Thread by @EmiliaB71

1/..Even before the list of "approved countries" is updated, they've already stepped up the "hostile environment" for certain minorities: I used self-id to have my identity updated (I'm belgian). I sent my new passport & birth certificate to the home office, this was their reply:

2/.. First of all, home many identity documents do they think I have? My birth certificate even had a QR code on it that allows the home office to verify my identity with the Belgian authorities.

3/..Do they honestly think the Belgian embassy would issue me a new id without invalidating the old one? When you go through self-id your entire identity is basically replaced. In Belgium this means that my "rijksregisternummer" which is unique is replaced with a new one.

4/..This is in part done because that number also has a code which reflects your gender. Hence if your gender is changed a new code is issued. That process is approved by the PUBLIC PROSECUTOR who checks to ensure there is no fraud or attempt to avoid legal recourse involved.

5/..Only when there is no objection raised from the prosecutor will the new identity be issued. Now I don't know about the UK, but in Belgium you pretty much use your identity docs to prove who you are as it is a legally binding document.

6/..Furthermore, WHY THE HELL WOULD ANYBODYCHANGE THEIR IDENTITY AND THEN NOT LIVE THEIR LIFE AS THAT PERSON? It's insanity taken to a whole new level. Practically though, the home office's refusal to acknowledge my identity has consequences.

7/..I can't update anything related to the government like tax records or my right to work, because the only id available to me to request a DBS check on is the old one, which is now no longer actively available in Belgium and would immediately be flagged.

8/..And I've had other issues too: While the NHS did create a new entry for me, that has not gone well. Apart from the incongruence between my birth certificate and the gender used by the NHS, they have also in the process managed to lose practically my entire patient history.

9/..All repeat prescriptions gone, blood test results only until Nov 2022 but worst of all, a potentially lethal allergy that I have for Penicillin, wiped from my medical records creating a potentially very dangerous situation for me.

10/..The only good news I can report is that because of the reply I received today, I have strengthened my resolve to leave this hellish country and put a hard limit on my stay here. Come hell or high water, I will leave the country by end of August.

11/.. For 8 years I have lived and worked here, contributed to this society, paid my taxes and sponsored charities only to now be treated like absolute garbage by a government which shows an absolute disdain for the people they are meant to serve. I can promise you this:

12/.. Unless people take to the streets in protest, don't expect anything to change. The problems that exist are embedded in this society and a simple election won't fix it. All of YOU need to make it clear that the current situation is unacceptable.

13/13 Protest is how you get things to change. Making YOUR voices heard.

11/..