Can outstanding student loans keep me from getting Canadian Passport?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Hi Kitty,

Glad to hear you are ordering your passport - that is definitely the place to start. And to answer the question you asked earlier regarding biometrics - yes, you can re-schedule a biometrics appointment so if you get the biometrics before the passport arrives and they don't accept the identification that you have you will be able to reschedule. You will need to send your original birth certificate off with your passport, but you can have a guarantor sign a photocopy of the health card to say that he/she has seen it and this is a true and untouched copy. You will get your birth certificate back but be sure you make a good copy of it before you mail it off.

I wouldn't worry very much about proving how you entered - Canadians get waved through the border stations all the time - we are not kown for making a run across an unmanned stretch of territory to come to the US. You have been married over 2 years now and you didn't get married right when you crossed but waited a number of months. You have some evidence of your plan to return home (when was that dated btw - the affidavit from your 'roommate' - is it before your marriage?).

I doubt debt collectors in Canada are going to put a lot of effort into trying to collect a debt from the US. They will bluff and glower and threaten all kinds of things but they actually have very little to stand on. Many debt collectors buy a debt for pennies on the dollar and plan on making their profit by collecting the whole debt. They occasionally 'settle' for much more reasonable payments than they start out with. They will probably try to threaten to take you to court but that is something they will not be able to do cross border - and many times the talk of taking to court is a bluff - they aren't going to spend any more money than they have to to collect a loan, especially if it looks like it will be a lot of work. They want to make their money back 'fast' and as easy as possible. Do your best to pay back the loan and even if the don't agree to accept the amount that you say you can pay, send it to them anyway (in a traceable format). If they accept it and cash it, then they are accepting your terms of repayment and you can just keep sending them that amount. They will re-try at least once a year to intimidate you into paying it all back really fast - renewing the threats, etc. Just keep sending them the amount regularly - they will threaten and bluster but that will be all.

Anyway, bite the bullet - send off for the passport and hopefully everything else will then fall into place more neatly. Good luck.

Edited October 23, 2009 by Kathryn41

[Danu 19]

Have you looked into the possibility of filing bankrupcy in Canada? As the borders don't usually share info it may be one way to deal with the loan, just as something to look into. I also found this website

http://www.canadastudentdebt.c which may be able to help you. I do know from some people that after a certain length of time certain loans get written off by the companies and that making payments actually damages your credit more, sometimes you can negotiate really low figures to pay them back with and arrange monthly plans. That site might have a bit better info though on how to go about dealing with the loan.

[Avery 0]

Unfortunately student loans are immune from bankruptcy claims for 10 years. After 10 years you can then add them to your debt. >< lol too many students were doing it so they added that clause not that long ago.