Going home on GC...Passport Issue

[julesrose 0]

hi, I'm hoping this is where I post this....

Anyhow, I have my 2 year green card. And I'm going home for x-mas to visit (Canada). My passport however is in my maiden name as I moved to the USA on K-1 Fiance Visa. I understand I can use my old passport w/ my green card and marriage copy w/ all paper approval notices from the AOS process.

When I'm home I can apply to change my name, however the government requires you to send in your old passport (they will give it back stamped not valid) and I'm only going home for a week...it takes longer then a week to process! I also have a lot of other documents that need my name changed as well....Canadian license, health Card etc etc....

any ideas on what I can do or should do?

[nickbits 43]

Apply for your CDN passport by mail.

I'm not sure why you'd need to update your other CDN docs (license, health, etc) as they are no longer valid since becoming a non-resident.

[julesrose 0]

Apply for your CDN passport by mail.

I'm not sure why you'd need to update your other CDN docs (license, health, etc) as they are no longer valid since becoming a non-resident.

Oh really? cause I thought I since still a canadian citizen was able to use health care still and be able to work still both in the US and Canada...not that I'm going to work in canada...I'm too far from the border....but i thought you still had all your canadian priviledges since I was still a citizen.

my license I don't care about...I have my State License here

Edited November 12, 2010 by julesrose

[nickbits 43]

Oh really? cause I thought I since still a canadian citizen was able to use health care still and be able to work still both in the US and Canada...not that I'm going to work in canada...I'm too far from the border....but i thought you still had all your canadian priviledges since I was still a citizen.

my license I don't care about...I have my State License here

Nope. Your health care coverage ended the day you moved over. If you have bank accounts, you could change your name on those, but there is a chance they will make you close the account since you are a non-resident (depends on the bank).

You can still work in Canada and could update your SIN but since you will not be doing that there isn't much point.

[LiLMermaid 2]

Oh really? cause I thought I since still a canadian citizen was able to use health care still and be able to work still both in the US and Canada...not that I'm going to work in canada...I'm too far from the border....but i thought you still had all your canadian priviledges since I was still a citizen.

my license I don't care about...I have my State License here

Not true. You have to be a resident of Canada to be eligible for health care. Even if you moved back tomorrow it would be 3 months before you would be eligible again. When you leave the country you are actually supposed to notify them that you are no longer a resident of whatever province you are from. They have a change of address form on their website and based on your new address they will cancel your coverage.

this is from Ontario health card website concerning eligibility...

• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or among one of the newcomer to Canada groups who are eligible for OHIP as set out in Ontario’s Health Insurance Act ; and
• be physically present in Ontario for 153 days in any 12-month period; and
• be physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days of the first 183 days immediately after establishing residency in the province; and
• make your primary place of residence in Ontario.

OHIP coverage normally becomes effective three months after the date you establish residency in Ontario. The ministry strongly encourages new and returning residents to purchase private health insurance in case you become ill during the OHIP waiting period.

As you are now living in the states you are not making your primary residence in Canada and there's no way you can be there for 153 days a year as that is against the rules of keeping your US residence. Unfortunately we can't have it both ways. To use your card at this point would be fraud as outlined in the insurance act and you could be looking at a fine of up to 25k or a year in jail for a first offence.

You can work in Canada but as you can see the only way you'd be able to keep the health care would be to live there for 153 days of the year and you wouldn't be able to do that until you have your US citizenship and be free to leave the US for that long without losing your perm resident status.

I'd apply for the passport now by mail if you can. You may need to wait until you get into canada as you will need a guaranteer. You don't need the passport to get back into the USA so you could mail it while in Canada or just get the paperwork filed out and signed while there and send it once you get back to the US. My passport has my old name on it and is good till 2014....I'm not changing it till I have to.

[julesrose 0]

Good to know!!! Thanks!...

I do have people here in the US that have known me for 2 years so could they be my guarenteer? Also I'm flying back home for x-mas so I need my passport to go and come back along w/ my marriage license to prove my name don't I?

Again where do I go to change my address? I'm from Ontario

[LiLMermaid 2]

when you cross into Canada you show your passport only... they do not care that you are a US resident, only that you are a Canadian citizen returning to Canada. When you come into the US you show your gc only, they don't care that your a Canadian, they want to know that you are a US Resident returning to the USA.

I'd carry your marriage certificate as well just because it does show both names just in case it is needed but you don't hand all 3 to the border agents.

A guaranteer has to be a Canadian passport holder who has known you for 2 years. So if you have any of them visit you or live near you then great, you can use them. What I would do is just wait till you go to Canada, get the application signed and your passport photos done and everything signed by your guaranteer and mail it all once you return to the USA. It costs you an extra 10 bucks which pretty much covers their mailing fees etc.

To change your address? I assume your speaking of the health cards? You can mail a change of address form to them and you can get it online at their website.

http://www.ontario.ca/en/services_for_residents/STEL02_197165#5.WhatshouldIdoifImove

My card expired before I left so I just didn't bother to renew it but really you are supposed to contact them.

For the passport if you are going to mail it from the USA make sure you use the proper form....they have a couple different ones just to be confusing. You want to use the "canadians living in the USA"

http://www.ppt.gc.ca...x.aspx?lang=eng

Edited November 12, 2010 by LiLMermaid

[julesrose 0]

when you cross into Canada you show your passport only... they do not care that you are a US resident, only that you are a Canadian citizen returning to Canada. When you come into the US you show your gc only, they don't care that your a Canadian, they want to know that you are a US Resident returning to the USA.

I'd carry your marriage certificate as well just because it does show both names just in case it is needed but you don't hand all 3 to the border agents.

A guaranteer has to be a Canadian passport holder who has known you for 2 years. So if you have any of them visit you or live near you then great, you can use them. What I would do is just wait till you go to Canada, get the application signed and your passport photos done and everything signed by your guaranteer and mail it all once you return to the USA. It costs you an extra 10 bucks which pretty much covers their mailing fees etc.

To change your address? I assume your speaking of the health cards? You can mail a change of address form to them and you can get it online at their website.

http://www.ontario.ca/en/services_for_residents/STEL02_197165#5.WhatshouldIdoifImove

My card expired before I left so I just didn't bother to renew it but really you are supposed to contact them.

For the passport if you are going to mail it from the USA make sure you use the proper form....they have a couple different ones just to be confusing. You want to use the "canadians living in the USA"

http://www.ppt.gc.ca...x.aspx?lang=eng

ok, thanks! I'll just wait to update my passport when I go home and mail it from the USA when I get back. How do you notify the government I've moved? No one ever mentioned that I had too....