Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

Ugh! Just need to vent here...and see if anyone has any good ideas.

My kids and I both have indefinite leave to remain. My passport does not expire for another 5 years, but my kids are going to expire soon. So when they get new passports, they are going to need new Visas stamped in them. I've got my nifty little form NTL as required to apply for them. But here is where it gets annoying. If I were applying for mine, I could put both kids on it as dependants - 1 application, 3 visas, £155.  However, since I don't need a new passport, and therefore do not require a new visa, both kids have to make their own applications as they are not dependants of one another - 2 applications, 2 visas £310.

Does this seem stupid to anyone else?  I don't want to fill out the same form twice, I don't want to spend double the money. Grrrr. Sometimes I really hate these lame processes!

Rosie

Hmmm...that is frustrating!

Couldn't you apply for a new visa anyway...even though it hasn't expired?  Tell them you want to change your name on it or something?  I know when I changed my name on mine, you could either get a little stamp amending your name or you could ask them for a whole new passport.  Wonder if that would work?

I can see why you are frustrated.  It seems to be such red tape.  I think Wishstar is right about looking into name change or something along those lines.  I wish you and yours good luck!!

You could always apply for a new passport early.

Rosie, you don't have to apply for new ILRs if you don't want to.  I emailed the Home Office to ask about this a few months ago -- you can either apply for new ones (and pay) or just carry around your old and new passports when you travel.

Here's the linkage:  http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=6961.0

Wait?  Why do they need new visas?  I've always just got my passport stamped at the airport when I went through immigration-with my old passport as evidence.  Has this changed?  

That's what I thought, on my ILR letter of a few years back, it said that you should carry the old passport with the ILR evidence. I haven't needed to do this yet, but I thought that they would put a new ILR thing in the new passport, they don't do that? You certainly shouldn't have to reapply because you got a new passport.

You don't have to "re-apply" so much as there is a charge for placing the ILR stamp in a new passport.

Rosie, you don't have to apply for new ILRs if you don't want to.  I emailed the Home Office to ask about this a few months ago -- you can either apply for new ones (and pay) or just carry around your old and new passports when you travel.

Here's the linkage:  http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=6961.0

Thank you! You are ever so much more helpful than the home office ladies were yesterday!

The kids are both going to the states in July by themselves. I know it sounds ages away, but it is only 19 weeks. I was a little worried about possible time scale problems - ya never know when they are going to decide to take an extra month or two to process your paperwork.  I think for this trip we will send them with their new passports, their old passprts with the ILR stickers and copies of their Home Office letter. When they get back, I'll bite the bullet and pony up for new stamps if I need to.

I did consider getting myself a new passport, but I couldn't think of any reason I could request one other than "I'm cheap and this is the least expensive option" LOL! Mine is already in my name, so no name changes needed. And honestly I plan to have my new citizenship before I need a new passport.

Thanks so much for your help!

Rosie