Stories from our users: Kate
Coming to a new country to study is a lot harder than it needs to be, especially when you're navigating a new gender at the same time
This is the second of a three-part series.
Kate is a 21-year-old American who recently came to study in the UK.
Settling into a new country is daunting, even before negotiating festoons of red tape involved.
The process was only made harder by Kate's recent gender transition: a life circumstance that many UK institutions aren’t well-equipped to deal with.
“I have 5 different types of ID and all of them look like different people”
Kate's story begins with the visa application process. Applying from America meant applying through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
"I got my appointment, but much later than I would’ve liked," Kate said, recalling the stress of paying overnight postage to send her passport to New York and back.
Kate was granted a 1-month visa: enough, in theory, to get to the UK and get hold of a biometric residence permit (BRP). But production was delayed, meaning that Kate was in the UK nearly the full month allowed on the visa before the BRP arrived.
Trickier still, the conditions of the BRP say you need to apply for a new one as soon as your appearance changes. What does that mean? “I have 5 different types of ID and all of them look like different people.” Kate says.
A bootstrapping problem
To set up a UK bank account, banks want to see a BRP, so this wasn't even an option for Kate's first month. The first port of call was Monzo. But Monzo turned Kate down for an account with no explanation. The rejection contained a rocket emoji—tone deaf, given the circumstances.
Things were a bit better at Nationwide, but only a bit.
“Nationwide eventually said ‘you failed your credit check, here's a basic account’”, Kate recalls.
Typical for the UK’s more established financial institutions, setting up an account with Nationwide relies on snail-mail at several steps.
Kate's struggles to open a bank account highlight a bootstrapping problem faced by many who struggle to prove who they are.
To get a bank account you need a phone number. To get a monthly phone number you need a bank account. You can get a pay-as-you-go SIM. But regardless of whether you pay with an American bank card, or with cash, you’ll face additional fees.
A quagmire of inconclusive phone calls
Kate had to try twice before succeeding in getting a National Insurance number. The process was changed between these attempts. The first attempt began with a phone call, followed by confusing paper forms.
"Something on the form made me think it was the wrong one," Kate told us. This attempt ended in a quagmire of inconclusive phone calls.
The second attempt started much better, with a lovely service on GOV.UK. But as can often be the case, the digital service is just the shop window.
Unlike modern services that will accept a digital copy of a passport, Kate had to put a photocopy of her’s in the post. They said it would take 16 weeks.
ID at the supermarket
Theoretically, it should be easy to prove who you are if you’ve just travelled from overseas. You already have robust ID in the form of a physical passport. But often foreign-issued identity documents are not recognised.
One example is proving your age in a supermarket: overseas passports are often rejected.
Being a student in Scotland, Kate applied for a Young Scot card, which meant having a photo taken in the office of a local authority. Now, you can do it online, which means taking a selfie and providing a copy of your passport photo page and proof of address.
Kate was fortunate to have a UK address, but plenty of students keep their parents’ registered address as their home while at uni.
Unnecessary complexity around gender
As we navigate our lives we apply for and renew different forms of identification at different times.
"I think the DVLA will let you change the gender on your ID without a GRC," Kate noted.
"And in the US, some states are self-id. So my gender could be different across different IDs. Why does it even matter?!"
GRC stands for Gender Recognition Certificate. Kate is right. You don't need a GRC to change your gender on your driving licence, but you do need “original documents”.
After some digging, we found that could include a GRC, but could also be a deed poll (which doesn’t have your gender on it anyway), or a “statutory document”.
But you have to wonder why the DVLA asks for gender at all.
In some states in the US, changing your gender is a process of providing your name, gender and signature. Though Kate notes that, in some states, the process of registering a change of gender in the US is harder.
“Am I supposed to get a GRC here or not?” Kate questions. “So if you come from a place where you have already changed your gender, then you don’t have to go through the bullshit.”
Kate has more ID documents than anyone I’ve ever met.
On paper, she should have an easy time proving who she is.
And yet, people like Kate still get trapped in the gaps between the services we’ve designed. This benefits no one.
There are millions of people in situations like Kate’s and worse, spending their own money and time to fix a problem that shouldn’t exist.
Radical inclusion is one of the core values behind VouchSafe.
We’re making a new way to prove who you are that sweeps the complicated legacy of paper documents away, and is fit for the way people live and interact today.
It will work no matter your circumstances.
If you want to help us make it, or think it could help you, we’re at hello@vouchsafe.id.
Names have been changed.