I just had a call from a friend who happens to be a high profile lawyer in Canada. he tells me even though I am female in Canada and owing to the fact that the UK will not recognize that fact. I should apply for my UK pension using my given names and gender. He informs that this will not be illegal owing to the fact that I am considered legally male in the UK.
      Therefore I am dual gender and dual citizenship.
      Sounds like a first to me.
    Any UK lawyers have a take on this? He also stated that if I had not applied to the GRP for recognition certificate this would be illegal.     

I was born in the UK and live in Canada. Also a lawyer. I had such a pain in the ass dealing with the GRP I gave up, so I'm female in the UK and male in Canada. I too have dual gender and dual citizenship.

I'm not clear on your situation - you have your GRP certificate or not? If not, then apply under your original name and gender. If so, go with the new one.

Dennis

Hello Dennis,
                    GRP denied my application twice even though I submitted more undisputable proof and evidence of SRS, legal stuff etc. etc.than required. I am now going to write and ask for all my documents back including UK birth certificate and forget the GRC. I will apply for my pension in my old male name and gender as stated on my BC.
     Female in Canada and male in UK, It will work. Like I said my lawyer friend tells me it is NOT illegal when the UK will no recognise the changes.

They did the same to me - denied it. Even though I submitted every document they asked for and they all said male on them. I was going to appeal it to court and fly to London to argue my case (which is cheaper than actually hiring a lawyer in London), but the filing fee was outrageous and they wouldn't cooperate and give me a court date I could plan a flight around. The clerk in the court registry told me that the GRP has never actually fought them in court. They just give in when someone appeals it.

Given the application fee, it strikes me that it's just a bureaucratic money grab. I tried complaining up the chain of command, but got no response.

Dennis

Hi! Dennis,
                  I have decided to follow my friends advice and give up on the GRP. I agree with you that this is just a money grab. I requested all my documents back from GRP and as soon as they are returned I will file a name change in UK using my legal BC. Change of name certificate and my UK birth certificate. Once complete I will apply for my UK pensions. I also understand that a UK passport can have the gender changed even without a recognition certificate. The only use for the GRP is to change gender on the birth certificate.
         Life is too short for dealing with these people.   

Hi Dennis

I was also born in England and I believe from the last letter that I received from the GRP they will deny my application.

I quote the relevant direction (No. 4)

"The application under Section 1(1)(b) will be refused when the application is next placed before this Panel on the first available date after xx July 2010."

I'm also considering appealing the decision under Section 8(1).  So my question is, if you do not mind answering this question how much was the 'filing fee'?

From what I have been reading in regards to this particular matter there is now a total of 4 people including me that are being denied their GRC using the overseas track application process.  I wonder how many more are in the same predicament.

Kind regards
Sarah B

Finally! Getting some action after more than 2 years. WOW I was about to give up. Persy. sometimes pays off.

Hi ToniAndrea

What action may I ask?  If you like you can PM.  I have sent a letter of to the PFC and I'm about finished one for Dr S Whittle. 

In addition I have sent my final letter to the GRP.  I will have to wait and see what happens with this barrage.

Take care and I hope it is good news.

Kind regards
Sarah B

SarahB, I think it was about $500 in Cdn funds. That plus the cost of the flight given that they wouldn't allow me to actually get a court date I could plan around put it out of my range. Plus, the fact that I already paid $300 to get turned down was lighting a slow fuse and I was just too pissed off. If I can get a passport, that's all I care about. I had actually given up on that and thought screw that, I'll renounce my British citizenship, but the EU passport is damn handy, so I may get one at some point. I'm just not keen on dealing with British bureaucracy ever again.

I have a theory about British bureaucracy. Bureaucracies never shrink. They had this huge empire at one point, and a huge bureaucracy to deal with it. When the empire shrank, the bureaucracy stayed the same size but covered a much smaller area, so like a contracting spider web, it just choked down on an ever decreasing land mass. It's the worst bureaucracy I've ever had to deal with.

Dennis

Quote from: Dennis  It's the worst bureaucracy I've ever had to deal with.
Dennis
/quote]
Britai taught the Indians how to organise a civil service so by all account India really does have the worst bureaucracy in needing multiple copies of documents that must be sent to multiple departments - and France is supposed to have so many bureaucrats that 10% of them never turn up because there is no work for them to actually do - so Uk isn't all that bad.

GRP messed my application up a bit even though I followed their process to the letter.

Gender Recognition Act (2004)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_Recognition_Act_2004