Replacement UK passport - Have lost my Aus Visa!

[Saurer Pfirsich]

Hi, wasn't sure whereabouts on these forums to post this, so sorry if it's in the wrong place. Essentially, I've been in Australia for 10 years on a sub-class 100 spousal visa as my partner is an Australian national. I've just renewed my UK passport and the new passport of course does not have my visa stamp in it, nor did the UK Passport Office return my old passport to me. Stupidly, I didn't make a note of my visa number so now I'm panicking about whether I'll have problems when I travel in and out of Australia next. 

Has anyone else experienced the same issue, and if so, could you advise me on what I need to do in order to ward off any problems at passport control next time I travel?

Thanks in advance.

[Nemesis]

3 hours ago, Saurer Pfirsich said:

Hi, wasn't sure whereabouts on these forums to post this, so sorry if it's in the wrong place. Essentially, I've been in Australia for 10 years on a sub-class 100 spousal visa as my partner is an Australian national. I've just renewed my UK passport and the new passport of course does not have my visa stamp in it, nor did the UK Passport Office return my old passport to me. Stupidly, I didn't make a note of my visa number so now I'm panicking about whether I'll have problems when I travel in and out of Australia next. 

Has anyone else experienced the same issue, and if so, could you advise me on what I need to do in order to ward off any problems at passport control next time I travel?

Thanks in advance.

All visas are now electronic, no stamps or labels 

If you have been on a 100 for 10 years, you will need a RRV (or citizenship) before travelling anyway. You apply for that with your new passport number. You could submit Form 929 in the meantime but its not essential. The other way to avoid any issues, after getting your RRV, is to travel with both passports.

 

[VERYSTORMY]

Have you considered applying for citizenship yet? While you can get RRV's for ever, it would be far easier to get citizenship

[Saurer Pfirsich]

7 hours ago, VERYSTORMY said:

Have you considered applying for citizenship yet? While you can get RRV's for ever, it would be far easier to get citizenship

I've never thought about applying for citizenship to be honest - numerous reasons - but might give it a go if it simplifies things at Passport Control. Thanks for the advice.

[Saurer Pfirsich]

9 hours ago, Nemesis said:

All visas are now electronic, no stamps or labels 

If you have been on a 100 for 10 years, you will need a RRV (or citizenship) before travelling anyway. You apply for that with your new passport number. You could submit Form 929 in the meantime but its not essential. The other way to avoid any issues, after getting your RRV, is to travel with both passports.

 

Unfortunately, the UK Passport Office didn't return the old passport when  I renewed, so I don't have that option. Thanks for the heads up re the Form 929. That looks pretty straightforward to complete alongside an RRV so I should be fine next time I head home.

Many thanks

[rammygirl]

Apply for citizenship.  You can still keep your UK citizenship so nothing to lose.

[Quoll]

8 hours ago, Saurer Pfirsich said:

Unfortunately, the UK Passport Office didn't return the old passport when  I renewed, so I don't have that option. Thanks for the heads up re the Form 929. That looks pretty straightforward to complete alongside an RRV so I should be fine next time I head home.

Many thanks

Really? They always return the old passport with the corner cut off, in my experience. I’ve just renewed mine (in U.K., I admit) and it was returned about 3 days after I got my new passport. Yours may be on its way if it’s only been a few days.

I agree with the others though, get your Aussie citizenship, so much easier all round.

[Marisawright]

9 hours ago, Saurer Pfirsich said:

I've never thought about applying for citizenship to be honest - numerous reasons - but might give it a go if it simplifies things at Passport Control. Thanks for the advice.

Silly not to get citizenship, unless your home country doesn't allow dual citizenship.   You never know what the future holds.

[Martinbjulieb]

We actually did have an issue with this. Our children’s passports had expired and we got new ones and used them on a trip to the U.K. back in 2011. Their new passports didn’t have the visa page in and to be honest we never even thought about it but at the airport they made a terrible fuss saying that we might not be able to bring the children back in! We still had our passports with the visa pages in and at the time I thought how silly that they aren’t electronically linked to our children’s passports. We had to get a friend to go to our house and find the old passports and scan them to us, just in case! Their old passports were returned a week or so after we received the new ones. 

[Saurer Pfirsich]

2 hours ago, Quoll said:

Really? They always return the old passport with the corner cut off, in my experience. I’ve just renewed mine (in U.K., I admit) and it was returned about 3 days after I got my new passport. Yours may be on its way if it’s only been a few days.

I agree with the others though, get your Aussie citizenship, so much easier all round.

Yes, I was expecting to receive it back along with the new passport to be honest, but no. Maybe HMPO are cutting costs? I totally panicked when I realised I no longer had a copy of the visa, as I have a big trip home to the UK scheduled for later this year and have had some unpleasant experiences with Australian immigration in the past. I've submitted a Form 929 so hopefully that should sort it.