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.

[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. :-)

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

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

[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.