We have a family vacation to Florida planned at the end of December. We are all really excited. The only problem is I don't think my dad will be able to go. All because the government is being incompetent! My dad is a landed immigrant and his Austrian passport JUST expired in July. So, he had to go to Ottawa in person to apply for a new one. The only thing he is missing is his citizenship record search, which my mom applied for in mid-July. Well it STILL hasn't arrived. And he needs that to get his passport and he needs his passport to apply for a Permanent Resident card. We were getting really worried that we wouldn't get this done in time, so my mom called the office of the local MP and got in touch with someone to help. Well that lady phoned to see what was taking so long with the citizenship record search and they are REALLY backlogged and are currently completing requests submitted in April. So, at this rate, he won't get it until December and then his passport takes up to 6 weeks, and then he needs his PR card, so there just won't be enough time. The lady at the MP's office is going to try her best to push them, but it's not looking hopeful.
I am so sad because my dad really deserves a vacation! I will be so upset if he is not able to come!
You'd think that 5 months would be plenty of time to get travel documents in order, but apparently not! It's going to take that long just to get the first of the 3 steps required!
4 comments:
I can definitely sympathize. Something similar last year forced A and I to honeymoon in Canada. I hope that you can get something done to get it in time... Arash has lost his record of landing, it was supposed to take 12 to 14 weeks to replace it and it ended up taking 7 months.
That sucks. I was going to suggest that they do urgent turn around times if you can prove that you have travel plans, but that only applies to Canadian Citizens, which, if your dad was one, you wouldn't need. Oy.
I hope things get sorted in time. :(
My mom asked out "rush", but they don't do that. The only thing we'd be able to rush is the PR card, but that he can't apply for until he has his passport, and that he can't get until he has his citizenship record search. What a disappointment.
I'm hoping our local MP's office will be able to help; they are going to try to speed this along. It really is our only shot.
The lady working on our behalf got in touch with someone at the immigration office to try to speed our request along and they couldn't find out application. I guess they have 2 rooms worth of bankers boxes full of mail that is unopened.
But we know they received dad's application because they took the payment right away. But then somehow they lost it.
So, mom will have to send in another application. She is going to send it by registered mail so we'll have a tracking number and that way it will arrive right away.
Hopefully this can get sorted out within the next week or so because his passport will take 6 weeks! What an ordeal this all is!
After this is all overwith, my dad is going to begin the process of applying for canadian citizenship so we won't have to go through this mess again!
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