Lost canadian Passport

[shawna7 4]

Hi everyone, My daughter and I are both getting ready to file for citizenship..I was just reviewing the guide and it says you must bring your Canadian passport to the interview. My daughter lost hers in Canada about 2 years ago (filed a police report which she has a copy of) but has never applied for another Canadian passport..From what I'm reading this could be a problem? should she bring the police report that it was reported stolen? (she put her purse on the top of her car and drove off..by the time she realized what she had done the purse was long gone..hence the lost/stolen...or apply for a Canadian passport first? I'm totally confused

Any help would be much appreciated Thanks

[Darth Vader Ku 16]

Hi everyone, My daughter and I are both getting ready to file for citizenship..I was just reviewing the guide and it says you must bring your Canadian passport to the interview. My daughter lost hers in Canada about 2 years ago (filed a police report which she has a copy of) but has never applied for another Canadian passport..From what I'm reading this could be a problem? should she bring the police report that it was reported stolen? (she put her purse on the top of her car and drove off..by the time she realized what she had done the purse was long gone..hence the lost/stolen...or apply for a Canadian passport first? I'm totally confused

Any help would be much appreciated Thanks

Obviously, she should file a police report about her lost passport AND apply for a new one right away. If the new passport arrives before the interview, then she goes to the interview with her new passport and the police report about her lost passport. Otherwise, she simply goes with just the police report.

[shawna7 4]

she did the police report 2 years ago the day it went missing...She has had no need for a passport and didn't bother to apply for the new one..My question was simply if she will HAVE to have a Canadian passport when applying for US citizenship..

[Darth Vader Ku 16]

she did the police report 2 years ago the day it went missing...She has had no need for a passport and didn't bother to apply for the new one..My question was simply if she will HAVE to have a Canadian passport when applying for US citizenship..

Actually, no, that wasn't your question, not originally anyway. You just raised a number of issues that concern you. There's no requirement that a petitioner MUST present previous and current passports at the interview. However, these passports are almost always required for inspection by the USCIS Immigration Officer. The police report will, for now, work in perfect lieu of the missing passport. Your daughter should, as a precaution, try to remember all international travel she has taken in the statutory period.

PS: I didn't know there were still people out there who "[have] no need for a passport...]" How interesting...

[shawna7 4]

Thanks for your help..as for your "observation" of having no need..she is 21 and only goes to Canada on occasion..and when driving across the border..she uses a birth certificate to enter..and her greencard to depart..with that all said..she technically has not needed a passport..should she have one? of course! I hope that satisfies your query..Thank you again for your help..as awkward as it was..haha

[miggg 3]

Thanks for your help..as for your "observation" of having no need..she is 21 and only goes to Canada on occasion..and when driving across the border..she uses a birth certificate to enter..and her greencard to depart..with that all said..she technically has not needed a passport..should she have one? of course! I hope that satisfies your query..Thank you again for your help..as awkward as it was..haha

I had to do a last minute renew on my canadian passport. I live in Washington so the embassy was able to turn one around for me in 3 days. Check with your nearest consulate. Otherwise, even through the normal process, she should be able to receive the passport before the interview. I'd apply for one just to err on the side of caution

[shawna7 4]

I had to do a last minute renew on my canadian passport. I live in Washington so the embassy was able to turn one around for me in 3 days. Check with your nearest consulate. Otherwise, even through the normal process, she should be able to receive the passport before the interview. I'd apply for one just to err on the side of caution

thank you Miggg!

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I have to tell you I don't recall them looking at my Candian passport when I went to my citizenship interview. My only trips were back home to Canada at that time and we all know that Cdn's don't get their passports stamped when travelling between USA and Canada. I had renewed my passport at some point in the 3 yrs since I first arrived in the US so I didn't have the original which had my VISA stapled in it anymore either.

[Birdo 16]

The passport is not a deal breaker. I didn't have my old passports either and my newest one was expired since I have not had a need for a passport for the past five years. The officer simply looked at the newest passport and it wasn't an issue that it was expired. So yes, there are "still people who don't have a need for a passport" the entire time since it's a slight hassle to get a Finnish passport from where I live. I figured if there's a need for one for any travel plans there's always time to get one. Either because flights are usually booked well in advance for overseas travel, or in an emergency they have a few days turnaround at the consulate in L.A. However, once I become a citizen of the United States, I will get a United States passport since I can apply for it five minutes away at the post office.

[Bill and Vicky 25]

But, why not get a replacement Canadian passport? Why make it difficult on the Immigration Officer who will have to make a unilateral decision about whether to approve or deny the application? They expect you to show up with your passport. If you don't (whether it's required or not), they're going to ask about it. Saying something like "the passport is not required" is just going to make the IO's eyebrows pop up and then there will be all sorts of other questions. Remember that they are paid to be suspicious.

I don't know how much of a pain or how expensive it is to get a replacement Canadian passport, but is it worth the risk of a rejection by CIS?

Good luck.

[Darth Vader Ku 16]

But, why not get a replacement Canadian passport? Why make it difficult on the Immigration Officer who will have to make a unilateral decision about whether to approve or deny the application? They expect you to show up with your passport. If you don't (whether it's required or not), they're going to ask about it. Saying something like "the passport is not required" is just going to make the IO's eyebrows pop up and then there will be all sorts of other questions. Remember that they are paid to be suspicious.

I don't know how much of a pain or how expensive it is to get a replacement Canadian passport, but is it worth the risk of a rejection by CIS?

Good luck.

Er...isn't that a little overboard on the hyperbole?

1) Not having a passport does not make anything "diffficult" for the Immigration Officer or the petitioner at the adjudicating interview. Especially not for a twenty-one year-old Canadian whose travel has consisted of border crossings between Canada and the United States

2) I agree that the passport holder should apply for a passport right away (just because not having a passport is so odd these days), but if she already has a police report to hand for the lost passport, why would that be any less suitable than having a passport?

3) By your logic, anyone who has recently lost a passport or has only an expired passport and has an interview pending should either go to the interview facing near-certain denial of their petition or delay their interview till they've acquired a new passport, right?

At the end of the day, were I to be the petitioner in this case, I would certainly seek a new passport without delay; however, not getting one will not put her in the scenario you've described above.

[Bill and Vicky 25]

Er...isn't that a little overboard on the hyperbole?

2) I agree that the passport holder should apply for a passport right away (just because not having a passport is so odd these days), but if she already has a police report to hand for the lost passport, why would that be any less suitable than having a passport?

3) By your logic, anyone who has recently lost a passport or has only an expired passport and has an interview pending should either go to the interview facing near-certain denial of their petition or delay their interview till they've acquired a new passport, right?

At the end of the day, were I to be the petitioner in this case, I would certainly seek a new passport without delay; however, not getting one will not put her in the scenario you've described above.

Hyperbole? I call it paranoia, but I like your word better. (smile)

From the N-400 instructions:

> The following is a list of documents to bring with you to your Form N-400 interview: (all in bold print)

> Permanent Resident Card.

> State-Issued Identification.

> Passports and Travel Documents. (again, each item in bold print)

So, she shows up with a two-year-old police report saying that she lost her Canadian passport, and when asked about it she says she never got a replacement because she didn't need to. You don't think the IO is going to have an issue here? She's not going to get quoted the instructions from the N-400? This is the same agency that freaks out when you don't bring them evidence for every traffic ticket you've ever had. And I've seen IOs that were ready to reject applications for the smallest detail.

A police report is not a passport. For example, she can't travel to Europe on her police report.

Expired passports are acceptable per the instructions. And "recently lost" passports would be grounds for a delay in filing the paperwork or asking for a delay in the interview. Obviously you don't have the required documents. Please don't help me with my "logic"...it's bad enough in here by myself.

I guess we view the process differently. I assume that USCIS doesn't *have* to grant citizenship to anyone it doesn't want to. I make sure that I have everything they ask for, and more, and in multiple copies. If my wife lost her passport, I guess we'd have to make a quick trip to the consulate to replace it because I would never let her go into an N-400 interview without a valid passport.

Of course, the OP's daughter can do whatever she wants. My point is...why make it difficult?

[Hypnos 6,576]

I doubt not having a passport will be an impedence to US citizenship in this case; it isn't a requirement to have one.