Hi Everyone,
Good luck on your immigration journeys! Anyways, I was wondering...
My Canadian passport will expire before (next year) I can apply for US Citizenship (in two years). Should I bother applying for a new Canadian passport beforehand, even though I might not need it for travel? Or should I just wait it out until I get US Citizenship for a US Passport?
I'm now basically left with the following options:
a) In the USA: Get the observation stamp with the observation/note about my new married name on it (from what I read on another VJ post, this can be done) at the Canadian Embassy here in the USA, in my Canadian passport (which costs about $12 USD) and continue using my current Canadian passport that has my old maiden name on it. Wait until 2 years later to apply for an American passport in my married name (which costs about $90 USD for 10 years).
b ) In the USA: Forget about any stamps or anything. Just use my current Canadian passport in my old maiden last name. Wait until 2 years later to apply for an American passport (which costs about $90 USD for 10 years)
c) In the USA: Mail out my current Canadian passport and apply for a new Canadian passport ($90 CDN for 5 years). Then wait until 2 years later to apply for an American passport in my married name (which costs about $90 USD for 10 years). The only problem with that is that I'm afraid that the application for the Canadian passport will get lost in the mail (yes, even by courier too, as I've had stuff misdirected by courier before and courier is quite costly too) and since I have no other way of getting another Canadian Citizenship Card, I wouldn't be able to get a new Citizenship Card to apply for a Canadian passport if it happens to get lost.
d) In Canada: Make a short day trip to Canada before my passport expires. Apply for a new passport there (about $90 CDN for 5 years). Then wait until 2 years later to apply for an American passport in my married name (which costs about $90 USD for 10 years). The only problem with that is that I rarely go to Canada, and even if I do go, it could cost me and extra $30 in gas, plus an extra 6 hours in traffic for each trip, which is a waste of time and money.
Which option would be the best for me, based on the above listed choices?
By the way, does anyone know how long it takes to get a Canadian passport, just in case of any emergencies (lol..as that's the only one I can get now if ever I do need a passport before US Citizenship)? On an emergency basis, can one apply for a Canadian passport here in-person in the USA at the Canadian Embassy and how long would that take?
As well, has anyone ever applied for a Canadian passport before "in lieu of a guarrantor"? If so, does that delay the process and by how long will it delay it by? Lol...Apparently, I don't know any guarrantors here in the USA for two years required time, nor do I have any contact anymore with any potential guarrantors in Canada....
Any other suggestions, ideas, or thoughts appreciated too. Thanks.
Ant
