Iroquois team refused UK visas RFID passport chips-> 1
Submitted
by
56ker
56ker writes "I found this interesting story on Yahoo (there are other news stories too) about the Iroquois team being refused UK visas to travel to the UK as part of the once every four year world lacrosse championship.
It seems the sticking point is that as a sovereign nation within the United States (and Canada) they issue their own passports. As these are just paper passports (like the big black passports we used to use for years before joining the European Union) and don't have digital photos and RFID tags the lacrosse teams have been turned down for visas by the local British embassy or consulate.
My grandfather's passport (which I still have) which has no RFID tags got him into France before they were invaded by the Germans in the 1940s. According to the article the first game the Iroquois have is against England.
One of the ironies of the situation is that in the UK we have different nations; England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, each with their own national team. Why can't the native American or First Nation Canadians be recognised in this way? Their sense of identity and nationality is the tribal group they belong to. Understandably regarding their history they have strong feelings about having a Yankee or Canadian passport.
If the US will let them leave (which they have with a one-time waiver) and they've got return tickets, what's the problem (or is it just a cunning way for England to win by default against a better team)? ;)
As usual comments, including personal or otherwise stories about strange immigration decisions.
P.S. Anyone any idea how to get the spellchecker on livejournal to use British English by default rather than American English?
In the interests of open journalism, the author of this article is married to a person of native Lakota Sioux descent born on a reservation in Canada, who now lives in the UK."
Link to Original Source
It seems the sticking point is that as a sovereign nation within the United States (and Canada) they issue their own passports. As these are just paper passports (like the big black passports we used to use for years before joining the European Union) and don't have digital photos and RFID tags the lacrosse teams have been turned down for visas by the local British embassy or consulate.
My grandfather's passport (which I still have) which has no RFID tags got him into France before they were invaded by the Germans in the 1940s. According to the article the first game the Iroquois have is against England.
One of the ironies of the situation is that in the UK we have different nations; England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, each with their own national team. Why can't the native American or First Nation Canadians be recognised in this way? Their sense of identity and nationality is the tribal group they belong to. Understandably regarding their history they have strong feelings about having a Yankee or Canadian passport.
If the US will let them leave (which they have with a one-time waiver) and they've got return tickets, what's the problem (or is it just a cunning way for England to win by default against a better team)?
As usual comments, including personal or otherwise stories about strange immigration decisions.
P.S. Anyone any idea how to get the spellchecker on livejournal to use British English by default rather than American English?
In the interests of open journalism, the author of this article is married to a person of native Lakota Sioux descent born on a reservation in Canada, who now lives in the UK."
Link to Original Source
