Marcus109 Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 Hi Guys, I have a bit of a situation. I have been a permanent resident living in Australia for the past 5 years. I have recently returned home for a wedding and was told at the border that I don't have a visa to return and would need to obtain an RRV. (I totally mis-understood the terms and never thought of it before leaving) I applied a couple of weeks ago on my return to the UK and I am due to fly out to Australia tomorrow through Qatar and onto Melbourne but my RRV has not yet been approved. To complicate matters further, I realised Id lost my passport just prior to leaving Australia and had to obtain an emergency passport from the British Consulate in Melbourne the day before I left. I phoned the department last week and the lady said she can see I meet the requirements and that some was looking at my application and that I would receive an email that day which never happened. I then phoned again last night and another lady spoke with processing department who said they would not fast-track any applications etc. (Fair Enough). She indicated (vaguely) that there may be a request for documentation but wasn't specific and said she could not advise me what to do with regards attempting to travel. MY EMERGENCY PASSPORT ONLY ALLOWS THIS RETURN TRIP WHICH LEAVES ME IN LIMBO WITH REAGRDS TRAVEL MOVEMENTS. I COULD HAVE GOTTEN ANOTHER PASSPORT WHILE HERE BUT I LEFT AUSTRALIA ON THE EMERGENCY ONE AND DIDNT WANT TO COMPLICATE THINGS FURTHER. I AM DUE BACK AT WORK THIS COMING MONDAY AND IT IS IMPERITIVE THAT I AM THERE DUE TO VARIOUS REASONS. My questions are: Due to the complications with different passport numbers, should I submit a change of circumstances form? Could this be what she indicated to? If I attempted to board the first leg of my flight, would I be allowed? Would I then be allowed through Qatar? If so, what would be the likely scenario at the Australian border? Is there a possibility I could be stuck with no ability to go anywhere due to this temporary passport restriction? Sorry for the long post but as you can see, this is a very tricky situation for me. Thank you kindly in advance of any advice Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 Well, thats a fair old mess. Re the passport, I honestly would not know where to start. You may well need to submit a new passport form. Can you update it online? TBH I don't take anything the immigration department says over the phone as being correct. As you have found out, different people say different things and that usually leads to a whole heap more pain and upset. I don't think the airline will let you board your flight without a valid visa showing as attached to your passport and giving you entry back into Australia. Same for Qatar, I'd not want to be stuck there if I could help it. Have you called the airline helpdesk in the UK? No clue what might happen at Aus immigration/passport control if you did somehow make it on 2 legs from London to Aus. You are quite possibly somewhere up that old creek and minus a paddle, at least for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 (edited) The big risk is that you'll arrive in Australia and they'll send you back on the next plane. After all, the rule says that you have to wait for your RRV to be approved, and there's no reason why they should give you special treatment. It's that old saying, "lack of planning on your part is no reason for panic on my part". I hope you manage to find a solution but I fear the solution is to wait for the RRV to be approved. Edited May 9, 2018 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 3 hours ago, Marisawright said: The big risk is that you'll arrive in Australia and they'll send you back on the next plane. After all, the rule says that you have to wait for your RRV to be approved, and there's no reason why they should give you special treatment. It's that old saying, "lack of planning on your part is no reason for panic on my part". I hope you manage to find a solution but I fear the solution is to wait for the RRV to be approved. Without a RRV he won't get as far as Australia. He won't even be allowed to board the plane in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 Get some professional help asap. Oh, and move your flight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeltInCaulfield Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 Can they even attach an RRV to an emergency travel document? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 6 hours ago, Nemesis said: Without a RRV he won't get as far as Australia. He won't even be allowed to board the plane in the UK. I thought so, but I meant, "even if by some miracle you get on the plane" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graemsay Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 I've got a similar RRV headache. I'm due to attend a funeral for a family member in the US next week, and have just applied to renew mine. Yeah, I should have sorted it out a couple of weeks ago, but didn't. When I spoke to immigration yesterday I was told that it could take up to 47 days, or nearly seven weeks, to come through. My options are currently: Book a return flight from the US in a fortnight, and gamble that the visa will be issued on time. Book the return flight in six or seven weeks, and hang out in LA until the visa is issued. I could then bring the return leg forward if it's issued sooner. Use it as an excuse to fly out to the UK, and book a return at the end of June. I can't book a one-way flight to the US, as immigration there needs to see proof I'll be leaving within ninety days. Fortunately I'm not working, so I don't need to explain an extended leave of absence to an employer. I think that the sensible thing for @Marcus109 to do would be to cancel his return flight and wait for the visa to be issued. This will cause some problems with work, but I can't see him being allowed back into Australia without one. He could try to harangue the DIBP, but I don't think that they'd speed things up for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graemsay Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Just an update. Whilst posting the above, my RRV came through. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus109 Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 Hi guys, just to update, it came through with 90mins to spare as I was travelling to the airport!! Cutting it fine. was able to attach it to my emergency passport for anytime that’s ever in that predicament. Cheers 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Buy yourself a lottery ticket. 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.