Canada Passport Application

[bobby_kvisa 7]

I am a dual citizen - of both Canada and also the USA.

I have my USA Passport - but lately I have been thinking about applying for a Canadian Passport. I used have one previously but I never renewed it after becoming a US Citizen - so it has now long since expired.

Anyhow, at this point in time I am going through the CR-1 visa process and am the Petitioner. So below are some questions what might happen if I apply for a Canadian Passport in my situation.

* Would applying for a Canadian Passport pose any problems for the current CR-1 visa that I am petitioning for? These problems include

being deemed a Security Issue, having taken a Strange/Odd Action, or demonstrating Ambiguous Intent (re: CR-1 Visa Petition & Canada

Passport)

* Is it possible that my application/possession of a Canadian Passport could come up at my Beneficiary's Interview at the Embassy?

* When applying for my Canadian Passport - there does not seem to be any need to declare my US Citizenship on the Passport Application form.

Even so, will Canada make the USA aware of my possession of a Canadian Passport? Or does the USA require that Canada share such information

with them?

Edited August 4, 2010 by bobby_kvisa

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

I'm thinking of renewing my Canadian passport in a few months by which time I will hopefully have passed my naturalization test and have my US passport. From all the research I've been able to do on the internet, it doesn't seem to be a problem if someone has more than one legitimate passport (well, there are a few countries that don't allow it but Canada isn't one of them). The only advisory I could find was that they can give you a bit of a hard time at Customs if they see you are carrying more than one passport in your belongngs.

Since your Canadian passport has expired, could you not wait until your CR-1 has been approved before you apply for a new Canadian passport?

I would also be interested in any information other members may have uncovered about this.

[NickD 202]

This subject gives new meaning to the word, "nebulous". For example, my wife had to bring in both her expired and recently renewed foreign passports for her interview, but at her oath ceremony, only required her to surrender her green card, not her foreign passports. They obviously know she has a current valid foreign passport.

She could leave the USA with her foreign passport, but not come back without a USA passport, but maybe she could, still has a valid USA visa in her foreign passport, but would have to sneak back in as a tourist. And since the majority of illegals in this country are due to overstayed visas, like some for over 30 years, more than likely they would never follow through on her long expired I-94. But we didn't risk this, just get her a US passport. Was disappointing though with the happiness of getting her certificate, but no longer could she travel until she got that passport.

But the good news was the Department of State processed her new US passport in under two weeks with expedient service. When they started this Canadian thing just a few months beforehand, I had to wait practically five months with expedient service just to get my US passport renewed.

The bottom line in applying for a Canadian or any foreign passport is, if they your place of birth in your US passport is your home country that you are trying to enter. And they refuse entry unless you get a passport for that country, you have no choice but to apply for a passport of that country. This requires that you maintain citizenship in that country. The DOS knows this is going on and they like to call it dual nationality, which is BS, as you are indeed a dual citizen, nothing like having a government that promotes pure unadulterated BS upon its citizens.

If your country does not require you to maintain that so called dual nationality, then you are risking this nebulous area.

With my wife's situation, like to consider her having to maintain citizenship in her home country as a token citizenship, she does not have to report her USA income and pay them taxes on it. But she would if we decide to move there, have to pay taxes to the US government if she wants to maintain her US citizenship.

All in all, one hell of a mess, but that what happens when you have agencies making the laws we also have to abide by, when I contact my congressman or senator on these issues, don't even know about stuff like this. That is also a crime when only our congress should be making these laws.

As one individual, have to put up with subdivision, city, township, county, state, and federal laws, they claim this is good because we have local control. But use that as an excuse to raise taxes as they claim they are not getting my money back from the feds. When I contact my senator or congressman, too busy in fighting for Iraqi freedom, what about our freedom? Never get a reply to questions like this. Now I hear China is outbidding us for Iraqi oil, so we sure didn't go there for their oil, just getting screwed double.

[v333k 59]

Even so, will Canada make the USA aware of my possession of a Canadian Passport? Or does the USA require that Canada share such information

with them?

Every country requires its citizens to inform them of their changes including becoming permanent residents or become naturalized. Some countries such as the US, do not care about other citizenships and do not recognize them, so to the US, you are a US citizen only. If Canada is the same, then they will not care what other citizenships you have and hence the application part that doesn't require declaration of other citizenships.

If you are already a Canadian citizen, then I don't see how applying for a passport will cause problems for the CR-1 visa process but I could be wrong. A passport is a document that belongs to the government and you are requesting for it as a citizen... it is not to obtain citizenship...

some thoughts...

[OBX 51]

Have you has a chance to read through this thread? US/CDN citizenship

Doesn't address the visa process but still an interesting read.

IMO applying for a new passport should not effect the visa process.

Good luck!

[antda 13]

Have you has a chance to read through this thread? US/CDN citizenship

Doesn't address the visa process but still an interesting read.

IMO applying for a new passport should not effect the visa process.

Good luck!

Hi Everyone,

This is what I posted before in that thread mentioned before ....Hope this helps here too...

Hi,

Lol...As a Canadian and have "been there, done that"....let me take a crack at answering this question...

Now, as far as Canada is concerned, you are still a Canadian citizen, as Canada allows dual/multiple citizenships and as a Canadian citizen you can still carry a Canadian passport (lol..I still do)...You are still a Canadian, unless you formally renounce such. And rest assured, once you have US Citizenship, you can still keep your Canadian citizenship and Canadian passport, with no problems.

However, when entering the USA, you are considered an American citizen only, and will have to travel back to the USA with a US passport.

In other words..

Canada = Canadian citizen and American citizen

America = American citizen only

And like Just Bob said earlier in another post...

"Luckily for you, for Canadian citizens it's no problem to hold two citizenships, so you will always have to use your US passport when leaving or entering the US, and have to use your Canadian passport when entering or leaving Canada. Outside those two countries you have a choice on what passport to use."

Hope this helps. Good luck on your journey too.

Ant

P.S. Feel free to join us on the "Canada" VJ forum to discuss more Canadian related issues too....VJ Canada Forum: http://www.visajourn...orum/93-canada/

[antda 13]

Hi Bobby_kvisa,

Now in answer to your particular situation....

Likewise, I'm a dual citizen of both Canada and the USA too..

So we're both in a similar situation here..lol....

First off, since you already have a US passport, and you are a US Citizen....you need to keep that one, as that's the required documentation you need to travel in and out of the USA, if you are going overseas...

So you need an American passport regardless, as you cannot come back into the USA as a US Citizen without a US passport!

So on that note, having an extra Canadian passport is OPTIONAL for you, since you have an already valid US one and should have no problems travelling with that....

However, there are advantages and disadvantages to having a Canadian passport...

One of the advantages is that travelling as a Canadian on a Canadian passport is a lot safer. For example, depending on the other country you are travelling to, you can be seen as better off as a Canadian on a Canadian passport instead of an American on an American passport. Lol..I'm pretty sure this would be the case if you are travelling to anti-American countries.....

Another advantage is that a Canadian passport offers a 'blank' place of birth option...So if you want to keep that anonymous...(such as in my case, of being born in another country other than Canada and the USA, which I would rather not have mentioned on any legal documents), that is good too.....

One of the disadvantages is the extra costs and time involved in getting a Canadian passport...For example, it costs $100 for 5 years for a Canadian passport, as opposed to a $100 for 10 years for an American passport....

As well, Canadian passports involve finding a guarrantor and two references and specific hard-to-find photo specifications...So that could be of some hurdles there in getting a Canadian passport.....

I don't know about the CR-1 visas....So sorry I can't help you more there...

Nevertheless, you might have to tell government officials (such as the USCIS) that you have both US and Canadian citizenships, as it will come up in some way or other (whether through forms, interviews, etc...). So tell the truth there, and you should be ok...

As I mentioned before....

As for the USA...They see you as American regardless.....So it wouldn't be an issue here....USA only..

As for Canada...They see you as Canadian and whatever else citizenships that you may have....So you can disclose of your other citizenships on passport and other forms and have no problems with that either....Canadian and whatever else...

"Once a Canadian, always a Canadian" (unless you formally/legally decide to give up that citizenship..that's another process)

Lol..In all this talk/posting...Makes me wonder if I should renew my Canadian passport after it expires in a few years....

It would be interesting to see what I fill out on my Canadian passport application form....

Lol...I can see it now...Canadian (by naturalization), American (by naturalization), and other (by birth)...

And again, the request for a 'blank' place of birth...

Wonder what they will make of that new passport and hope they don't mess things up..... I have yet to find out.....

Neverhtless, hope this helps and good luck on your journey and good luck with your Canadian passport application (if you decide to go that route) too...

Ant

I am a dual citizen - of both Canada and also the USA.

I have my USA Passport - but lately I have been thinking about applying for a Canadian Passport. I used have one previously but I never renewed it after becoming a US Citizen - so it has now long since expired.

Anyhow, at this point in time I am going through the CR-1 visa process and am the Petitioner. So below are some questions what might happen if I apply for a Canadian Passport in my situation.

* Would applying for a Canadian Passport pose any problems for the current CR-1 visa that I am petitioning for? These problems include

being deemed a Security Issue, having taken a Strange/Odd Action, or demonstrating Ambiguous Intent (re: CR-1 Visa Petition & Canada

Passport)

* Is it possible that my application/possession of a Canadian Passport could come up at my Beneficiary's Interview at the Embassy?

* When applying for my Canadian Passport - there does not seem to be any need to declare my US Citizenship on the Passport Application form.

Even so, will Canada make the USA aware of my possession of a Canadian Passport? Or does the USA require that Canada share such information

with them?

Edited August 6, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[bobby_kvisa 7]

Thanks Ant and others.

Yeah because of the "unknown" factor I will probably not apply for a Canadian passport. It has nothing to do with the CR1 Visa petition - so in the event this situation comes up, there is no valid CR1-related explanation to provide.

Getting a gaurantor and photographs are also challenging I agree, so right now this is on the back-burner of sorts.

Thanks again for the input all.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Thanks Ant and others.

Yeah because of the "unknown" factor I will probably not apply for a Canadian passport. It has nothing to do with the CR1 Visa petition - so in the event this situation comes up, there is no valid CR1-related explanation to provide.

Getting a gaurantor and photographs are also challenging I agree, so right now this is on the back-burner of sorts.

Thanks again for the input all.

How would applying for a Cdn passport get reported to the US government? The 2 governments don't share this type of info. I think you're overthinking this a bit. As noted above, the US government doesn't recognize citizenship of other countries but that has no bearing on the passport application.....as a Cdn citizen, you have the right to apply for a Cdn passport if you like.

I don;t know how long it's been since you lived in Canada...if it's difficult to find anyone who can even be your guarantor anymore...maybe it's not even worth exploring?

[warlord 72]

Thanks Ant and others.

Yeah because of the "unknown" factor I will probably not apply for a Canadian passport. It has nothing to do with the CR1 Visa petition - so in the event this situation comes up, there is no valid CR1-related explanation to provide.

Getting a gaurantor and photographs are also challenging I agree, so right now this is on the back-burner of sorts.

Thanks again for the input all.

I do think it is a bit more complex when applying for the passport after it's expired for a length of time compared to renewing it while it is still valid. I'm currently debating if I should even bother even getting the canadian one renewed when it expires. As I never use it for anything and it's only for 5 years and it would be less hassle. I thought I had read up that if I ever did want one again and it's been expired that I would have to do some extra things to get a new Canadian passport which I wouldn't have to do if I got it simply renewed while it's at the end phase of still being valid...

[bobby_kvisa 7]

I am not going to apply now - in the future perhaps.

warlord - in our situations we would have to provide a Guarantor and 2 references. The Guarantor must have a valid Canadian passport and have known you for 2 years, must be willing to sign your form and your Photo - and they must vouch for you if called upon.

I imagine the 2 references might also be called if they feel there is any need.

If the Guarantor and the 2 References turn out just fine, it should lead to renewal of the passport.

The problem is getting a Guarantor as others mentioned - because the way the application reads it seems they prefer you providing a Guarantor as opposed to not having one.

[antda 13]

I do think it is a bit more complex when applying for the passport after it's expired for a length of time compared to renewing it while it is still valid. I'm currently debating if I should even bother even getting the canadian one renewed when it expires. As I never use it for anything and it's only for 5 years and it would be less hassle. I thought I had read up that if I ever did want one again and it's been expired that I would have to do some extra things to get a new Canadian passport which I wouldn't have to do if I got it simply renewed while it's at the end phase of still being valid...

Warlord-Yes, guarrantors are needed when one is re-applying after it has expired for a long time, and when one is doing a name change form a former passport (such as re-applying for a passport in a married name), and other situations like that...Don't know why these are the rules..But that's how Passport Canada wants things done...Which is a major inconvenience for us, in order to find guarrantors and whatnot....grrr.....

I'm kind of debating the same thing too..Whether or not to renew my Canadian passport after it expires in about 3-4 years or so...lol...I mean, do I really want to go through all that hassle with passport Canada and finding guarrantors again?...

It's renew it when it expires, or not renew it aat all....hmmm...something to think about and save up money for..lol...

You on the other hand..have an American passport...So at least you have that to travel on..no worries....So the Canadian passport is optional to you...choose to renew it if you want, or otherwise not renew it an just travel on the American one..

For me...Getting an American passport is not that simple....(see my other VJ posts about this topic)...And overall it is just as difficult (if not more) for me to get an American one as a Canadian one......lol..

Then again I think: Maybe I should just not have any passports at all....It would sure make things less difficult and less costly...I still have my EDL, and can get that at the local DMV with no problems...So I can still travel with that to Canada by land, I suppose....lol..

On a funny note..My husband and my son (who have been a US citizens since birth) do not have US or any other passports at all..and they seem to be fine travel-wise.....lol...Maybe I should just follow their lead......lol....

I am not going to apply now - in the future perhaps.

warlord - in our situations we would have to provide a Guarantor and 2 references. The Guarantor must have a valid Canadian passport and have known you for 2 years, must be willing to sign your form and your Photo - and they must vouch for you if called upon.

I imagine the 2 references might also be called if they feel there is any need.

If the Guarantor and the 2 References turn out just fine, it should lead to renewal of the passport.

The problem is getting a Guarantor as others mentioned - because the way the application reads it seems they prefer you providing a Guarantor as opposed to not having one.

Bobby_kvisa-That is one of the problems I encountered too, about getting a guarrantor and additional references for my Canadian passport...So yeah...I totally understand there...

I had to 'beg, borrow, make a lot of bad deals, and do whatever else' in order to find a guarrantor and those references....Thank goodness it worked out well this time around, and I did get my Canadian passport renewed....But next time around, I can't say that this will be the case....As I won't have those guarrantors and referenes anymore...

I had no problems with the photo though..As walmart did such for me (I just asked them for Canadian standards...), and at a low cost too...And those photos were accepted....no problems...

The funny thing is that why I renewed my Canadian passport was because of the USCIS....grrr....I needed the I-551 stamp in a valid passport...while I was waiting for my 10yr green card, which got delayed...So thanks to the USCIS..I had to deal with passport Canada...needless to say...I'm not too happy either way..lol..

As for the guarrantors...There is an option of a "in lieu of a guarrantor form", in which you can use if you have no guarrantor and in which can be requested by passport Canada for such.

I actually thought about this option, but because I needed a new passport in a hurry, so I couldn't pursue such and found guarrantors and references instead....

That form though, can lead to a delay and/or other problems in your passport application....As they prefer guarrantors as opposed to not having such.....

So if you are in a hurry for a Canadian passport, might not be the solution for you....

Again, you have a US/American passport...and should be ok travelling with that for the time being...

And the Canadian passport can still be seen as OPTIONAL for you..

Though if you do decide to pursue such in the future (and yes, you have the right to a Canadian passport, regardless, as a Canadian citizen)...Good luck..And I wish you all the best in your application..

Hope this helps. Good luck on your journeys too...

Ant

[antda 13]

P.S. Bobby-

You did not mention as to how you acquired Canadian citizenship....

If you acquired such by birth..Then you can mail your appilcation in to Quebec (where they process mail application), with no problems...as birth certicates are easier to obtain/get if lost in the mail....

But if you acquired such by naturalization.....You might want to consider applying for such in-person at a Passport Canada office (there are many located throughout Canada)...as if they lose your citizenship card...it's going to be harder to replace if sent by mail and gets lost along the way back to you....

Generally it takes 3-6 weeks for a Canadian passport when applying in the mail..

And 1-3 weeks for a Canadian passport when applying in-person.....

Hope this helps too. Good luck

Ant

[bobby_kvisa 7]

I was born in Canada. For all this visa related stuff (CR1) I had to order a certified copy of my birth certificate and had to provide a guarantor in order to do that. Luckily I have family in Canada and they are familiar with guarantor process, so it was possible.

During the time I was ordering my birth certificate, I was talking to the Canada government and they were the ones who told me I could apply for a passport. Hence that is the reason why I started this thread - which was meant to be more about timing and applying for the passport now (processing CR1) or later.

I was thinking about ordering a second copy of my birth certificate in the event I do decide to mail an application in.