Home office passport delay - advice needed!

[Mnemosyne74]

I am hoping someone can offer some feedback/advice/suggestions...

My partner's sister moved here to the UK in February 2008 with her husband. She is a Dutch national, but he holds only South African citizenship. They sent his passport off the following month to the UK home office in order to start the process which will eventually lead to his acquiring a Dutch passport.

Unfortunately, they have not yet returned his passport. It's been over a year now! They have tried calling the home office on several occasions but no one has given him a straight answer. In the meanwhile, he has been unable to trasnfer his SA driver's license to a UK one (because the DVLA need his passport) and as a result of this he has been unable to accept two jobs that he's been offered.

They can't afford any lawyers to look into this and I doubt the press would be sympathetic to their problem.

What is the hold up!!!

[Rozen]

I am hoping someone can offer some feedback/advice/suggestions...

My partner's sister moved here to the UK in February 2008 with her husband. She is a Dutch national, but he holds only South African citizenship. They sent his passport off the following month to the UK home office in order to start the process which will eventually lead to his acquiring a Dutch passport.

Unfortunately, they have not yet returned his passport. It's been over a year now! They have tried calling the home office on several occasions but no one has given him a straight answer. In the meanwhile, he has been unable to trasnfer his SA driver's license to a UK one (because the DVLA need his passport) and as a result of this he has been unable to accept two jobs that he's been offered.

They can't afford any lawyers to look into this and I doubt the press would be sympathetic to their problem.

What is the hold up!!!

What does the UK Home Office have to do with Dutch nationality?

[Mnemosyne74]

I really have no idea why it's gone to the UK Home Office. It must be for some kidn of visa requirement so he can work here. Anyway, that's where it is.

[Rozen]

I really have no idea why it's gone to the UK Home Office. It must be for some kidn of visa requirement so he can work here. Anyway, that's where it is.

I'm afraid you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that, to get any meaningful replies!
What sort of visa did he apply for? When did he apply? Has he received any correspondence from UKBA since?
So his SA passport is with the UKBA because of a UK visa he applied for, and not because it will 'eventually lead to his acquiring a Dutch passport', right?