Mailing passport to Buffalo from Canada

[Rinnerz]

I was wondering if anyone had any personal experience or insight into this. Buffalo's official instructions say that if your mailing address is in Canada, you can mail your passport to their Fort Erie address, using Canada Post. (And provide a return Canada Post Xpresspost envelope, of course.)

I'm trying to figure out if the Fort Erie option is just there for convenience, or if it's seen as compulsory for anyone with a Canadian mailing address. What I'm worried about is that, so soon after the strike and lockout, Canada Post still seems to be pretty backlogged. I wouldn't want to entrust them with getting my envelope to Fort Erie as quickly as possible right now.

Does anyone know if I could instead use a courier (eg. FedEx) to mail my passport, photos, and a Canada Post Xpresspost return envelope, to Buffalo's NY address? I figure that way, it would go directly to Buffalo, not be hindered by the current Canada Post backlog, and Buffalo would still get the Canada Post envelope they'd need to return it to me via Fort Erie once it's ready.

Thoughts?

Sidenote: Do you think it absolutely has to be Xpresspost? Or could I use a Priority Next AM envelope (same size) instead, so it gets back to me even faster?

Thanks in advance .

[rjessome]

Hi,

You have to use the Xpresspost option for return.  They won't return the passport via Fedex.  It really does work pretty well and normally takes 2 to 4 weeks for everything to be returned.  Keep the return envelope's tracking number so you can see when it gets in transit.

BTW, you can't buy a RETURN Xpresspost envelope that goes directly from the US to Canada.  You can only buy Xpresspost going TO the US, not coming back.  That's why they use the Fort Erie option.  Everything heads to Fort Erie from Buffalo by diplomatic bag then gets entered into the postal system.

Canada Post is actually pretty much back on track these days.

[Rinnerz]

Yep, I knew about not being able to return by FedEx. (It's in the instructions; they won't accept courier envelopes for returning passports). I was only going to use it to send everything TO Buffalo, not to have it returned to me. I figured for that, the Xpresspost envelope would work, since they suggest you use that anyway.

I also knew about the Xpresspost envelope not being a "return" envelope; my wording must have been off. I just meant doing what the instructions say, i.e. providing an Xpresspost National (not US) envelope so they can return the passport from Fort Erie.

Several pieces of mail that my husband and others mailed out over a month ago have still not been delivered by Canada Post, which is why I mentioned the backlog. But perhaps the Priority and Xpresspost services aren't affected in the same way?

Also still wondering if Canada Post's Priority Next AM envelopes can be used instead of Xpresspost.

[rjessome]

Oops!  I misunderstood.  Yes, you can send the passport TO Buffalo any way you want.   

Canada Post is strange.  The newest items I've mailed (since the strike ended) have been delivered without any problems whatsoever.  But I am waiting anxiously for things that I "suspect" were mailed before the strike.  Sigh.

[Rinnerz]

Yeah, I'm not really sure where they are in terms of dealing with all the held-up mail from during the strike/lockout. It seems odd, and I just didn't want to risk using them if I didn't absolutely have to.

Anyway, awesome! We'll probably FedEx everything TO Buffalo, and give them a traceable Canada Post envelope so that they can return everything to our Canadian address from within Canada (as the website suggests). I'm guessing it doesn't matter whether the envelope we provide them is "Priority Next AM" or Xpresspost, as long as it's Canada Post, the same size as required, trackable, and National (not Regional nor US).

[mossee]

Hi Rinnerz, congrats once again!

We used UPS Express Saver to send my husbands passport to Buffalo, we included a return waybill with our address, which doesn't have to be the same as the applicants address, as he had come up to stay with me in Canada.
Oh and don't forget to include the info with the eye colour, height etc on it. We just wrote it on a piece of lined paper.
And about 15 business days you will be wondering if the little foil and paper they returned is real

[rjessome]

I'm actually a fan of the service I "normally" receive with Canada Post EXCEPT for Priority.  Xpress post is a better deal from a cost perspective and will take the same amount of time to get to you.  Every time I've used Priority it ended up being late getting to the destination.  Now if I need something to go somewhere overnight I use Fedex or UPS.  These offices can also be quite fickle.  If they ask for Xpress post, use Xpress post as the return option.  You run the risk of getting an ornary mail clerk who sends it regular mail because you didn't follow the instructions. Then not only have you lost your tracking option but also the $20+ you paid for the Priority envelope.

[Rinnerz]

We used UPS Express Saver to send my husbands passport to Buffalo, we included a return waybill with our address, which doesn't have to be the same as the applicants address, as he had come up to stay with me in Canada.

This was only temporarily allowed during the Canada Post strike/lockout, unfortunately. They've gone back to the "Use Canada Post to send it to Fort Erie and provide a Canada Post return envelope -- we won't use courier envelopes" rule now. You can use a courier to send it straight to Buffalo, but if your address is in Canada they still want a Canada Post envelope for returns.

Interestingly, after I posted this thread my consultant got back to me, and he "strongly urged" us to send it to Fort Erie instead of via courier -- twice. It seems to be a very efficient and safe way of getting it there these days, provided you use the right services that allow tracking, etc. Given that rjessome and others haven't had trouble with "recent" mail from Canada Post, we may still do that instead.

Oh and don't forget to include the info with the eye colour, height etc on it. We just wrote it on a piece of lined paper.
And about 15 business days you will be wondering if the little foil and paper they returned is real

Thanks for the reminder. We're still in the "Is this real?" phase, which makes it hard for me to focus long enough to sit down and type out the short cover letter I'll be including with my passport and things like that. Gotta get it all sent off by tomorrow morning!

I'm actually a fan of the service I "normally" receive with Canada Post EXCEPT for Priority.  Xpress post is a better deal from a cost perspective and will take the same amount of time to get to you.  Every time I've used Priority it ended up being late getting to the destination.  Now if I need something to go somewhere overnight I use Fedex or UPS.  These offices can also be quite fickle.  If they ask for Xpress post, use Xpress post as the return option.  You run the risk of getting an ornary mail clerk who sends it regular mail because you didn't follow the instructions. Then not only have you lost your tracking option but also the $20+ you paid for the Priority envelope.

Fair points, I guess. It's a little frustrating because, according to Canada Post's website, Xpresspost could take as much as 3 days just to get from here to Fort Erie, and back, adding 6 days total to everything -- yay for being in Newfoundland  . (Most other places we have sent things to by Xpresspost, including more populated Ontario areas, have never taken more than 1-2 days before, so hrmm.) Priority would have been faster, especially on its way BACK from Fort Erie. Grr.

[rjessome]

I agree with your consultant's advice.  Fort Erie is set up to do just this stuff.  They do it everyday, all day.  And they do have a pretty efficient system going on there.

[Rinnerz]

Hrmm. Xpresspost to Fort Erie it is, then. Thanks for helping me get this cleared up.

I know we were just trying to take what seemed like acceptable shortcuts from the basic instructions, but after all this waiting we didn't want to add more delays that were (seemingly) unnecessary. I mentioned the next 3 weeks of waiting being "torture" and my brother chimed in with, "But it's a good kind of torture!" After everything else, I suppose it is  .

[GIANNINA]

I have heard that is better to go to buffalo and get your visa stamped the same day.. that is what my husband will do
: )

[Rinnerz]

I have heard that is better to go to buffalo and get your visa stamped the same day.. that is what my husband will do
: )

We can't afford to. Trust me, I wouldn't be mailing this and putting us through a longer wait if we had any other options  .

[GIANNINA]

 I see  :  (

but tell me how long it took your application process.. when did you applied and it was that for your spouse?

[Rinnerz]

I see  :  (

but tell me how long it took your application process.. when did you applied and it was that for your spouse?

It's in my signature and my profile to the left of my posts. My husband sponsored me, US citizen. Buffalo kept misplacing my documents, so it ended up taking ~9 months, no interview.

[GIANNINA]

Thank you! I am just new on this forum..  : ) Good luck with your passport.. I hope you get it back soon!