Passport for I-751 process - is it necessary?

[soon2batexan 3]

Hi all,

My husband (US citizen) and I (Canadian citizen) will be filing to remove the conditions on my green card at the end of this year, and being the organized person I am, I have a couple of questions in advance as to whether or not I need a valid Canadian passport for the removal of conditions process. My passport expired last summer, and I've not yet renewed it because I haven't needed it for travel or ID purposes now that I have a US driver's license, green card, etc. I let it expire because I wanted to renew it in my married name obviously, but it was also a handy form of ID/proof of citizenship while I was awaiting my green card; to renew it prior to the expiration meant mailing it back to Canada while I awaited processing of my new passport, and I wasn't sure if I'd need it along the way.

In any case, my questions are:

Am I required to have a valid Canadian passport as I go through the RoC process? I'm thinking mostly about the biometrics appointment, and potentially an interview in the event we have one. Do they prefer to have PR's present a passport as proof of ID when we got for biometrics, or is a state issued driver's license sufficient?

Also, you folks who have undergone the RoC process recommend having a Canadian passport anyway? I really don't need it for travel, but as a PR, perhaps it's a good thing to have as proof of citizenship, yes?

I'd appreciate a few thoughts on this. I've familiarized myself with the forms and information needed for Cdns living in the US, and I've got everything handy so it should be easy to renew. I'm told Walgreens even does Canadian-sized passport photos .

Thanks!

[HeatDeath 430]

At no point during my RoC process did anyone express the slightest interest in seeing my Canadian passport.

Having proof of citizenship is always a good idea.

Walgreens can take Canadian-spec photos (check them carefully against the Canadian specs before you leave with them, particularly the uniformity of the background) but they cannot cut the photos to Canadian specs. Take them anyways and cut them yourself carefully and they should be fine.

Edited June 3, 2012 by HeatDeath

[soon2batexan 3]

Good to know! Thank you for the advice as well! My parents live here as well (USC Mom, Cdn Dad) and Dad recently renewed his passport using photos from Walgreens with no issue.

As for my proof of citizenship, I do have my long form birth certificate, but a passport is somewhat more portable and has a poto so it probably isn't a bad idea to have it. And, if I renew it, it'll have my married name, vs. my birth cert. which does not.

I read in another post on here that a passport is recommended for the interview stage, especially if the RoC process takes longer than the 1 yr and I need to get a stamp in my passport because both the letter and green card have expired. Th same post also said it's good to have for the interview. True, or myth?

[HeatDeath 430]

I have no idea if the RoC interview will expect you to have a Canadian passport or not, but it is definitely true that in the unlikely but not unheard of event that your RoC takes over a year (even the Vermont Service Center isn't that slow yet!), you'll want to get an I-551 passport stamp and you will need a passport for that.

Edited June 4, 2012 by HeatDeath