UKBA Passport Hoarding Fetish

Passport fetish

Not only does the UKBA find it opportunte to revoke and keep British passports, it finds it convenient to grab passports of other nationalities at will and upon the slightest excuse: an application, an appeal, anything.

The reasoning behind this is probably that since most countries (including the EU) have exit procedures and stamps for visitors, the UK (together with other Anglo countries) does not.  Nothing prevents Britain from having such an exit process except more manpower.

So, UKBA decides to keep passports -- of everyone in UK who applies for any renewal or change in status -- even from those who need it to travel for work or to prove their identity. There is an extensive logistics facility to enable the storage and collation of the documents at a central facility.  Theoretically, a return of documents is allowed to prove identity, I have never see it work in practice.  A solicitor told me that his clients have asked and got their passports back, but I have never seen it happen.  Perhaps, the published rules have selective implementation.

On another note, hats off to Jameel, who has been leading aid convoys to Syria and is not worried about losing his passport to the UKBA.  If more people like him stood up, and did not take this lying down, normality may return to UKBA.  In light of the statement below, it is apparent that UKBA is definitely at the boundary of expected normal government behaviour since at least the 19th century.  Jameel says:

Why are people like Jameel willing to take the risk? The government has warned against travel to Syria "under any circumstances". It says people who do go could have their passports or permission to remain in the UK taken away. Jameel is ignoring this: "They want to take my passport from me? They want to jail me? Arrest me for taking baby milk, for taking ambulances, baby food? Being made stateless for taking help to the Syrians - fine – if that happens, so be it." (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/01/british-muslims-aid-syria-refugee-camp)