Oh those people make me insane. I am a British and Canadian Citizen and my first passport was British. It took me forever to get my docs changed over in Quebec and Canada. I finally was able to change my sex/ name and brought it to the high commission in Ottawa and spent the worst trip in Ottawa yet. I couldn't sleep on the way there because the bus driver kept sleeping while we were driving. Waited 5hrs for the embassy to open up. Brought 3 certified affidavits from surgeons who operated on me, my new bc, name change cert, my old application to change id with the Canadians, 4 photos of me with and without glasses that didn't meet standards because no one has paper without a watermark on it, 300$, application, letters from everyone in the family including me, 2 oath of identity, all my ID including old passport, a print out of the gender panel's email saying there is no point to me applying to them and a letter from the clarke because no one could give me a straight answer on the 2.99$ a minute help line where you are hold for about 10 minutes.
So Timber and I went in and after 30 minutes someone came by and offered to serve me. She insisted on taking the entire file because she didn't know if this was possible and insisted that all the documents were needed. She didn't even know what was in the entire file and tried to keep my bus ticket that happened to be in there. So I asked to speak with a supervisor and she just told me her staff knew their job and to do what I was told. I tried to be rational but got no where. At this point I am holding the counter and my dog desperately trying to stay standing. Finally I ask for a receipt that they have received the documents and she refused me. Finally supervisor comes back and gives me a scrap of paper with her signature (she could be a doctor) and a note that say old name dropped off application of this date. Finally I decide to file a complaint and ask for help and they give me a form that needs to be filed out by hand but I can't write by hand. So I ask if there is an online or downloadable form. No. Could someone help me, no and after that I could get no service.
I called the head of disability access and was told that since I was physically able to climb the 2 flights of stairs that they had provided me access and refused any help with the application. After a week in Ottawa calling every person at the embassy I admitted defeat came home and my new passport came 4 weeks later. Sigh my last one took a week...
Sorry about the rant but I know your pain. I am sorry for the state of service provided by the British government to their citizens. If I lived there or was born there I would have flipped by now. So all you dual citizens don't apply until after your changed birth certificate. Let us know how things work out.
>-bleeped-<boy
