Bastards.

[bjarvis]

My application to replace my missing passport was submitted a while ago.

Just today, Passport Canada announced a policy change dated October 1: they've changed the rules for eligibility of guarantors.

To this point, certain professionals who knew the applicant for at least two years and were not a relative could be a guarantor; for those of us living outside the Dominion, the list of professionals was considerably shorter but not impossible.

Under the new rules, a guarantor is now allowed to be a relative and the list of professional occupations is now out the window. The difficult part for me is that the guarantor must be him/herself a holder of a Canadian passport.

There are no Canadians within a day's drive of Washington, DC who currently holds a passport and can legitimately say they've known me for two years.

There is no word at the moment about what they're going to do with passport applications already in the pipeline. If I at least had a rejection notice, I might run into someone in Seattle next week who has known me the required period of time, say, Anne Uebelacker or any of my friends in Squares Across the Border. My only alternate plan is to ship my documentation to friends or family in Canada for their signatures, ship the documents back to me in the US, then ship them all back to the Gov't of Canada for processing.

To say this sucks toxic waste is a mild understatement.

Comments

[greyguy-sf.livejournal.com]

...perhaps if you get the form from the consulate section at the embassy you can take it with you to Seattle and ask one of our "friendly neighbors to the north" to sign it just in case you have to submit another application. I am sorry that that you are having to go through such bureaucratic calesthenics.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

That's one option, but I'll still have to spend $$$ to get a new set of photos taken so they could also be signed by the guarantor --it's not easy to find a photographer who is willing to take the photos to Canadian passport specifications.

We'll see what happens in the next week; I'm watching my credit card balance online to see if a service charge from Passport Canada appears which might indicate acceptance of my submitted application.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, you do, and I too for that matter wonder what the reasoning is behind some of these changes and whether it's legit or not or just arbitrary to someone thinking a change in the rules is a good idea, perhaps just because. Not always wise you know. :-)

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I believe the requirements change was to allow Passport Canada to check their own database of passport holders rather than having to rely on membership lists submitted by professional associations. That makes sense, but they really need a different criteria for Canucks abroad.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

That makes sense but not everyone does things that make sense which is why the comment in the first place.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

"Guarantor"? Absolutely a new term to me. At least as it applies to passports.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

It's a person who is willing to certify in writing that the photos submitted are indeed actual images of me, that I am the actual person signing the application and that the contents of the application are true (to the best of the guarantor's knowledge).

In the past, the guarantor had to know me personally for two years and be a member in good standing of a recognized profession (doctor, dentist, lawyer, professional engineer, etc.). When I was a kid, religious figures and municipal politicians could also be guarantors but the eligibility was tighted up a while ago.

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

brian, dear heart, I fill all those criteria. send the appropriate items to me by post, I will sign them and return them asap. I teach at a university, and I've known you for well over two years.

[urbear]

Two points:

1 - My last set of passport photos were taken by a photographer in DC, specifically, Moto Photo at 400 7th St NW, near the Navy Memorial. Give them a call to see if they're still doing Canadian photos.

2 - I believe that I qualify as your guarantor under the new rules, if that makes life any easier for you... Boston may not be next door, but at least I'm on the same side of the border.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I got my last set done at Four Corners Candid Camera not too far from my house. I'll add Moto Photo to the list, just in case.

If my recent passport application is rejected, I may be back in touch very quickly with new photos and forms... thanks!