A Sarnia woman is scrambling to get a United Kingdom (U.K.) passport after new rules came into effect last week.
Catriona Henderson, a Blackburn Media employee and dual Canada-U.K. citizen, came to Canada from Scotland in the 1980s.
She tells Sarnia News Today she often travels back to see family.
"For anyone who has dual citizenship, if you are landing in the U.K., you have to land with a U.K. passport," said Henderson. "So, it will affect me because for the last how many years... I've been traveling under a Canadian passport and don't have a valid U.K. passport. I didn't see the point of having two, to be honest, and it has impacted my kids because they are all dual citizens as well. So, if they want to travel back to the U.K., they also have to get them."
Henderson said the rules took her and others by surprise.
"Apparently, it's been in the works for the last two years. I was certainly unaware of it and I think it's caught a lot of people off guard," Henderson said. "Listening to British news, there was politicians that were taken off guard as well. So, I think everyone's just been surprised."
She thinks there should have been more of a grace period.
"I feel like if they said, 'this is coming in the next six months, be prepared,' but they didn't seem to do a very good job of publicizing it or letting people know," Henderson said.
She's working on her application to send to the British Consulate-General in Toronto.
"It's something I have done before, way back when I wasn't a Canadian, it's just a bit of a hassle and it's time-consuming," Henderson said. "My dad is in his 90s and I'm just always prepared to go back home at the drop of a hat. If anything happens in the next couple months, to my dad, I'm kind of stuck for a little bit, or I have to then try and get to Toronto and get things moving a bit faster."
The new British travel rules also impact Canadian citizens wishing to visit the U.K.
An Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) became mandatory for visitors entering the U.K. on February 25 who don't require a visa. That includes passport holders from Canada, the United States, Australia and the European Union.
"That is just a simple form that you fill out online, you pay the cost and then you're approved within three days, and I think it comes by e-mail," Henderson said.
The British High Commissioner to Canada Rob Tinline said in a recent social media video that he knows the changes are significant.
"It’s about keeping our borders secure, but it’s not about getting in the way of people who want to come to the U.K. and have a great visit," he said.
