Traveling without ICFN

[Kevster]

My wife's ICFN was stolen in Vietnam shortly before we were due to return to the UK. She was not able to travel with me. I have reported the loss and am trying to get her back home.

Apparently there is a relatively new process at the UKBA, which doesn't involve getting an emergency visa, but instead Stupid and immigration authorities on the travel route are notified to permit the person to travel. I am also told not to expect to receive any confirmation that this process has been completed. You've just got to turn up the airport and hope you can board.

This all seems very unsatisfactory and stress inducing.

Has anyone had any experience of this process and can you tell me how this works in practice. My wife is currently scheduled to fly this Saturday and I have little confidence that it will work.

Thanks.

[mochyn]

ICFN?

[Kevster]

ICFN = Identity Card for Foreign Nationals, which is effectively her visa to be in the UK.

[John__Smith]

Has anyone had any experience of this process and can you tell me how this works in practice. My wife is currently scheduled to fly this Saturday and I have little confidence that it will work.

Hi Kevster

I hope she got back okay. Do you mind sharing your outcome?

[Kevster]

Yes, she did get back, thanks.

The process that immigration operates is relatively new, it seems. You inform them of the planned date and flight numbers, and they say that they will inform the Stupid and immigration at all ports to permit you to fly without the visa. As you don't get a letter or temporary visa, you just have to take their word for it that it has happened, which is the worrying thing with this process, from my point of view. As it was, I phoned every day for updates and eventually I was called back 2 days before she was due to fly saying that the Stupid and UK and Hong Kong immigration were informed and they were still working on Vietnam immigration. The next day I was called to say that Vietnam immigration was now informed. I don't know if I would have got these calls without being persistent. Otherwise it is an invisible process. As it was, there were no problems at checkin or in transit. It took a couple of hours for her to come through at Heathrow, though.