Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
The Share Code method is silly and I told the then Secretary of State to her face exactly why it was a stupid system. Share Code isn't supposed to be used for travel, the official line is that if an airline makes contact with the Border Force they can verify SS - most airlines of course use handling agents and that makes calling LHR or LGW a near impossibility on a day to day basis. But I wonder if anyone has used the Share Code email to plonk in front of a check-in agent and say "here you are"? But from what I know, the original SS email is regarded by most EU carriers as being fine, I am not sure it will work at every Qatar location.
Because I'm a masochist, I did it twice while abroad. Once with a lady working for the security company employed by ZRH/the Swiss immigration authorities at the boarding gate for an LX flight to LCY. She just said "I don't have a computer, show me something else". And another time with a French public official when dealing with the sale of a property. She laughed in my face. And this was in two fairly respectable countries, where I could speak the language. I don't look forward to having to deal with that utter nonsense in America, where once I got a secondary because they thought Madrid was in LATAM...
From the start, settled status was at best an afterthought. The fact that you had to use an Android phone. Having to send out your passport as well as another heap of info that the Home Department already has. It's frankly par for the course with the naturalisation process, but at least it's free of charge. Naturalisation on the other hand... Ouch. But for an extra fee you can get a photo with a cardboard cutout of the King.