Valid CDN Passport vs. Expired CDN Passport

[blooberry 3]

Hi all,

Of all the sheer coincidences! My five-year Canadian Passport and my temporary 2-year U.S. Green Card are set to expire in the same month! (April 2008)

Of course, this discovery has made an already-anxious personality (me) even more anxious. ;-)

(I wish I could tell myself to be more laid-back, but it is difficult -- especially when dealing with a serious subject like immigration status.)

Here are my -- hopefully easy to answer! -- questions:

Do I have to wait for my CDN passport to expire, before I can apply for a new one?

A fellow VJ-er posted this:

they won't renew a passport until its just a few weeks left on it, or has expired.

Silly me for not reading the paperwork carefully -- I visited the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco to renew my passport, only to be told that they don't do that, and I'd have to mail it in.

However, the lady behind the desk, told me to send it to Quebec early because "currently the Passport Office is five months behind." (!!!)

That being said, the Canadian Passport website states that processing "can take up to seven weeks."

So I don't know what to believe. And I certainly don't want to mail my passport in now (November 2007) if my passport is only going to be rejected for arriving while still valid.

Also:

When I apply for the "Lifting of Conditions", am I required to provide my CDN passport?

Since my temporary Green Card expires in April, I can effectively send in my "Lifting of Conditons" paperwork in January. (90 days, or less, before expiry.)

But depending on how long it takes for my CDN passport to be renewed, my passport may be in transit. Will I need to show my CDN passport as "proof" of anything?

Thank you SO much for any advice or kind words! :-)

Sincerely,

Lisa (and Brian)

[Lona.C. 16]

Hi all,

Of all the sheer coincidences! My five-year Canadian Passport and my temporary 2-year U.S. Green Card are set to expire in the same month! (April 2008)

Of course, this discovery has made an already-anxious personality (me) even more anxious. ;-)

(I wish I could tell myself to be more laid-back, but it is difficult -- especially when dealing with a serious subject like immigration status.)

Here are my -- hopefully easy to answer! -- questions:

Do I have to wait for my CDN passport to expire, before I can apply for a new one?

A fellow VJ-er posted this:

they won't renew a passport until its just a few weeks left on it, or has expired.

Silly me for not reading the paperwork carefully -- I visited the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco to renew my passport, only to be told that they don't do that, and I'd have to mail it in.

However, the lady behind the desk, told me to send it to Quebec early because "currently the Passport Office is five months behind." (!!!)

That being said, the Canadian Passport website states that processing "can take up to seven weeks."

So I don't know what to believe. And I certainly don't want to mail my passport in now (November 2007) if my passport is only going to be rejected for arriving while still valid.

Also:

When I apply for the "Lifting of Conditions", am I required to provide my CDN passport?

Since my temporary Green Card expires in April, I can effectively send in my "Lifting of Conditons" paperwork in January. (90 days, or less, before expiry.)

But depending on how long it takes for my CDN passport to be renewed, my passport may be in transit. Will I need to show my CDN passport as "proof" of anything?

Thank you SO much for any advice or kind words! :-)

Sincerely,

Lisa (and Brian)

sorry i cant help with the passport and lift condition question , but I do know since the new law came out and everyone traveling by land or car has to have a passport , the waite time to resive your new passport is pretty long , ( i read montreal got a backlog up to 5 month now ) maybe someone with more knowledge can answer you more

[Flames9_RN 358]

On another forum, a Cdn mailed in her passport from the USA, and it took 12 weeks.

[KarenCee 3]

Thanks for starting this thread Lisa. My husband is in the same boat. His Cdn passport expires the same year as his 2 yr green card...within a few months of each. I never thought about there being a backlog to process Cdn passport renewals. *sigh*

Edited November 11, 2007 by KarenCee

[Kathryn41 3,205]

My passport and my green card both expire the same month as well - next May.

You can file for a new Canadian passport 6 months prior to your old passport expiring, so I am currently in the works of preparing my passport application. You can print the form off of the website. What is a problem for me is that the guarantor requirements have changed - they are now much easier for those who live in Canada but much harder for those who don't: a Guarantor now needs to be a Canadian citizen who has known you for 2 years AND is a valid Canadian passport holder. For me, that means I need to send everything to my guarantor BACK IN CANADA, get him to sign the photographs, sign the application, send it all back to me in the mail, then I get to assemble the package and mail it all - this time with my unexpired passport included - back to Quebec. What a rigamarole! The other dilemna is that they require your guarantor to sign the photocopy of your identification if you are not including the original with the application - but I am sure as heck not sending my original identification (driver's license) off to either the passport office or my guarantor out of the country, so the guarantor is signing that something is an accurate copy even without seeing the original. They do state that an unexpired passport can count as identification, but it seems like the instructions are requiring both. Grrrr.

Anyway, from my understanding, it is currently taking between 8 to 15 weeks (different people getting different response times) to get the passport back - that is IF they don't reject the photographs. . . 47% of applications submitted with photographs taken in the US are rejected because of the photographs - Canadian standards are much more rigid than US standards (and yes, looking at my green card photo I definitely agree!). One suggestion I have heard is to submit two different set of photographs, signed by the guarantor, etc. so that if one set isn't good the other one might be acceptable. I think I will give it a try.

I am submitting my passport application shortly, requesting the current one back in addition to the new one, and praying I won't have an emergency requiring out of the country travel until I have it back in my possession. I am also hoping to get it back before I submit my application to remove conditions in late February/early March. I do not believe a copy of your passport is required for the I-751, but take a photocopy all the same - just in case. Mine does have a travel stamp in it that shows we travelled together so that becomes part of my evidence.

(And my military card and Driver's license ALSO expire next May! May is going to be a busy month!)

[KarenCee 3]

My passport and my green card both expire the same month as well - next May.

You can file for a new Canadian passport 6 months prior to your old passport expiring, so I am currently in the works of preparing my passport application. You can print the form off of the website. What is a problem for me is that the guarantor requirements have changed - they are now much easier for those who live in Canada but much harder for those who don't: a Guarantor now needs to be a Canadian citizen who has known you for 2 years AND is a valid Canadian passport holder. For me, that means I need to send everything to my guarantor BACK IN CANADA, get him to sign the photographs, sign the application, send it all back to me in the mail, then I get to assemble the package and mail it all - this time with my unexpired passport included - back to Quebec. What a rigamarole! The other dilemna is that they require your guarantor to sign the photocopy of your identification if you are not including the original with the application - but I am sure as heck not sending my original identification (driver's license) off to either the passport office or my guarantor out of the country, so the guarantor is signing that something is an accurate copy even without seeing the original. They do state that an unexpired passport can count as identification, but it seems like the instructions are requiring both. Grrrr.

Anyway, from my understanding, it is currently taking between 8 to 15 weeks (different people getting different response times) to get the passport back - that is IF they don't reject the photographs. . . 47% of applications submitted with photographs taken in the US are rejected because of the photographs - Canadian standards are much more rigid than US standards (and yes, looking at my green card photo I definitely agree!). One suggestion I have heard is to submit two different set of photographs, signed by the guarantor, etc. so that if one set isn't good the other one might be acceptable. I think I will give it a try.

I am submitting my passport application shortly, requesting the current one back in addition to the new one, and praying I won't have an emergency requiring out of the country travel until I have it back in my possession. I am also hoping to get it back before I submit my application to remove conditions in late February/early March. I do not believe a copy of your passport is required for the I-751, but take a photocopy all the same - just in case. Mine does have a travel stamp in it that shows we travelled together so that becomes part of my evidence.

(And my military card and Driver's license ALSO expire next May! May is going to be a busy month!)

What are the standards for a Canadian passport picture? I'm just wondering if one could get them taken (or is it the measurements?) according to Cdn standards here in the US. Of course our only other option is to make a trip home and have some taken there.

I'm a FIRM believer in having photocopies of EVERYTHING regarding this process. Thank god for having a home scanner.

[KarenCee 3]

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/td/photos.aspx?lang=e

I found this link regarding passport pictures for Cdn passports. Wow...they are rigid.

[Marilyn. 340]

can you still use the "in lieu of guarantor" form??

also you don't need your passport to remove conditions

[samaci 0]

I renewed mine in early Sept, and it didn't expire until the end of March/08... I had mine back in 14 days, but I went into an office as I'm still living here in Canada... The backlog is with the mail in ones...

[blooberry 3]

My passport and my green card both expire the same month as well - next May.

You can file for a new Canadian passport 6 months prior to your old passport expiring, so I am currently in the works of preparing my passport application. You can print the form off of the website. What is a problem for me is that the guarantor requirements have changed - they are now much easier for those who live in Canada but much harder for those who don't: a Guarantor now needs to be a Canadian citizen who has known you for 2 years AND is a valid Canadian passport holder. For me, that means I need to send everything to my guarantor BACK IN CANADA, get him to sign the photographs, sign the application, send it all back to me in the mail, then I get to assemble the package and mail it all - this time with my unexpired passport included - back to Quebec. What a rigamarole! The other dilemna is that they require your guarantor to sign the photocopy of your identification if you are not including the original with the application - but I am sure as heck not sending my original identification (driver's license) off to either the passport office or my guarantor out of the country, so the guarantor is signing that something is an accurate copy even without seeing the original. They do state that an unexpired passport can count as identification, but it seems like the instructions are requiring both. Grrrr.

Anyway, from my understanding, it is currently taking between 8 to 15 weeks (different people getting different response times) to get the passport back - that is IF they don't reject the photographs. . . 47% of applications submitted with photographs taken in the US are rejected because of the photographs - Canadian standards are much more rigid than US standards (and yes, looking at my green card photo I definitely agree!). One suggestion I have heard is to submit two different set of photographs, signed by the guarantor, etc. so that if one set isn't good the other one might be acceptable. I think I will give it a try.

I am submitting my passport application shortly, requesting the current one back in addition to the new one, and praying I won't have an emergency requiring out of the country travel until I have it back in my possession. I am also hoping to get it back before I submit my application to remove conditions in late February/early March. I do not believe a copy of your passport is required for the I-751, but take a photocopy all the same - just in case. Mine does have a travel stamp in it that shows we travelled together so that becomes part of my evidence.

(And my military card and Driver's license ALSO expire next May! May is going to be a busy month!)

Thank you for your response! Are you originally from Canada? Because you can use a family member as your guarantor. (My mom agreed to act as mine.) I know the worries that come with sending official documents in the mail -- I'm glad I can trust my parents!

(Although, in the "References" section of the passport application, you have to choose people who are not your relatives.)

[blooberry 3]

can you still use the "in lieu of guarantor" form??

also you don't need your passport to remove conditions

Yaaaaaaaaaaay! THANK YOU SO MUCH for easing my concern about the "Lifting of Conditions" step! Whew!

[designermedusa 0]

I'm sorry I am confused. If you need to apply for a new CDN passport via mail, you have to send your current passport? What if you need your current passport while you are waiting for the new passport?

Can a guarantor be a notary? I seem to remember using a notary when my husband got his last passport.

Edited November 12, 2007 by designermedusa

[Marilyn. 340]

I'm sorry I am confused. If you need to apply for a new CDN passport via mail, you have to send your current passport? What if you need your current passport while you are waiting for the new passport?

Can a guarantor be a notary? I seem to remember using a notary when my husband got his last passport.

they changed the rules now....

Eligible guarantors

Your guarantor must:

1. Hold a five-year Canadian passport that is valid* or has been expired for no more than one year, on the day you submit your application;

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

3. Be a Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older;

4. Have been 16 years of age or older when he or she applied for his or her own passport.

but I think you can still use this....

Declaration in lieu of guarantor

If you have not known an eligible guarantor for at least two years, complete form PPTC 132 "Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor" available from any Passport Canada service location or Canadian Government office in the U.S.

The "Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor" form must be sworn to or declared before, and signed by, a person authorized by law to administer an oath or a solemn declaration. If completed outside Canada, a qualified official includes a Canadian or British diplomatic or consular representative, or a qualified local official.

http://www.pptc.gc.ca/usa/guarantor.aspx?lang=e

but i am not sure if that includes a notary

Edited November 12, 2007 by MarilynP

[Marilyn. 340]

i emailed the Canadian Consulate in LA and I got a quick response

"Yes a Notary Public can still sign the Statutory Declaration in lieu of a Guarantor."

phew, that is good news...

if you don't know how to get the form, I would email your local Canadian consulate...

the LA Consulate offered and mailed me the form

Canadian Government Offices in the US

Edited November 13, 2007 by MarilynP

[designermedusa 0]

Thanks for all the information. Knowing that a notary can sign the form makes it a little easier.