Life without a passport.

My Canadian passport was going to expire in less than 6 months, it was time to get a new one, so I thought best to get it in early so there would be lots of time before my heading to Canada for my UK visa to be reissued by the UK home office.  At the end of November I sent it off my the Canadian Embassy in London.

When the time it was due came and went I emailed the Canadian Embassy in London to ask if all was OK. In 10 minutes I had a reply apologizing that it was 3 days behind due to a high volume but it had just arrived from Montreal so I should have it the next day. So polite and efficient so Canadian.

When it did arrive and I gathered all the forms and the £168 fee off it went to the UK home office, and the wait began.  It was now the 3rd week of January. Nowhere on the home office website does it say how long it should take, other "than the normal standards of service", but I had heard horror stories of people on other visas waiting 6 months or longer for a reissue and mine involved a name change.

I'd already been 2 months without a passport. Suddenly it seemed like there were travel deals everywhere that I couldn't even consider taking advantage of.  So I looked at where I could go without one, England, Scotland and Wales.  I decided to make the most of it and book a weekend away to Edinburgh in July, that would give me something to look forward to.

I called and enquired after 2 months had gone by. All they could tell me was they had it and it was being processed, no they couldn't estimate how long it should take, nor could they say how long it might take worse case. Thanks. In the end I had a colleague with a friend in high places in the foreign office enquire after my passport/visa. I also finally managed to to find out what the "standards of service" are, 14 weeks apparently.

At last the the 14 weeks (I had been 6 months with no passport) came and went, and the next day I had the passport back in hand with the visa reissued in it. So my ticket to Canada in August wouldn't be going to waste, and I felt free having it back knowing I was free to go anywhere I wanted again.