday !!!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!! Immigration say they can't help us !!!! What a totaly stupid system !!!!!!!

 

mate, not their fault, you quoted, "didn't want the expense"..just get your australian one, then change your name to passionate oz

stevo

[Guest guest569]

we are trying to get our oz passports but they say the next available appointment to apply is 1st dec. We fly back on the 4th so not enough time !!!! They say the only thing they can suggest is we miss our return till they issue us a passport then buy a one way ticket for all 4 of us to get home LATE !!!

I'm sure one of my citizenship questions was " whats the benefit of being an oz citizen ??" the answer was the help and back up support you recieve whilst abroad and in need.

[Guest Guest5035]

just get on the plane fly back, show them your passports and citizenship papers, explain what went wrong, blah blah blah, sit in a office at adelaide airport for 2 hours while they check you out and you'll be right.

 

stevo

[Guest guest569]

we can fly as far as Hong kong with no questions asked on a british passport. been told at Hong kong with all the language breakdown they will not let us board for Aus.

[Guest Guest5035]

hire a boat and its crew, no problem getting into australia then

 

stevo

[MeJulie]

Oh no what an awful situation to be in, stress, stress, stress!! Hope you get it sorted sooner than later. Airlines wont let you board if you dont have visa/correct passport (they get huge fines if they do)

 

Julie

[Guest Billyboy]

Best Luck Bob,must be very stressful all that crap on top of your family problems.It's good that you have have found time to warn others of this.Hope all works out well.

[Guest Crushfamily]

we can fly as far as Hong kong with no questions asked on a british passport. been told at Hong kong with all the language breakdown they will not let us board for Aus.

 

My passport has no sign of a visa - how are they going to check? Do as Stevo says!

[MeJulie]

My passport has no sign of a visa - how are they going to check? Do as Stevo says!

 

They are checked electronically, as soon as they scan the passport they will know there is no current visa!

[Guest Crushfamily]

At Hong Kong or Adelaide?

[MeJulie]

Will be checked in hong kong before boarding for Aus

[Guest Guest5035]

go for it believe me you'll be right.

 

these people might help you if you get stuck in hong kong

 

http://www.redcross.org.au/migration-support.aspx

 

stevo

[Guest guest3462]

I know this sounds a bit backward seeing as you are a citizen, but not having a visa in your uk passport could you not pay £20 and get an immediate issue eta tourist visa just to get you back into oz then you can get your aus passport as soon as possible in case you have to go back?

[Janine and Richard]

Hiya

 

We are on a 475 visa and I went back to the uk in Aug 2011. I booked in at Birmingham Airport and was only given boarding passess up to KL I was advised I would need to transfer at KL thought it was strange but didnt query it. Got to KL and they would not transfer me as there was a problem with my visa??? I had to wait two hours in KL so they could contact Immigration in OZ to check me out. This was ok as the flight was seven hours way. But it was scary at the time because I did not know what was going on and why there was a problem with the visa. They did sort it out in the end.

 

So you will only get so far without the right visa/paperwork.

 

Regards Janine

[Guest Guest5035]

thats why i keep saying go for it..

 

stevo

[ian mc]

"Ye go for it do what Stevo says" I am sure you have got nothing else to worry about. You would be stuck in Hong kong for a week trying to fix passports out for yourself and your wife I am sure you dont need that at this time with everything else going on.

thats why i keep saying go for it..

 

stevo

[Guest guest569]

if we had longer in hong kong i would go for it !! Cathay pacific have been really good and have offered to extend our stay for free to the next available day.

The wifes father came out of his coma today aswell so good news all round !!!

[foxychick]

I was going to suggest what Julia has suggested - get a tourist visa for now? should at least get you to aussie shores, then, you may have to sit in immigration there, but at least you would be back? Good news about your wifes father

[Guest Peachie]

Why can't you get a holiday visa for six quid on line (e visa??) to get you passed the hong kong barriers they will let you get on the plane then you will sort the rest out in adelaide you might cope a bit for the visa if they even check!!! but considering that you left aus in an emergency they will help you sort it out in adelaide airport

 

Deb x