Brunei: eVisas - Guidance for Service Family Members

eVisas - Guidance for Service Family Members

1. If you have a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) which expires on 31 December 2024, you will need to register for a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account to access your eVisa. You should do this before your BRP expires.

2. If you have Settled status (Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK (ILR) or Indefinite Leave to Enter the UK (ILE)) and have a wet-ink stamp or a vignette in your passport, we recommend you make a No Time Limit Application https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/replace-visa-brp to replace that with a BRP. Once you have your BRP, you can then register for a UKVI account.

3. No Time Limit Applications can only be submitted in the UK. If you are overseas, you will still be able to enter the UK from the 01 January 2025 even if you have not registered for a UKVI account as Rail, Sea and Air carriers will be able to check your status automatically.

4. Through your eVisa, you will be able to view your immigration status and associated conditions. This status information is already accessible to other government departments and third party organisations such as the Department of Work and Pensions, Local Authorities, the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency, Border Force, the National Health Service and Rail, Sea and Air carriers.

5. UKVI will be contacting customers by email to advise them to register for a UKVI account. If you have changed your email address since your last application for leave, or used someone else’s email address, you may not receive this email but you can still register for an account.

6. You can register for a UKVI account either inside or outside the UK, and you do not need to wait to be contacted by UKVI.

7. Once you have registered for a UKVI account it is important to check that your travel document information is up-to-date.

8. Details about eVisas system and how to register can be found here: Online immigration status (eVisa) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

9. You should continue to carry your BRP with you when you travel internationally until it expires.

Brunei: Operation Neptune - Tide and Weather Forecast for 20 Nov - 26 Nov 2024

 

Please click on the image to enlarge.

As we approach the monsoon, there is an increased likelihood of flooding in the Seria and KB areas, which could impact Tuker Line camp, Medicina Line camp and the SLAs in both Seria and KB. 

To support preparedness efforts, the BST Ops Room will be issuing a weekly Tide and Weather forecast as part of Op-NEPTUNE. These updates will cover the periods from Wednesday to Tuesday.

For more detailed of weather forecasts, please visit the websites as shown below:

a. Belait Weather - 7, 10 & 14 Day Weather Forecast - Brunei Darussalam (worldweatheronline.com)

b. Tide Times and Tide Chart for Seria (tide-forecast.com)

For any queries, please send an email to: BRUNEIGAR-BST-Mailbox (MULTIUSER)

Brunei: Second Phase Opening of Reflection Garden by BFB Spouses and 1RGR Wives Committee - Friday, 22nd November 2024, 1630 - 1715 hrs

SECOND PHASE OPENING OF REFLECTION GARDEN BY BFB SPOUSES AND 1RGR WIVES COMMITTEE AT H15

BLUF. The completion of the second phase of the reflection garden project has now been pushed to the third week of Nov 24 from the end of Oct 24. The DIO team has done their best to complete the project on time with the local contractor and affirmed that the project will be completed in the third week of Nov 24.

Aim. The aim of the second phase opening is to acknowledge the key stakeholders who have done so much for the community, particularly for this project. Secondly, to make everyone aware of the facilities added to the reflection garden. And finally, to promote and encourage healthy and well-being activities within the BFB community.

Request. It is therefore on behalf of BFB Spouses and 1RGR Wives Committee warmly invite, encourage and request your presence with your families to join the Opening of the second phase of the reflection garden at H15 if you are available.

Time. Friday, 22 Nov 24. 1630 - 1715hrs.

Dress. Equivalent dress.

Location. Assemble in Chit Chat Community Centre Main Car Park.

The garden is located between H15 Flats and CCCC next to the play park.

Brunei: BFB Library - Volunteer Social Evening - Wednesday, 20th November 2024, 1400 - 1700 hrs @ BFB Library CCCC

Write your own Christmas POEM!

Submit before Monday, 16th December 2024

Please click the images to enlarge.

GamCare: Way Forward Programme - online support for women affected by harmful gambling

 

Way Forward is GamCare's support group for all women affected by someone else’s gambling harm. Groups aim to provide a safe, supportive and confidential space for women to share their experiences, find comfort and empower one another.

Way Forward online sessions are semi-structured, running for 1.5 hours over six weeks. Groups are led by trained facilitators specialising in supporting women who are affected by gambling-related harms.

Each week will focus on the impact of different areas of gambling harm:

• Session 1 – Getting to know each other.
• Session 2 – Understanding gambling harm.
• Session 3 – Taking care of yourself.
• Session 4 – Dealing with guilt and shame / enabling behaviours.
• Session 5 – Dealing with anger and resentment.
• Session 6 – Having difficult conversations / expectations / acceptance.

If you’re interested in registering or want to know more, please email womenspathwaysupport@gamcare.org.uk

This group is for women based in England and Wales. We also have a Way Forward group in Scotland and to register your interest in future sessions, please contact scotland@gamcare.org.uk.

If you need support now, the National Gambling Helpline gives confidential advice and support to anyone affected by gambling in England, Scotland and Wales. You can speak to us for free, 24/7 on 0808 8020 133, or online.​

Army Families Federation – Childcare Survey

AFF want to know about your experience of early years childcare.

“We want to understand how issues such as availability and cost affect your family, and how your experience varies by location, so we've launched a short survey that runs until 6 December".

Army Families' Experiences of 0-5 Childcare Survey​

Army Families Federation (AFF) Immigration Survey

AFF would like to know more about the unique challenges non-UK Service personnel, veterans and their families face when it comes to immigration. Who did you contact for information and advice and why? Did you get everything you needed straight away, or did you find it difficult?

Following a project funded by the Royal British Legion and working in partnership with the Naval Families Federation (NFF) and the RAF Families Federation (RAFFF), AFF have designed a survey to find out who people turn to when they need immigration information or advice.

If you are not British by birth and you or a family member are serving or have previously served in the UK Armed Forces, we would love to hear from you! British Service personnel with non-UK family members can also fill in the survey. It should take less than five minutes to complete.

Please go to surveymonkey.com/r/Non-UK_Questionnaire​

Veterans Access to Healthcare Research Briefing

To access the Research briefing: Veterans: Access to Health Services, please click here.

Brunei: BFPO - Post Office Notices - Limited Counter Service and Post Office Christmas Timings

Opening Hours:

Mon - Thurs: 0900 - 1130 & 1200 - 1430 

Fri: 0900 - 1130 & 1200 - 1330

Exchange Rate:

November - £1.00 = $1.7127

NOTICES

Post Office Limited Counter Service

Thursday 28 & Friday 29 November 2024 – limited service, no cash transactions, parcel postage with card payment only.

Mon 2 December 2024 – full services resume

Post Office Christmas Timings

Last recommended date for postage to the UK is 12 December 2024 and 9 December to BFPOs worldwide.

The post office Christmas timings are as follows:

Please click on the image to enlarge.

Mail Services

All mail services from the BFPO 11 are with immediate effect back online, however the following conditions apply:

Restricted items in the mail (BFPO 11 Service)

1.      Dried Food Articles. Postage of dried food articles, including fish, tea and coffee are subject to the following conditions:

        a.      A maximum of 5kg per entitled person per week, up to 20kg each calendar month and parcels are to be packaged separately.

2.      Sold goods. Commercial postage of clothing, apparels and services for personal gain through the BFPO is strictly prohibited.

3.     Any misuse of BFPO services, such as using them for personal business purposes, constitutes an abuse of resources and is subject to disciplinary action. Misuse compromises the integrity and efficiency of services intended to support BFB’s Directives.

Christmas Mail (recommended last posting dates)

4.      Customers wishing to send Christmas gifts to family are advised to send all parcels as early as possible but no later than:

           Mails to UK: 12 December 2024

           Mails to BFPOs worldwide: 9 December 2024

5.      Letters to Santa Claus/Father Christmas. Letters to Santa are to be posted by Wednesday 20 November 2024 in order to receive a reply in time for Christmas. The address for all correspondence to Santa Claus/Father Christmas is:

            Father Christmas

            Santa’s Grotto

            Reindeer Land

            XM4 5HQ

British Forces Post Office Services

British Forces Brunei post office is located in the Chit Chat Community Centre.

The BFPO system can be used to send and receive post from the UK.

All mails are distributed to work addresses only.

Authorised personnel

All BFPO services are available to entitled personnel only, which includes:

- Service Personnel & Families

- UKBC / Teachers & Families

Relatives and other UK or foreign civilians are to use local banking and postal services as they are not classed as authorised, under the MoD provision.

Get ready for a Wraparound Childcare (WAC) expansion to some overseas locations. Coming spring term 2025

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Are you assigned to a location within the European Economic Area & Switzerland (EEA&S) or using Defence Children Services (DCS) before and after school childcare provision? WAC Overseas will be available to eligible families in these areas from 6 January 2025.

What is Wraparound Childcare funding?

The Wraparound Childcare (WAC) scheme provides funding for up to 20 hours per week, per child, during term time, to eligible Service families with children aged 4 to 11 years old (4-16 years old if receiving Government disability allowances) who are in full time education in school or being home educated. Over 7,000 Service children's before and after school childcare is currently being funded by WAC.

Temporary registration and claims process for WAC Overseas.

A temporary process will be in place from January until at least April 2025. Due to the migration of JPA to the Cloud it is not possible for WAC Overseas registrations and claims to be added to the WAC area of JPA straight away. The temporary process has been put in place to enable eligible families to claim WAC Overseas funding while this migration work takes place. Once JPA migration to the Cloud is complete, there will be a requirement to re-register to continue to submit claims, via JPA in the future. Further guidance documents will be available on the Defence Childcare Information Page on DefNet and Defence Connect in January.