Pakistani national leaving uk with travel document.

[faisalshah35]

Hello Guys

I have a very good friend from pakistan who is living illegaly in the uk since 2010. He came to the uk on a visitor visa which expired in 2010.
His pakistani passport expired in 2011.
He wants to go back to pakistan without a passport. He has been given an advice from some of his other friends that he can leave the country on a travel document. The thing is that he wants to return to the uk legally (on a student visa).

My question is that would it be a safe option to travel on a travel document. If not can you please advice me if there is a legal way to leave the country and come back again.

[Mr Rusty]

I don't know if he could get some sort of emergency travel document from the Pakistan High Commission valid for just a single trip, apart from a full passport, which they would issue on production of his expired one. It is only the Pakistani authorities who can issue him with anything, so he should ask them.

He is most unlikely to be seen by UK Immigration on departure, they appear to have given up the embarkation checks they were running previously, I guess because they haven't got enough people to man the arrivals control, never mind embarks. There was certainly no-one at Heathrow Terminal 3 when I left through there a few weeks ago. I take the point, however, that if he presents a new passport issued in London for a further visa application it's bound to raise questions why he was still there.

In effect, if he applies for a student visa he's going to have to lie, so I wouldn't wish to advise further.