British Embassy Repatriation

My being homeless in London is a real possibility:

British Embassy repatriation to UK

Dear Mr Grant

We spoke on the phone yesterday and I said I would email you after discussing your situation with my colleagues in the UK. I have received authorisation to provide you with a loan to help you return to the UK. But before we go ahead and start the process I want to make sure that you understand what this would entail and ask you a couple of questions.

 

Logistics for arranging flight and PCR tests:

 

1. We can issue you with a loan for a flight back to the UK, which would also include the price of a PCR test that you need to take before your flight. As you are in Tecate, your flight will most likely be Tijuana to London Heathrow, with transit in Mexico City and possibly also in Amsterdam if we cannot find a cheap flight for you from Mexico City.

2. To issue the loan we will have to impound your British passport and issue you with an Emergency Travel Document (ETD). This is the standard procedure for a loan of this amount. Because of this, we will also include the cost of the ETD (£100) in the total of the loan. Upon arrival in the UK, our finance team will get in touch with you after a few months to agree a payment plan to pay back the loan.

3. You will not be able to apply for a new full British passport until your debt has been paid back in full.

4. We can arrange most things via email, but before signing the loan we will need you to go into our office either in Tijuana or Mexico City to hand in your British passport and receive your ETD. Please note that due to COVID we operate by appointment only so we will need to arrange a day and time before you make your way there.

5. To be allowed to board a flight to the UK you need to have 2 PCR tests in the UK booked and paid for. This is not something that we can include in the loan so I wanted to ask if you would give me permission to contact your daughter to see if she could book and pay this for you. I would then share your flight details with her once confirmed so she can book these tests for you.

 

Upon arrival in the UK:

 

1.       Once the loan is agreed and the flight is booked, we will book you an airport hotel where you will have to stay for 10 days as you are not vaccinated against Covid. This will be free of cost, and also includes the transport from the airport terminal to the hotel, as well as all meals for 10 days.

2.       Because you have been out of the UK for so long, you are not immediately entitled for benefits upon return. We will contact a charity called Heathrow Travel Care (HTC) on your behalf to explain your needs to them. They will call you during your 10 days at the hotel and provide you with advice on how to apply for housing, benefits, etc. They will do their best to help you find temporary shelter but I have been told that there is unfortunately a risk that you could find yourself homeless for some time after leaving the hotel. It will however help your case if you can prove that you had to return to the UK because you overstayed in Mexico.