Veterans Issues
Veterans programme
Veterans programme
Veterans affairs secretariat
Veterans working arrangements
Veterans task force
Veterans forum
Veterans plenary
Minister's speeches
Veterans forum
Minutes of the Veterans Forum Held in the Army & Navy Club on Tuesday 25 May 2004
Enclosure 1 / Enclosure 2
Summary of enlistment and discharge procedures for foreign and commonwealth recruits to the british army
Reference:
A. D/SP Pol VPU/7/36 dated 26 February 2004.
1. At Reference A you wrote seeking advice regarding the enlistment and discharge procedures for Foreign and Commonwealth (Commonwealth) soldiers.
2. Commonwealth personnel are enlisted and discharged using the same procedures as UK recruits. Below I have outlined the procedures that Commonwealth personnel are required to complete and subjects that they are briefed on when being enlisted and discharged from the Army.
Enlistment
3. On enlistment, Commonwealth Personnel are briefed on, and are employed on, the same Terms and Conditions of Service (TACOS) as a UK National recruit. The specifics that only pertain to them will be briefed additionally. Married personnel will be advised that if their spouse, and children, are currently in their country of origin that they should remain there until after the completion of Phase 2 Training. This enables the individual to move to a Field Army Unit after Phase 2 Training and ensure that the spouse, and children, join the service person at the appropriate location and not at the training unit. In addition, it permits the soldier to obtain Service Families Accommodation in his permanent duty station. This is significant because the Home Office will require proof of this address when the spouse applies for a UK entry visa to join her husband.
4. During the recruitment process a soldier is informed that it is their responsibility to meet the expense of returning to their country of origin, both during and on completion of their service. In addition making their own travel arrangements Commonwealth personnel are entitled to Domiciled Collective Leave (DOMCOL) or DOMCOL substitute in recognition of their extended absence from close family. DOMCOL is leave of 45 working days granted after 5 years service to entitled officers and soldiers who are normally domiciled outside the UK and Irish Republic. The costs of this travel are met at public expense and the leave may be advanced (on a case by case basis) should an individual experience a family crisis. DOMCOL substitute allows a married person to accumulate 25% of their annual leave for the purposes of taking 45 working days' leave to travel but not at public expense.
5. With the introduction of Home Office visa charges for spouse and dependants, Commonwealth Personnel have started to be advised on costs of visas and stamps in passports for dependants. Commonwealth personnel are also briefed on Religious issues such as diet and religious festivals as appropriate.
6. On enlistment the individual's passport is sent to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of the Home Office to be endorsed as Exempt from Immigration control under Section 8(4) of the Immigration Act 1971. This permits the holder to be exempt immigration control for the duration of service with the British Army. This is an employment concession and the exemption is only granted for as long as that employment status remains current.
Discharge
7. Upon discharge, irrespective of reason, Commonwealth Personnel are discharged in the UK in exactly the same manner as other personnel enlisted in the UK.
8. For Commonwealth personnel, immediately on discharge the immigration exempt status stamp in the passport becomes invalid. It is then the individual's responsibility to contact the IND informing them of their discharge from the Army, although this can be facilitated by the discharging unit. The individual will then normally be granted 28 days leave by the Immigration Service, from the time they come to the attention of the Immigration Service, in which to regularise their status. This information is given to the individual by the IND when they obtain their original exempt status stamp.
9. Upon discharge the discharging unit will annotate the passport, as laid out in Reference B, with “Discharged from HM Forces” and the date. They are not to write through or amend the IND stamp in any way. The discharging unit may then contact the IND to inform them that the individual has been discharged but this is strictly the responsibility of the individual and not responsibility of the MOD/Army.
10. The stamp in the passport is a matter between the IND and the individual. The terms under which they are (or not) allowed to remain in the country must be addressed by the individual.
11. Directorate Personal Services (Army) are aware of the lack of understanding within units over the administration of Commonwealth personnel and have for some time been trying to consolidate many of the issues associated with Commonwealth personnel into a guidance document for all units. Much of the information contained within the guide has had to be agreed and cleared with Other Government Departments, principally the IND of the Home Office as they own the policy with regard to passports and visas. Also the Foreign Office, Department for Works and Pensions, the Inland Revenue, the Treasury and the Health and Education Services have had to be considered. This takes time. I understand that the guide is nearing completion and SO1 PS (Policy & Plans) DPS(A) will be issuing it shortly.
