Days numbered for birth-certificate border hops.

[jeffreyab]

By PAUL KORING

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 Updated at 1:42 AM EST

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050406.wborder06/BNStory/National/

"Finally, on Jan 1, 2008, the passport or equivalent rule will be imposed at land crossings."

You might have to join the website to read the rest of the article but the basics are that I and anyone else who crosses the border on a regular basis will have to apply for a passport. From the Passport Canada website:

"A fee of $87 is required with your initial application for a Canadian passport. How long is a passport valid for? The period of a passport's validity will vary depending on the age of the passport holder: Adult passport (sixteen years old and over): Maximum of 5 years. Can a passport be renewed? No, you must re-apply by providing a completed application form signed by an eligible guarantor."

Which means people who do not attend church or know any other professional are going to have a hard time.
This is really going to hurt border cities I can see the bigger bars in town including the charity casino getting hit hard.

Comments

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

How is it going to be a problem? There is a declaration etc. for people who don't know anyone. It's going to be a pita for some, but not an insurmountable problem for most people. I think the most common problem will be people waiting until the last minute, and then not getting their passport in time because everyone else waited until the last minute, too.

Not that I think the policy makes any sense, just that getting a passport shouldn't be an insurmountable problem.

And if you think this is bad, I faced the same requirements when they suddenly decided that the landed immigrant papers they had given me were no longer good enough, and I needed to have a snazzy new card (at my own expense, after I'd already forked over all the fees required to get the papers)--and I hadn't yet lived in the country for two years, so my doctor, dentist, vet, eye doctor etc. hadn't known me long enough. Fortunately I have a friend who's a lawyer who had known me long enough.

[kgkofmel.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, the wait-to-the-last-minute part of this is going to be the big problem. And the people who forget the required first steps:
1. Check if you have valid proof of citizenship
1a. Get valid proof of citizenship before applying for passport...

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

There was a sign in the (whatever they call the) office where I went to get a duplicate birth certificate that said something like,

"If you can't provide proof that you are who you say you are, don't expect us to."