Canada apparently easing the guarantor requirements

[Kathryn41 3,205]

But if you're already memebers of a Canadians in Atlanta group, and the other Canadians in the group are still passport carrying Canadians, and if you've known each other 2 years, arent they, and you, eligible to be each others' guarantors?

Knowing someone through online email groups is not the same as knowing someone personally. It is like me being a guarantor for you just because we have belonged to the same online forum for 2 years. If Canada Passport office called me as your guarantor to ask me anything about you, I would be able to tell them about your online activities here at VJ but nothing else. The operative word is 'know' personally, not just have an acquaintanceship. Canada Passport can - and have - call your guarantor to get a personal description of you and if you can't answer, that passport application is denied.

Edited March 22, 2008 by Kathryn41

[Marilyn. 340]

But if you're already memebers of a Canadians in Atlanta group, and the other Canadians in the group are still passport carrying Canadians, and if you've known each other 2 years, arent they, and you, eligible to be each others' guarantors?

Knowing someone through online email groups is not the same as knowing someone personally. It is like me being a guarantor for you just because we have belonged to the same online forum for 2 years. If Canada Passport office called me as your guarantor to ask me anything about you, I would be able to tell them about your online activities here at VJ but nothing else. The operative word is 'know' personally, not just have an acquaintanceship. Canada Passport can - and have - call your guarantor to get a personal description of you and if you can't answer, that passport application is denied.

I am pretty sure she is talking about Canadians in her area that she has met in person...

I've met several fellow Canadians even here in the middle of nowhere North Carolina. I'm sure we're all over the place if you listen hard enough. If the only requirement is that they are a Canadian citizen with a valid passport, just get to know a few of the local Canucks and the next time you need to get a new passport, you're all set! Sounds much easier to me than having to find a guarantor from the old list of approved professions.

Edited March 22, 2008 by MarilynP

[melusine 5]

still ! it's awesome !

No need to know an engineer, pharmacist or doctor for more than 2 years !!!!!!!!

Any canadian close friend might do it !

[Kathryn41 3,205]

The only Canadian I 'know' in this area with a passport is Karen's husband, Joel. I doubt we know each other well enough for him to qualify as my Guarantor, although it has been almost 2 years ago now that we met. Unfortunately, my passport would have expired before we reached the 2 year mark. It is not as easy as it sounds. It is sometimes much easier to know a doctor or chiropractor or veterinarian for 2 years than another qualified Canadian when you live outside of Canada.

Edited March 22, 2008 by Kathryn41

[melusine 5]

before, wasn't it a canadian doctor/vet etc anyway ?

[Marilyn. 340]

before, wasn't it a canadian doctor/vet etc anyway ?

nope,

taken from the old form....

Your guarantor must:

1. Be a citizen of Canada or the United States and must be accessible to Passport Canada for verification.

2. Have known you personally for at least two years.

http://www.pptc.gc.ca/cdn/section2-o.aspx?lang=eng

[DeadPoolX 9]

I remember there being a list of certain professions the Canadian Government considered somehow more qualified than others to act as guarantors, such as physicians, attorneys, pharmacists, professors, etc. A notary public would work too, of course.

I've never had to do any of that (I'm the USC), but I recall my wife having to jump through some ridiculous hoops in order to find a guarantor for her new passport. If this new rule had been in place, she could have had her parents or sister act as a guarantor easily.

As for sending in your original birth certificate, I'm questioning the logic in that. Once again, I'm American and I know we do some bits and pieces of the passport process differently, but once we've already acquired a passport, we can send our old one in instead of our birth certificate as proof of citizenship (since we would've needed to prove it to get the old passport in the first place). I know Canadians weren't able to renew their passports for a long time, but I think that was changed recently, so I'm wondering if Canadians could send in their old passport like Americans do.

It's definitely something to look into. The worst that could happen is they don't accept the old passport as proof and you need to use your birth certificate.

[Marilyn. 340]

they ask for the passport on top of the BC...

[Reba 2]

Knowing someone through online email groups is not the same as knowing someone personally. It is like me being a guarantor for you just because we have belonged to the same online forum for 2 years. If Canada Passport office called me as your guarantor to ask me anything about you, I would be able to tell them about your online activities here at VJ but nothing else. The operative word is 'know' personally, not just have an acquaintanceship. Canada Passport can - and have - call your guarantor to get a personal description of you and if you can't answer, that passport application is denied.

Sorry, the Canadians in North Carolina group actually all get together now and again for parties and hockey games and such. I've met up with them a couple of times. Even a couple of guys from the Consulate in Raleigh come to the parties. I figured the Canadians in Atlanta group did the same (in fact I thought I recalled you mentioning a few different gatherins of the group, so I thought you'd actually met them). Sorry if I misunderstood the group purpose.

Plus, there are several Canadians here in town, one of whom I even worked with for a while. I've no idea if he still keeps his Canadian passport current, because he's a dual, but I expect I could ask him nonetheless and theorectically he could be a guarantor, if his passport is current, or only just expired.

[Caladan 19]

It's nice that the guarantor requirement is being eased, but I have to wonder why it's there at all.

[Reba 2]

because its the Canadian government

[Marilyn. 340]

you would think the US would have something like that too, with them being so security conscious and all... but it seems like basically anybody can get a passport fairly easily down here

Edited March 24, 2008 by MarilynP