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General Category => Discover Seattle! => Topic started by: purelife on Jul 03 07 01:12

Title: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 03 07 01:12
Under "What's New" on the Passport Canada website:  [A href="vny!://www.ppt.gc.ca/newsroom/index.aspx?lang=e&type=news"]vny!://www.ppt.gc.ca/newsroom/index.aspx?lang=e&type=news[/A]

  I found that the Government is going to simplify procedures for renewing your passport.

  The Simplified Passport Renewal Program will be available as of August 15, 2007.   It will allow Canadian citizens who meet certain eligibility criteria to renew their passport using a shorter form and without submitting documentary evidence of citizenship, supplementary identification and a guarantor declaration. Under the renewal program, passport applicants will only be required to submit the shorter form along with two new photos, the application fee and their last passport.

 More info here: [A href="vny!://www.ppt.gc.ca/newsroom/news.aspx?lang=e&page=/newsroom/20070608c.aspx"]vny!://www.ppt.gc.ca/newsroom/news.aspx?lang=e&page=/newsroom/20070608c.aspx[/A]



New Guarantor Policy

On October 1, 2007, Passport Canada will introduce a simpler guarantor policy, which will allow most Canadian adult passport holders to act as guarantors for first time applicants.

Info here: [A href="vny!://www.ppt.gc.ca/newsroom/news.aspx?lang=e&page=/newsroom/20070608d.aspx"]vny!://www.ppt.gc.ca/newsroom/news.aspx?lang=e&page=/newsroom/20070608d.aspx[/A]      
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 01:16
I bet this has something to do with the backlog of passport requests.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 03 07 01:18
Yep, I'm pretty sure that is the case ever since they announced the need for a passport to fly to US.  I think that most of us probably got confused and thought that we needed one to cross the border.  

  I hope that one day, they'll increase the expiry to 10 years instead of 5!  That is what I'm looking forward to.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 03 07 01:19
lol more security = less "security" at the end.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 01:21
wait. Your passports run out every 5 years??? Ours are 10, at least mine is.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 03 07 01:22
Yep, every 5 years!  Sucks?!!!! I KNOW!  BLEH!
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 01:25
that's CRAZY!
yup because my passport doesn't expire until 2017.
 
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 03 07 01:30
That little baby worth between 5 and 10 000 $ CAN on the black market, you have to help the economy by issuing a constant supply of hundred of thousands new passports every 5 years... lol
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 01:32
sounds like a money grab to me to be honest. Then again I had to put down 300 bucks for my passport just to 'speed' the processing time up.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 03 07 01:34
yep, just some 10 years ago it was 25 $ for 5 years here.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 01:36
25? lol
regular passport here is like 80 to 120 or something, can't remember. Then to help the war effort I guess you pay a ton extra to Peter McKay's girlfriend at the State Department.
 
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 03 07 01:37
It's very expensive here too now, about the same price I think.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 03 07 01:44
Sportsdude wrote:
25? lol

regular passport here is like 80 to 120 or something, can't remember. Then to help the war effort I guess you pay a ton extra to Peter McKay's girlfriend at the State Department.

 

  It was $25 a LONG TIME ago with Canada as mentioned by Michel.  No need to panic!  You misread.


 
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 01:47
oh I see sort of like the 5 cent stamp.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 03 07 01:50
lol I'm talking about 10 years, not half a century.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 01:53
ah okay. They must be importing higher quality paper now, you know with globalization.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 03 07 01:54
lol yeah from Egypt, to reduce cost lol
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 01:57
yeah that shipping cost from China is just getting to expensive these days.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Lise on Jul 03 07 03:54
I've also heard that they're going to do away with guarantees signature. I'm not sure on this one but it would be wonderful if you don't have to go chasing an accountant or lawyer or doctor to get them to sign your forms.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 03 07 04:04
 I've also heard that they're going to do away with guarantees signature. I'm not sure on this one but it would be wonderful if you don't have to go chasing an accountant or lawyer or doctor to get them to sign your forms.



OH MY GOD That's great news. This is by far the stupidiest part of the application process !!![/DIV]
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 04:27
what? a lawyer has to sign your forms? that's goofy  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 03 07 04:37
You couldn't believe it. Since I knew no doctor (good health), no lawyer (never got caught), no banker (ATM) and so on, I had to asked twice to notaries who didn't know me at all and once at a pharmacist who didn't recognized me so he has to check on his computer if I ever bought sometihinh there at least 2 years ago... (and by the way, I probably pass more time in this country than him). lol just RI D I C U L O U S !!!
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 03 07 04:41
Oh and of course a priest could have sign for me. A PRIEST !!! Good grief !!! In Kebek you see a priest 3 times in your life : when he pitch water in your face when you're a baby, when you get married if you're of the traditional type and the last time, well too late my friend, you're dead.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 03 07 04:46
lol about the priests

 
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 04 07 10:15
I agree Michel.  It's just so darn silly to ask for a Guarantor.  I think that nowadays, your family GP/Doctor would charge to complete that section.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: P.C. on Jul 04 07 10:35
Is there still huge wait times to acquire a passport?

  *SD....how come your passport cost so much?
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 04 07 11:40
I agree Michel.  It's just so darn silly to ask for a Guarantor.  I think that nowadays, your family GP/Doctor would charge to complete that section.  

  Yeah, and according to the law, they are not allowed to be paid for that. Worse, for young travellers, lots of them know nobody more than 2 years that is in the select list of guarantors...
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 04 07 01:36
There wasn't a huge wait line for me. But the normal process would have been 10 weeks. I obviously don't have 10 weeks.

P.C. it cost so much because I picked the "speed up option" which means it will be processed in 3 weeks instead of 10. Speed up option adds 100 bucks on to the passport. Regular passport is like 120 I think mine was 230 something. It really cost me 260ish if you count things I had to buy/get in order to get one.
 
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 04 07 01:50
Wow, that's expensive!  I thought that a Cdn passport was more expensive.  But that price makes sense when your renewal is every 10 years compared to our 5!  I think that ours cost about 80-85bucks.  And photos are around $10.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 04 07 01:54
kids passports cost 80ish.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: P.C. on Jul 04 07 01:58
I think SD got ripped off.  It says their passport is $67 plus $30 execution fee.....and an extra $60 for Expedited Service....$157 total.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 04 07 02:00
damn post office.
I paid 200 after writing a check to the post office.
 
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Russ on Jul 04 07 02:30
I think Im going to have to get another one soon.. it doesnt expire for two more years.. but every country I fly through, especially in africa likes to stamp huge multiple stamps everywhere.. and every visa takes up a full page. not including the entry stamp of course. I have used up 41 of the 48 pages in my passport. yikes.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 04 07 02:36
48 pages? Mine only has 16.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Russ on Jul 04 07 02:39
Standard Canadian passport is 24 pages including the crap at the beginning with picture and other unneccessary stuff.

  Because I travel all the time to do with work I get the 48 page one. I usually fill them up within 2-3 years.. they are good for 5.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 04 07 02:42
Wow Russ!  Impressive, but totally expected with your "line" of work.  So, how many immigrants have you brought over to Canada lately? (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Teasing/4.gif)
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Russ on Jul 04 07 02:46
LOL! No need to 'import'.. hehe.

  So how are you going to get yours? Line up for half your life or send it in by mail and wait half your life?
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 04 07 02:49
I'm going to give up half my life to lining up.  I prefer the personal one-on-one attention to y'know, "speed" things up. ;)  I'll probably head out to Ditchmond instead of Vancouver.  This chick ain't lining up at 6am on a work day!

  No importing?  Are you telling me that you EXPORT!???!!  OMG!
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 04 07 02:51
what happens when you run out of pages in the passport. Because since I'll be flying back and forth at least 4 times a year I'll run out really quickly.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Michel on Jul 04 07 02:53
Most of the time they don't stamp the passport between Canada and USA, despite that, there's a lot of places in theses 24 pages for our type of stamps.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 04 07 02:54
I don't think that you'll run out SD because you're only getting stamps.  Russ is special.  He gets these huge stickers of these immigrants with "special" 1-900 numbers.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 04 07 02:56
lol
If I get good enough grades I get to go to Belize and design a village for them.
Plus I've got to take that Europe trip sometime.
 
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Isis on Jul 04 07 02:57
What good chortles I've had today....sometimes it's better to sit in the back row and absorb all that goes on around you...you see things you wouldn't normally see...hehehe
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Isis on Jul 04 07 03:00
Surrey passport office on a Monday after 11am took me 20-30 minutes to go from street line-up, to elevator ride, to line-up ##, to ## called, to passport processed.

  Not bad!

  If you go right away in the morning....it takes longer because everyone thinks that way...by lunch the line-up is gone.


P.S.-Do yours online (e-passport application) print it off and go in....sooooooooooooo much faster because all the information is done for them.
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: purelife on Jul 04 07 03:03
I'm doing the e-app too. :)  Thanks for the suggestion.  I'll go to Slurrey instead since it's closer to my home anyways.  Half hour isn't bad at all!  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Sportsdude on Jul 04 07 03:04
It took me an hour mainly because my post office has 3 people working the lines and 5 other people just standing around. its so bad they have a 'do not go postal or say you are' on the front door.  
Title: Re: Cdn Passport Changes
Post by: Orca on Jul 06 07 01:07
Just want to add, although Canadian passport is valid for 5 years, it is actually only good for 4.5 years. Many countries (and thus travel agents) require you to have passport that is won't expire in 6 mths.