Expired passports, AOS, and AP

[~Nini~ 2]

Okay, so I called US CBP at Vancouver International, and got an incredibly unhelpful officer there who told me to renew my passport from the States since there wasn't a chance that I'd be let back in. He also said that AP was a piece of paper and not a stamp, and that AP didn't require a valid passport.

I'll most likely call USCIS tomorrow (over Skype, no less) but I think I need a Keith's right now.

Edited August 16, 2007 by Nini & Bee

[thetreble 19]

He said AP doesn't require a valid passport? Hmmmm.

[misa 2]

You may want to ask the AP/valid passport question over in the Working and Travelling forum. The thing is that you do need a valid passport to travel to Canada and back by air don't you?

[~Nini~ 2]

You may want to ask the AP/valid passport question over in the Working and Travelling forum. The thing is that you do need a valid passport to travel to Canada and back by air don't you?

Oh yeah, definitely.

[Krikit 1,165]

Okay, so I called US CBP at Vancouver International, and got an incredibly unhelpful officer there who told me to renew my passport from the States since there wasn't a chance that I'd be let back in. He also said that AP was a piece of paper and not a stamp, and that AP didn't require a valid passport.

I'll most likely call USCIS tomorrow (over Skype, no less) but I think I need a Keith's right now.

Yes, the AP is a separate multi-page document and is not attached to the passport.

You're best to call a Canadian Passport Office directly to explain the situation and get the newest updates because they're changing all the time, but here is what I remember from my last passport renewal....

When you go to the passport office they will ask you if you would like to keep your old passport. They may or may not invalidate it, but if they do, the officer at the border told me an expired passport was better than no passport at all. (I believe they have moved back the start-date of the new mandatory passport rule until both Canada and the US get caught up with the backlog, but that can be confirmed online.) My new passport was couriered a few days later.... they no longer allow in-person pickups.

Edited August 16, 2007 by Krikit

[Udella&Wiz 325]

So let me get this straight

The options are:

return to Canada (on AP or AOS..whatever I am by then) and renew while there - do I have to wait it out in Canada until they give me a new one since they take your old one? Kind of sucks to spend 10 days waiting for them to return something to me.....so much for vacation time lol

or

send everything in in by Mail and hope for the best...thus be in the US, but without a PAssport...my old one even

Gawd..how ghey.

Udella

[Krikit 1,165]

return to Canada (on AP or AOS..whatever I am by then) and renew while there - do I have to wait it out in Canada until they give me a new one since they take your old one?

They never took my old passport. They let me keep it and couriered the new one.

send everything in in by Mail and hope for the best...thus be in the US, but without a PAssport...my old one even

Gawd..how ghey.

Yeah. It's pretty annoying being stuck between a rock and a hard place all the time. The US immigration process is kinda like death-by-paper-cuts. Slow and painful for the person going through it but invisible to the average bystander.

Edited August 16, 2007 by Krikit

[misa 2]

Yeah. It's pretty annoying being stuck between a rock and a hard place all the time. The US immigration process is kinda like death-by-paper-cuts. Slow and painful for the person going through it but invisible to the average bystander.

That is soooooo true. I think in some ways it is even worse for the CR-1/IR-1 applicants. That whole, send this in ...then wait... then we'll send you this... then wait, then send us this... and here's your barcode... then send us this... etc.

[~Nini~ 2]

Yeah. It's pretty annoying being stuck between a rock and a hard place all the time. The US immigration process is kinda like death-by-paper-cuts. Slow and painful for the person going through it but invisible to the average bystander.

[jynxNdragnfly 0]

Alright I'll chime in here. If you are a Canadian residing in the USA and you can apply for your passport at an office in Canada you MUST:

#1 Drop off the application in person

#2 Pick up the passport in person

Your other option is to wait it out with the mail. As I stated before Canadian Consulates are useless in the USA for passport services. We keep trying to change this. So far no luck. As it would make my life easier and the lives of every Canadian living in the USA easier.

It is only couriered back to Canadians residing in Canada

If you reisde in the USA and are travelling, EXAMPLE: Flying into Canada, vactioning for a week and flying back to the US you qualify for EXPRESS service if you apply in a 'local' aka Passport Office in Canada. It's more money and you have to show your e-ticket, plane ticket, etc as proof that you are travelling.

If you want your old passport back and it is still valid holes will be punched through it or the corners will be cut (pages with valid visas, etc will not be touched. Feel free to point these out to us so we don't wreck them for you) and that passport is returned to you before you leave the office. If your passport is expired we may do nothing at all to it or do the above. If you do not want your passport back we will gladly shred it for you.

Any more questions feel free to pm me. Sorry about the bold but just wanted to highlight somethings

[~Nini~ 2]

Alright I'll chime in here. If you are a Canadian residing in the USA and you can apply for your passport at an office in Canada you MUST:

#1 Drop off the application in person

#2 Pick up the passport in person

Your other option is to wait it out with the mail. As I stated before Canadian Consulates are useless in the USA for passport services. We keep trying to change this. So far no luck. As it would make my life easier and the lives of every Canadian living in the USA easier.

It is only couriered back to Canadians residing in Canada

If you reisde in the USA and are travelling, EXAMPLE: Flying into Canada, vactioning for a week and flying back to the US you qualify for EXPRESS service if you apply in a 'local' aka Passport Office in Canada. It's more money and you have to show your e-ticket, plane ticket, etc as proof that you are travelling.

If you want your old passport back and it is still valid holes will be punched through it or the corners will be cut (pages with valid visas, etc will not be touched. Feel free to point these out to us so we don't wreck them for you) and that passport is returned to you before you leave the office. If your passport is expired we may do nothing at all to it or do the above. If you do not want your passport back we will gladly shred it for you.

Any more questions feel free to pm me. Sorry about the bold but just wanted to highlight somethings

Thanks jynx. I got this info from your PM yesterday, but I'm sure someone else will find this info useful!

For me, I'm just kicking myself sideways that I got into this situation in the first place, but hindsight is 20-20, right?

I also posted this question in the Working and Traveling forum so maybe I can get more insight into the situation.

Edited August 17, 2007 by Nini & Bee

[~Nini~ 2]

So I emailed the Vancouver consulate a few days ago and they just got back to me:

"If the passport in which your K1 visa has been endorsed has expired or voided, the valid visa in the old passport still can be used, provided that you also carry a valid passport of the same nationality. Note: If, when canceling your old passport, the passport authority damaged the visa in any way, that visa is no longer valid and cannot be used for travel to the United States."

Now, do I trust them and go about my merry way, or do I suck it up? USCIS's habit of misinformation has got me incredibly paranoid about believing in anything. *sigh*

[Marilyn. 340]

I have noticed that embassy/consulates tend to give correct information... ths might not be 100 percent true but it just seems to be that way...

it just seems to be the USCIS and the NVC phone lines that like to dole out misinformation... I think they just hire students or something