Dual citizen living abroad, trying to join

[William]

Hello, I am 23-years-old, a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom. I was born in the United States, my mother is American, and my father is Scottish. Immediately after I was born, my parents traveled to the UK and my father had my birth registered with the British government. So, I have both a U.S. and British birth certificate.

I currently live in the United States and have never lived in the United Kingdom. I called the recruiting office to ask if I would be eligible and they said, yes, I'd be eligible for everything except for intelligence, but I'd need to get a specific waiver to waive the residency requirement...

They gave me the email of the people in charge of overseas recruiting. I e-mailed them and they never responded (however, looking at sent email just now -- I just noticed something -- the reason for this might be because I used the Americanized spelling "inquiries" in the email address, not the British "enquiries"). So, I called the recruiting office again. They pointed out that the email I got was probably the head of their whole overseas recruiting department, so she was probably really busy... So, they directed me to the information on the RAF's recruiting website:

http://www.raf.mod.uk/careers/sendmeinfo/overseas.cfm

It mentions an address where I can mail all of my documents to.

Now, I can do this, but I'd really prefer to not send my birth certificates and all my other important documents to some address in the UK, not knowing when or how I'd get them back, or what they'd even do with them when they get there.

So, I would like to at least have some kind of confirmation over the phone or by email with someone who handles this or, if need be, I can fly over to the United Kingdom with all of the conceivable documents, and try to deal with this in person.

The question is: Where do you think I should go from here? If I do fly to the United Kingdom, what documents would I need to bring?

So far, I intend on bringing:

• My US and UK birth certificates
• American passport (I might also apply for a British passport and get that as well, before going over there)
• American driver's license
• High school diploma (the American version of the GCSE)
• Immunization records
• A recent police report (called a "background check" in American english)

Right now, I am re-sending the email to the address with the proper spelling "enquiries". Also, to clarify: I don't have any major or minor health problems (i.e., asthma, eczema, etc..) or psychiatric problems, so I meet all of the preliminary requirements. The only thing I need to work on is running. I'm not overweight, but I am a bit out-of-shape, so I've been running for 20+ minutes a day, in order to work towards being able to run 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes, 11 seconds.

 

[lisab]

Forgive my ignorance, but why are you wanting to join British Forces and not American forces?

 

[Downsizer]

Have you read the link correctly? It says to send copies of the documents, not the orginals.

Also you do not say if you are planning to join as an officer/NCA or airman...note this..

Applications for Ground Trades (Airmen) must be made in person at an Armed Forces Careers Office in the United Kingdom, details of which can be found on this website.

Hope this helps.

 

[busby1971]

Do what you've been told.

Do what you've been told.

Hi,

All overseas applications are dealt with on their own individual circumstances and the contact details you've been given are the best people to deal with you.

There should be no reason for you to come to the UK until you've been told you can apply, just send copies of your documents securely to the address given, if you can scan and email them this might be a safer way and might get you a quicker reply.

Good luck with your application.

 

[William]

Forgive my ignorance, but why are you wanting to join British Forces and not American forces?

Even before thinking of joining the military I've intended on eventually becoming a resident of the UK at some point, because of the various benefits, such as healthcare. In recent years, the US has been falling behind in things like internet access, GDP per capita, the dollar is in decline, and some of its governments's policies (like rigid immigration restrictions, lack of a real public healthcare system, horrible fuel emissions standards driving up the cost of gasoline, etc..) are a bit archaic. Although the UK is comparable in many ways, overall the standard of living there seems to be better (see this article in the Times as simply one example among many). I think people in Britain, for instance, would also be surprised at how horrible our public transit is, by comparison. In the long-term, it seems likely to me that this gap will get wider and I'd benefit financially from living in Europe, or at least from being paid in Euros.

And finally (you'd probably consider this a bit of silly reason -- perhaps not), the U.S. government has a history of starting relatively long and arbitrary wars. Although the British government tends to always go along with it, the British people tend to be somewhat more intolerable of it. So, in Britain you see a much more reasonable response, for instance, to the problems of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I recognize and accept the practical reality of possibly having to be in a combat situation I disagree with and the duty to do my job anyway, but if that's going to happen, it seems somewhat less likely to happen under the UK military rather than the US military. Perhaps I'm wrong?

Have you read the link correctly? It says to send copies of the documents, not the orginals.

Also you do not say if you are planning to join as an officer/NCA or airman...note this..

Applications for Ground Trades (Airmen) must be made in person at an Armed Forces Careers Office in the United Kingdom, details of which can be found on this website.

Hope this helps.

Ah, thanks. I didn't notice that!

So, simply send xerox copies of everything I have? I'm sure they'll want to see the originals at some point, but I'll just send copies and see if I get a response.

 

[Weebl]

I think you may need to do a little more research and maybe come over here to live for a while before deciding to join HMF based on the reasons you have given.

Our immigration policies are a joke, we pay far more than you do for petrol, our public transport sucks and is expensive (with the possible exception of London) and we don't use Euro's, to pick on just a few of your points.

 

[William]

I think you may need to do a little more research and maybe come over here to live for a while before deciding to join HMF based on the reasons you have given.

Our immigration policies are a joke, we pay far more than you do for petrol, our public transport sucks and is expensive (with the possible exception of London) and we don't use Euro's, to pick on just a few of your points.

I've heard this advice before, yes.

 

[True Blue Jack]

Your answer to lisa's question shows that you have considered the consequences of serving in the UK military but I am concerned that you may be looking at us through rose-tinted spectacles. As Weebl suggests, the $4 you are paying for a gallon of gasoline is about half what we pay and our mass transit system (outside London) is far from perfect. On the other hand, I am led to believe that our salaries compare favourably to US averages; at the lowest end of the scale you can expect to earn the equivalent of $32000 in the first year after training.

You have stated your reasons for wanting to live in Europe but not why you prefer the UK military to the US. One thing you may not have considered is that the we are not adored unconditionally by the Great British public. Also, we are under-manned, under-equipped and under-funded. Fortunately, we are (IMHO!) the best in the world at what we do.

Good luck with your application, but if you have the means to spend some time in the UK before your application is too far advanced I think you may benefit from that.

 

[Talk Wrench]

Joining HM forces is not easy. There are stingent background checks that need to be carried out. The UK border controls, despite what has been said are very strong and the immigration system is more rigid than other systems within Europe.


Every eligible applicant is thoroughly screened and vetted for the safety of all all parties involved.

And most of all, British security is paramount, have you thought about this?


TW

 

[Simonpo]

As a fellow dual citizen who has lived in both countries, I can tell you that they both have just as many downsides as each other. The reasons you give aren't good enough to justify moving here, especially if you plan to go for a commission.

 

[Downsizer]

I would suggest that you will need a very thick skin, as you will be in for a massive amount of stick. Despite what you may think/feel, everybody else will see you as a sherman tank and treat you as such...

 

[3wheeledtechie]

Go away and reconsider.

You have no clear ties or justifiable reasons to wish to join the UK military, despite a Scottish father and the fact you may be eligible to do so. You were raised and brought up in the USA, and clearly have serious misconceptions of what HM Forces are or can do for you.

If you are intent on living in Europe, earning in Euros and serving in the military, perhaps the French Foreign Legion would be a better choice for you.DT_Xtremez_15: