I'm trying to find out how to secure American citizenship for my Winnipeg-born baby. I'd been under the impression that the process would cost $460, but now I think I'm mistaken. It's just that it's so difficult to navigate the byzantine websites of the U.S. State Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some of the 1-800 numbers only work in the United States, which is obviously no help when you're 62 miles north of the border. (Yes, it's only 62 miles, but it's a different world!)
All of this mess could have been avoided had there been a working U.S. consulate in Winnipeg. But according to a local I talked to, Winnipeggers actually chased the U.S. consulate out with a series of protests. So, in order to file a consular report of a birth abroad, I would actually have to fly with the baby to Calgary or some other less benighted Canadian city. (Americans really do not belong in Winnipeg!)
One is supposed to report a birth abroad as soon as possible, but it's not advisable to fly with a newborn until he is at least 8 weeks old. Now that we finally have a Canadian passport for our baby, we will fly to the United States and try to address the issue there.
Showing posts with label Bureaucratic Nightmares. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bureaucratic Nightmares. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Hotel Canada, Part Two
So, I finally got my baby's passport in the mail.
However, I invalidated it inadvertently. In the United States, the parent is supposed to sign his child's passport. But in Canada, the parent is not allowed to. My hasty signature has necessitated that the whole application process be started again - and I have to send in the old passport.
However, I invalidated it inadvertently. In the United States, the parent is supposed to sign his child's passport. But in Canada, the parent is not allowed to. My hasty signature has necessitated that the whole application process be started again - and I have to send in the old passport.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Hotel Canada
If you have a baby, you can check out of Canada anytime you like, but you can never leave. Let's say you want to take the baby to visit your mother in the States, but your husband is working and can't come. In order for you to be able to leave the country without him, he must write a letter giving you permission, and it must be notarized. (The letter is only good for that particular trip.)
If you give birth in Canada, things are even more complicated. Obviously, you have to get your baby a passport, and there are all kinds of rules for this process. As I wrote in a previous post, passport photos are subject to all kinds of specifications. Also, you need to have known a Canadian for two years or more, and this Canadian must sign your child's passport application. (It used to be that the guarantor had to be a member of an approved profession.) But what happens if you are visiting Canada for the first time and give birth? Do you have to stay in the country with your baby for two years?
Last week, my husband and I had passport photos taken for our new baby. "We do them in black and white," explained the photographer, "because sometimes they are rejected if the person's coloring is different, like, if they have a sunburn or something." (There is no danger of our baby getting a sunburn in the middle of a Winnipeg winter, but whatever.) We then went over to the passport office. We produced the application and photos, and I lifted the baby out of the Bjorn so that the clerk could see him and ascertain that he was the baby in the photo.
No dice. Apparently, the Canadian who signed our passport application also was required to write "I certify this to be a true likeness of (name)" on one of the passport photos (as well as sign and date it). It wasn't enough that we had the baby with us, who was obviously the subject of the photos.
If you give birth in Canada, things are even more complicated. Obviously, you have to get your baby a passport, and there are all kinds of rules for this process. As I wrote in a previous post, passport photos are subject to all kinds of specifications. Also, you need to have known a Canadian for two years or more, and this Canadian must sign your child's passport application. (It used to be that the guarantor had to be a member of an approved profession.) But what happens if you are visiting Canada for the first time and give birth? Do you have to stay in the country with your baby for two years?
Last week, my husband and I had passport photos taken for our new baby. "We do them in black and white," explained the photographer, "because sometimes they are rejected if the person's coloring is different, like, if they have a sunburn or something." (There is no danger of our baby getting a sunburn in the middle of a Winnipeg winter, but whatever.) We then went over to the passport office. We produced the application and photos, and I lifted the baby out of the Bjorn so that the clerk could see him and ascertain that he was the baby in the photo.
No dice. Apparently, the Canadian who signed our passport application also was required to write "I certify this to be a true likeness of (name)" on one of the passport photos (as well as sign and date it). It wasn't enough that we had the baby with us, who was obviously the subject of the photos.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Applying For Your Canadian Passport
As you might know, I have a new son. His arrival has necessitated that I fill out all sorts of forms - a birth registration, an application for a Social Insurance Number (this can only be done by mail if I enclose his original birth certificate - doesn't sound like a great idea), an application for a Manitoba Health card, and a passport. (I plan to bring him to the States this summer and intend to apply for the U.S. version of all these documents - excluding the health card, as health care won't come to the U.S. until pigs fly.)
While checking out the requirements for a Canadian passport, I came across this amusing list of examples of "unacceptable passport photos." (Look at the schlub in the last picture.) Fortunately (doesn't this sound ludicrous), "Passport Canada recognizes the difficulty in obtaining a neutral expression of a newborn and will allow for some tolerance in this regard." Some tolerance?
While checking out the requirements for a Canadian passport, I came across this amusing list of examples of "unacceptable passport photos." (Look at the schlub in the last picture.) Fortunately (doesn't this sound ludicrous), "Passport Canada recognizes the difficulty in obtaining a neutral expression of a newborn and will allow for some tolerance in this regard." Some tolerance?