Esol Couse In The Uk

[Kevin1908]

My wife has enrolled at a UK college for an ESOL course. She only took a copy of her passport so she needs to take her actual passport when she starts the course. But they have asked to see my passport. Her visa is a spouse/CP visa all perfectly legal. She has been able to get a National Insurance number and open a bank account but I am perplexed as to why they need to see my passport. Is this normal in the UK?

[7by7]

They need to see her passport so they know her visa allows her to study (it does).

Can't think why they need to see yours; maybe to show that you do exist and the visa in hers isn't a forgery?

What's the problem, anyway? Just let them see it if they want to.

[Kevin1908]

They need to see her passport so they know her visa allows her to study (it does).

Can't think why they need to see yours; maybe to show that you do exist and the visa in hers isn't a forgery?

What's the problem, anyway? Just let them see it if they want to.

Well two reasons I suppose. There is obviously the big brother issue. But as you suggested, the only reason I can see is that they want to verify the visa isn't a forgery. If that was the case and they suspect that the visa is a forgery then shouldn't there be an obligation by the college to report their suspicions to Immigration rather than assume all visas were forgeries then check all spouses passports. UKBA, DWp and Lloyds TSB Bank were quite happy with the visa.

I do have an issue about letting my passport out of my sight, even if I did give it to my wife. Who is to say should wouldn't be mugged then I have to explain why she had my passport.

The next thing is prospective employer will want to see my passport to unsure that her visa is valid. It annoys me every time I have to show a new employer my passport to prove that I do have the right to be in the UK let alone somebody employing my wife.

[7by7]

I am not saying the college suspect her visa is a forgery, I am merely offering up one possible reason for them wanting to see your passport.

Not just your passport, but those of the spouses/partners of all their students in the UK on spouse/partner visas.

I'm not even saying that it's the right reason; I'm speculating.

But doing so seems to me less Big Brotherish than reporting all their foreign students to the Home Office!

I do have an issue about letting my passport out of my sight, even if I did give it to my wife. Who is to say should wouldn't be mugged then I have to explain why she had my passport.

So?

I'd be more concerned about the fact that my wife had been mugged than having to explain to the police etc. why she was carrying my passport; which would be easy and simple to do, anyway.

With respect, the words 'mountain' and 'molehill' spring to mind.

[Kevin1908]

I am not saying the college suspect her visa is a forgery, I am merely offering up one possible reason for them wanting to see your passport.

Not just your passport, but those of the spouses/partners of all their students in the UK on spouse/partner visas.

I'm not even saying that it's the right reason; I'm speculating.

But doing so seems to me less Big Brotherish than reporting all their foreign students to the Home Office!

I do have an issue about letting my passport out of my sight, even if I did give it to my wife. Who is to say should wouldn't be mugged then I have to explain why she had my passport.

So?

I'd be more concerned about the fact that my wife had been mugged than having to explain to the police etc. why she was carrying my passport; which would be easy and simple to do, anyway.

With respect, the words 'mountain' and 'molehill' spring to mind.

I think it would be nice having jumped though hoops and treated with suspicion up until now, that now she is in the UK with a valid visa that the suspicions would be over and that she and me could be trusted. What is the point of the visa if it can't be trusted. Who is to say that my passport isn't a forgery?

I find it odd that the means to identify her and that she is in the UK legally is not to be trusted. I just wondered if anybody else has encountered this level of mistrust. Just another step to the police state that the UK is becoming I guess.

I take it you are quite willing to allow your passport out of your sight for a day and would be the least bit concerned if your id was cloned.

[7by7]

If my passport was in the possession of my wife I would have no qualms about it being cloned or anything else untoward happening to it.

If I though it likely that she would be mugged on her way to college, I'd go with her.

[MaprangHolmes]

If someone really wanted to clone your ID then they could do that very simply, I think you are worrying about nothing and I am sure that if you really are that worried about not having your passport for a day, you could phone the college and arrange to go there yourself and show them your passport.

[Kevin1908]

If someone really wanted to clone your ID then they could do that very simply, I think you are worrying about nothing and I am sure that if you really are that worried about not having your passport for a day, you could phone the college and arrange to go there yourself and show them your passport.

Well that is one solution that is going to cost me half a day's pay but would work but I assume an expired passport should suffice for id purposes. It specifies me by name and the spouse visa does not link to my current passport by number, only by name.

By the way, note 7 on a UK passport says:

7. Caution. This passport remains the property of HM Government in the UK and may be withdrawn at any time. It should not be tampered with or passed to an unauthorised person..

They have to call me to take payment as they are refusing to take a company cheque. They can give their reason to see the valid passport if they have an issue.

[MaprangHolmes]

well I hope you come to a solution that is good for you, Strange that passport number change when you renew it, NI numbers, NHS numbers, Driving licence numbers and many other stay that same your whole life but that change passport ones strange but there you go one of life's mysteries.

Good luck anyway hope your wife enjoys her course.

[Kevin1908]

Yes you would think that you could retain the same number each time then have a issue number to identify successive passports. Although id cards are now a dead duck I assume they would have retained the same number through out.

[rawhod]

By the way, note 7 on a UK passport says:

7. Caution. This passport remains the property of HM Government in the UK and may be withdrawn at any time. It should not be tampered with or passed to an unauthorised person..

So you are implying that your wife would be an unauthorised person...?

I'm pleased that you eventually succeeded and got to the UK after all your fairly intense discussions on the forum.

However, I too think you are making a major issue out of a very simple request.

[Kevin1908]

By the way, note 7 on a UK passport says:

7. Caution. This passport remains the property of HM Government in the UK and may be withdrawn at any time. It should not be tampered with or passed to an unauthorised person..

So you are implying that your wife would be an unauthorised person...?

I'm pleased that you eventually succeeded and got to the UK after all your fairly intense discussions on the forum.

However, I too think you are making a major issue out of a very simple request.

By the way, note 7 on a UK passport says:

7. Caution. This passport remains the property of HM Government in the UK and may be withdrawn at any time. It should not be tampered with or passed to an unauthorised person..

So you are implying that your wife would be an unauthorised person...?

I'm pleased that you eventually succeeded and got to the UK after all your fairly intense discussions on the forum.

However, I too think you are making a major issue out of a very simple request.

I am not implying anything. I am quoting what the passport says. Given that I don't see that the college has a legitimate reason to see the passport then my wife would not have a reason to have it either.

Anyway she started the course today without the college seeing my current passport and they also took the cheque that the originally said they would not take.You consider it a simple request. Well that isn'y how it came across, demand was more like it.

I just feel in the UK we are on a slippary slope. If I wanted to live in a place where I had to carry id all the time and have absolutely no rights I would move to Thailand.