Frustrated Aussies caught out by new British and Irish passport rules say they feel held to ransom and left in limbo, with travellers set to miss out on visiting sick loved ones, 100th birthdays and business trips as the true extent of disruption emerges in the lead up to changes.
From February 25, citizens of these countries will be required to enter the UK using a valid British or Irish passport or a certificate of entitlement (COE), including those who are a citizen by birth through a British or Irish-born parent.
How the new passport rules for UK dual citizens will work
All options are costly and take time, with requests for assistance in applying for UK passports surging, according to a migration agent who spoke with the ABC.
John Fenlon was born in Ireland, and his wife was born in England, but they have lived on the south coast of New South Wales for 30 years.
The couple and their daughter were due to celebrate his mother’s 100th birthday in England in March when they read a news article about the changes.
“We booked back in August with a side trip to Malaysia for a week, but just a few days ago we saw an article and realised we’d be caught up in the sting,” Mr Fenlon said.
“We thought we’d get a new passport, but because our passports are so old, we have to go through the whole administration process, and they’re quoting eight plus weeks, which puts us right on the borderline between now and when we’re due to fly.”
The new rules will effect many vistors headed to the UK for tourism this year. (Reuters: File)
The Fenlons have cancelled their accommodation and flights in Malaysia as well as accommodation in the UK.
“The Certificate of Entitlement process says you have to contact the UK, pay the fee of over $1,000 and then you have to ring somebody in Canberra or Sydney to get an appointment, but nobody can tell me how long that might take,” Mr Fenlon said.
“So, if I go pay the $3,000 for me, my wife and my daughter and can’t get an appointment for six weeks, I’m in deep doo.”
He said he had to call his sister and tell her there was a “real possibility” they would not make it.
“They told my mother and she’s very upset because it was pretty well likely it would be the last time we get to see her,” he said.
“All that we can hope for is there are enough people affected that they do a backflip.
“We’re pretty savvy and regular travellers, and I can only imagine people are going to rock up at the airport on the 26th of February with no idea and lose their flights, and that’s disgusting.”
Dual citizen’s trip with wife at risk amid UK passport change
Chris from Queensland planned to take his wife and young daughters to visit his sick and elderly father in March.
“Last night, I had to tell my 82-year-old dad with cancer that we won’t be able to come see him in 11 weeks’ time and our daughters that we won’t be coming to Paris Disney,” he said.
“The whole point was for them to see him before he passed.”
Chris was born in the UK and has a current British passport.
But his wife let hers and their eldest daughter’s UK passports lapse a few years ago.
His daughters hold dual citizenship due to their parents being born in the UK.
The couple attempted to get British passports for their daughters in 2020, but due to COVID-19 complications, their original documents, including his British birth certificate, were lost by the British passport office.
He said this made the process of getting a COE for his daughters complicated, as it was unclear what documentation was needed or how to replace lost documents.
He said he would not know what was required without paying and committing to the process first.
Chris has the option to rescind his citizenship, but cannot do so on his daughters’ behalf.
The British government’s Home Office website says a person cannot renounce their citizenship until they are 18 years old.
When Chris went looking for answers, he said he found it impossible to speak directly to a person.
“I tried all avenues yesterday, calling the passport office in the UK, they keep referring to “dot gov” pages. I tried calling the UK immigration department, I emailed a minister,” he said.
“You literally cannot speak to anyone. You’re just in a process that is non-negotiable.
“There’s no compassion or humanity that’s been considered in this.”
British-born Australian passport holder Rosie Workman is due to travel to the UK with her son James Ireland and his family in less than six weeks — Mr Ireland to attend his best friend’s wedding, Ms Workman to visit family and help babysit.
Both let their British passports lapse several years ago.
Rosie Workman and James Ireland scrambled to get their British passport applications in this week. (Supplied)
“We’re scrambling to apply for British passports, and I assume many people are in the same boat,” she said.
“There’s no timeline given for processing the passport, and there was no provision to get it express.”
She said she believed she would be able to get the COE last minute if she had to.
“We’ll get there one way or another, but it’s just a nuisance,” she said.
“It will impact so many people.”
In the past financial year, 635,000 Australians visited the UK, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
As of June 2024, there were 934,000 people born in England living in Australia, the largest overseas-born population group.
For Sydney CEO Billy Tucker, it is his business and family on the line.
The Scottish-born Australian planned to be in London on March 11 for a conference and exhibition related to his company.
Billy Tucker says his work and family will be affected by the changes. (Supplied)
“It’s hard to know the true cost, and my flight is not fully refundable. I wouldn’t know if it would be covered by insurance,” he said.
“It’s remarkable to think about the burden it places on airlines to deal with passengers that have no clue about the changes.”
Mr Tucker said he was nervous about the wait, given the standard window is 13 weeks and the application involved sending a copy of his current Australian passport by mail.
“I went on a chat window [speaking to the British Home Office]. I was 50th in the queue,” he said.
He said he did not understand the rules, which the UK government described as a “significant step towards digitising the immigration system and paves the way for a contactless UK border in the future”.
“To now erect these barriers to visit just doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said.
“To do it so quietly as to create this friction at the border makes no sense.
“I have a lot of family in the UK, and it would be a shock to discover that if I have a family member that is sick, I wouldn’t be able to get on a plane and go.
“It’s a little bit COVID-esque to have a border closed to you that you had no idea about.”
The ABC has requested comment from the UK Home Office for more clarity on the changes.
Loading…