AIBU - Applying for UK Passport / Friends think I’m “lazy”?

[roofusdoofus]

Hi All,

I’m 24F and will be applying for the UK passport for the first time. My mam, 56F, was born in Blackpool and emigrated to Ireland with her family before her teens. All of my grandmothers surviving siblings still live in the UK.

My mam never held a British passport but the passport office advised I would qualify by descent through my mother as she was British at birth. Does anyone know if I need to claim citizenship before applying? Some websites are telling me I do but others aren’t.

I know it says the processing time is 10-16 weeks for first timers so my mam’s a bit anxious because we’re sending her original (and only) birth certificate along with mine and my Irish passport. The processing time is much quicker in Ireland! Has anyone had any experience with this before as a first timer?

The reason I’m applying for the visa is because I am moving to Australia and they recently introduced a rule where UK passport holds will be exempt from farm work and can stay in the country for three years. A lot of my friends think I’m being lazy and taking the easy way out but my own sister lives in Australia with her family, and I rather spend 88 days with them than somewhere rural in a farm. I also plan on moving to the UK for a masters down the line once the travel bug is out of me!

AIBU for applying for the passport? I feel it’s in my best interest.

I am a dual national so would say go for it, always handy to have 2 passports, but why on earth would you send your mother’s original birth certificate?! Just get a copy at GRO website and read the application rules carefully. Also check if you actually need to send your Irish passport. There could well be people your age applying for a first passport and they don’t hold any other passport (but could be worth it if it speeds up the process).

How about ignoring your 'friends' (who sound jealous) and doing whatever suits you best?! I presume it's a working visa so you'll be doing some sort of job out there?
My DS1 went out on a working visa.. did all sorts (not on a farm) because he met a wonderful Aussie (in the UK!). It took a few years and a lot of hassle but now he is a permanent resident there, and married her :)

I would advise contacting an Aussie visa lawyer... they will know for sure (we used one and it was worth the money) . Good luck :)

You could order a copy of your mother's birth certificate. No you won't need to claim citizenship. You will need a countersignature and may need to attend an interview (or it might be online)

Contact the registrars and get a copy of your mums birth certificate (although they are copies they are acceptable if they come from the registry of births, deaths and marriages). That stops any worry about her birth certificate going astray. I have copies of my birth certificate and marriage certificate that I use for these circumstances.

So they said I can photocopy every single page of the Irish passport in colour and send it to them or just send the actual passport & I felt this would be easier as I’d be awful anxious I’d miss a page! I said to my mam we’ll order a duplicate birth cert for herself but she has awful notions it’ll take a long time to come but I’ll check out the website so thanks for letting me know.

You don't need to claim citizenship, ordering the passport is the claim to citizenship.

Go for it. Why wouldn't you? Who would want to travel all that way just to work on a farm if you don't have to?

It doesn't take long to order a birth certificate, don't worry.

Ordered it there! Won’t be dispatched until 5th of Dec but gives me time to order my own birth cert (I have long lost the original) and get somewhere to photocopy my passport for me in colour!

Until 1985 if you were born in the UK you automatically became a British citizen. It's no longer the case now, but if your mum was born in the UK before 1985, and has a birth certificate showing she was born in the UK AND if YOU were also born in the UK, even after 1985 you are a citizen.

I was born in Ireland but I’d get the passport through her, but my kids won’t get it down the line as far as I’m aware

my mam’s a bit anxious because we’re sending her original (and only) birth certificate
The passport office lost mine and DDs originals this year. Don't trust them with anything so get a certified copy from your local council.

Good to know! I’ll definitely get coloured copies of my Irish passport so.

That’s not quite right - it’s since 1/1/83, when the British Nationality Act (BNA) 81 came into force, anyone born in the UK automatically acquired British citizenship, however, before then only a British born father could pass on British nationality if a child was born outside of the UK. Since then (1/1/83) both parents could pass on nationality providing they were a British citizen (born in the UK) at the time of the child’s birth.

@roofusdoofus you are classed as British by descent as your mother was British by birth (ie born in the UK and could pass on nationality) but you were born in Ireland, which means, if you have any children in Ireland or overseas then technically they don’t automatically qualify for British citizenship, however, there are ways they could acquire/apply British citizenship check the gov.uk website!

....which if this is the case it makes me wonder why the OP's mother hasn't got a British passport?

Oops that should have been anyone born in the UK before 1/1/83 automatically acquired British citizenship/nationality

Farm work in Australia is very hard indeed. That's why it's tagged on to certain visas. The middle of nowhere in terrible accommodation for shit pay and back-breaking labour. Friends of DD have said this, so current info.

Years ago children travelled on their parents’ passports. I went to USA in 1996 (I was 14) with my father and didn’t have a passport until I was 18.

It's so hard to get labour on the farms the last government was proposing "allowing" OAPs to do such work without compromising their pension entitlement (it's means-tested here).

I can’t help you with the technical aspects of the passport application but I just wanted to let you know that having a British passport will make no difference to you doing a masters in the uk. You can study and work with a ROI passport with basically no restrictions and you can even apply for UK student finance. Having two passports is helpful though for working abroad in other countries. I know plenty of people with uk and Irish passports who did 2 2-year working holiday visas to Canada which is only possible with 2 passports!

Really? From my perspective and hearing others on WHVs, finding any kind of farm or regional work toward your 88 days in Oz is really hard at the moment! I’ve had two friends from Ireland come home after a year because they couldn’t find anywhere to do their 88 days albeit they left it towards the end of their first year.

My sister went on a WHV (met her Aussie partner in Ireland after she came home) and she even agreed it’s a lot different now to when she went on one. She said before you could almost walk into a job but now people are actually struggling, even for regular admin jobs etc.,

I’ll find out anyways when I get there!