Travel Document

[kstjames86]

Hi,

I was wondering if any of you could advise me...
I applied for ILR on the basis of 14 years continuous residence (actually it's been 25 years continuous residence since I came here aged 6months) in January 2011. My application was successful and I received my ILR March 25th...I was expecting a much longer wait and was ecstatic at having received a response so quickly.

I'm now in a bit of a strange position. I came to the country on my mother's Barbados passport back in June 1986 (I was born in Cameroon in January 1986) and have never been issued with a passport of my own. After being granted my ILR, I immediately travelled to the Cameroon High Commission in London to make an application for a passport as I had hoped to travel this summer. I assumed this would be fairly straight-forward, but it was a great deal more difficult than I could have imagined.

Upon arrival at the High Commission, I had to wait more than 5 hours before my query was dealt with, it certainly didn't help that I was the only person in the room who didn't speak French! When the member of staff on duty finally got round to dealing with my application (after my insistence that he communicate in English), I was told that because the name on my (handwritten) Cameroonian birth certificate was different to the name on my ILR residence permit, I would need to obtain an entirely new birth certificate. I have had my name changed by deed poll here in the UK to my mother's surname as opposed to my fathers(and have the legal documents to prove it) but apparently this is insufficient.
I asked how I could obtain a new birth certificate and I was told that this could only be done in Douala, Cameroon. Since I have no passport, I can't go there myself, and I know no-one in the country (I am estranged from the Cameroonian side of my family) and so have no means obtaining a new birth certificate.
Upon explaining this to the member of staff, he told me that I shouldn't even be entitled to a Cameroon passport (given my 25 year absensce) and tore my application form in two before moving on to the next applicant.

I have since contacted the High Commission asking for some kind of written proof of what I was told, but naturally they have not responded to me.

I appreciate that I will have to wait 3 years before I can apply for British citizenship. My current options are to apply for a UK travel document, either as a stateless person or a certificate of travel, but since I have no written proof of my experience at the Cameroon High Commission and the information I was given, I'm at a loss as to what I should do next...

Any advice anyone can offer on this situation would be greatly appreciated.

[jms_uk]

I came to the country on my mother's Barbados passport back in June 1986

Could you apply for Barbados passport?

[kstjames86]

I don't know if I'm entitled to do so having read the following:

'BY DESCENT: Child born abroad, in wedlock, whose father is a citizen of Barbados. Child must be registered with the nearest Barbadian diplomatic representative. Child born abroad, out of wedlock, whose mother is a citizen of Barbados. Child must be registered with the nearest Barbadian diplomatic representative.'

I was born in wedlock, however my father is not a citizen of Barbados and I was never registered with any Barbadian diplomatic representatives...
My mother has not renewed her passport since she returned to the UK in 1986, and has yet to apply for her ILR...

[jms_uk]

Well, it shouldn't do any harm to contact Barbados High Commission and explain your details and see if you are eligible for a passport.

If all fails, apply for a Travel Document.

I don't know if I'm entitled to do so having read the following:

'BY DESCENT: Child born abroad, in wedlock, whose father is a citizen of Barbados. Child must be registered with the nearest Barbadian diplomatic representative. Child born abroad, out of wedlock, whose mother is a citizen of Barbados. Child must be registered with the nearest Barbadian diplomatic representative.'

I was born in wedlock, however my father is not a citizen of Barbados and I was never registered with any Barbadian diplomatic representatives...
My mother has not renewed her passport since she returned to the UK in 1986, and has yet to apply for her ILR...

[krazydude]

Correct me if I am wrong, but why can't you wait till you get your British Passport and then apply for a visit visa to Cameroon (if needed), go there and get your birth certificate sorted. Then return back to apply for your Cameroon passport (I assume here that Cameroon allows dual citizenship).

[kstjames86]

Thanks for the advice, I think that's probably the only option available to me. I was hoping there might be something I could do that wouldn't involve having to wait for another three years but there doesn't seem to be.

Dual citizenship isn't recognised in Cameroon so when I take on British nationality, I won't need to go through the application process for a birth certificate/passport.