Legal Matters: Pre-Move to UK

his father was born in Northern Ireland and still lives there, so he is a British citizen. I want him to have both and American and British passport. I get along well enough with his bio father, but my husband will have a heart attack if I have any contact with him. this is so jerry springer  :\\\'(

Hey, I've definitely heard worse. 

Could you use a practical approach when talking to your husband about contact with the ex?  Along the lines of, "getting our son's British passport will make moving so much easier and open up so many new doors for him - and it'll save us oodles of money!"  Assuming you move over on a work permit, you're looking at around £200 for an initial visa for your son as a dependent, plus extensions, plus an eventual settlement application after a few years (currently £750!) plus an eventual naturalisation application (currently £655!).  From a financial point of view, contacting the ex to get this passport thing taken care of should be a no-brainer. 

Also, you'll likely need to consult a lawyer to get all the formalities ironed out, so perhaps you can suggest to your husband that you and your ex make all contact through the lawyer? 

Irish citizenship for your son is going to be so much easier....no permission, just the documents...


Vicky

Irish citizenship for your son is going to be so much easier....no permission, just the documents...


Vicky

Vicky, I'm curious...how exactly is this possible?  The biological dad's from Northern Ireland; it's the step-father that's Irish.   Are those born in Northern Ireland also eligible for Irish citizenship?  If so, how is proving Irish citizenship through the biological father going to be any easier than proving British citizenship (in terms of permission, etc.)?

Are those born in Northern Ireland also eligible for Irish citizenship?

In many cases, yes...most people born in Northern Ireland can claim both British and Irish citizenship.

In many cases, yes...most people born in Northern Ireland can claim both British and Irish citizenship.

Still means she's going to have to contact the ex, though....and if she's planning to live in the UK and eventually go for UK citizenship herself, it'd make more sense to get the British passport for her son.

I'm just curious. If the ex is not on the birth certificate, wouldn't you need to get him on the birth certificate before you can apply for a passport through him? And if that's the case, could it have an effect on the castodial issues?

I'm just curious. If the ex is not on the birth certificate, wouldn't you need to get him on the birth certificate before you can apply for a passport through him? And if that's the case, could it have an effect on the castodial issues?

She said the ex is on the birth certificate.

I get along well enough with his bio father, but my husband will have a heart attack if I have any contact with him. this is so jerry springer  :\\\'(

I think your husband should be adult enough to realise that your ex is the bio-father of your child.  I don't see why he would have such a problem with you contacting him, especially if you and he get along ok. 

She said the ex is on the birth certificate.

Oops, sorry I missed that post.

I think your husband should be adult enough to realise that your ex is the bio-father of your child.  I don't see why he would have such a problem with you contacting him, especially if you and he get along ok. 

Agree with that.

Ok, here's an update. I went to the British Consulate and found out that my son DOES need a visa to come to England with me when I start my job. They referred me to a website (you aren;t allowed to speak to live humans at the Consulates anymore) for more info and to complete the application. of course, the website is unclear about what form to fill out and what particular visa to apply for if i am going to live there and have a work permit and want my dependent to join me. UGHHHHHHH!!! and to call for clarification costs $3 per minute. this is so frustrating.

bio dad's name is on his birth cert, and i don't know if this means that i have sole custody, since he lives in northern ireland. he has refused to help me in any way. lawyer says that my husband can sign his passport application because my state has a presumtive paternity law, which means that he is legally my son's father, regardless of whose name is on the birth cert. of course, trying to deal with two national governments on this is a nightmare. i can't get the passport without a travel date, and i can't get a travel date until my employer decides when that is, and i can't get the visa without the passport. it's a big mess, and i have feeling that i am going to have to fight tooth and nail to make this all happen. 

thanks to everyone who is writing back on this. i feel like the brits are not very supportive or helpful, even though they are eager for me and my other new american co-workers to get there. It's nice to hear advice and support from other americans who have gone through this!

thanks to everyone who is writing back on this. i feel like the brits are not very supportive or helpful,

Some of those who have helped you on this thread are British.

Vicky

thanks to everyone who is writing back on this. i feel like the brits are not very supportive or helpful, even though they are eager for me and my other new american co-workers to get there. It's nice to hear advice and support from other americans who have gone through this!

For British citizens trying to get a visa for the US, the process can be just as frustrating - it's not just the British Consulates that are difficult to contact and get information from.

You can only contact the US embassy to book a visa appointment (at a cost of $2.50 per minute) and the phone operators are not allowed to answer any questions about the application process itself - there appears to be no number for general enquiries either. The only way you can find out information is to go to their website - and even that's not clear.

When I was trying to get my US student visa (I'm one of the Brits on this board) a few months ago, it cost me about $40 in phone calls just to make the visa appointment, then I had to wait 2 months for the appointment, spend $24 dollars on 2 passport photos (US size), travel to London for the appointment and then spend 4 hours sitting in a chair waiting for my number to be called for a 2-minute interview!

About the US Embassy process, the American Embassy in Moscow requires that applications be submitted on officially approved 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper.  And officially approved paper is only available from the US Government's official supplier, and costs 40 dollars a sheet.  Any other kind of paper invalidates the application.

The US Embassy in the UK accepts 8 1/2 x 11 inch *OR* A4 sized paper and makes no differentiation as to paper size.

Makes ya proud don't it?   

$40 for a sheet of paper?  Good lord, it would be more cost effective to buy a tree and make the proper sized paper yourself.

I just want to issue a big huge apology to all of the Brits on the board who read my last post. I did not mean to offend in any way - I adore the Brits - it's why I took a job in England. But I do sometimes let my very American tendency to be impatient cause me to make big ugly blunders  I am truly sorry 

I'm British too, but wasn't offended in any way.  We can be a difficult lot sometimes, and expected that people can become exasperated...