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No passport

OTW_ON

Newbie
Oct 9, 2018
7
0
Hello everyone,

My wife does not have a passport and at the moment the possibility of obtaining a passport in her home country is almost zero. The Canadian visa office in Nairobi, Kenya has already requested my wife to send her passport so they can issue a visa. Could you please advise what options we have available when a passport is not present? Does anyone know if Canada would issue a travel document/permit if my wife were to travel to a neighboring country without a passport?
 

zardoz

VIP Member
Feb 2, 2013
13,304
2,166
Canada
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
16-02-2013
VISA ISSUED...
31-07-2013
LANDED..........
09-11-2013
Hello everyone,

My wife does not have a passport and at the moment the possibility of obtaining a passport in her home country is almost zero. The Canadian visa office in Nairobi, Kenya has already requested my wife to send her passport so they can issue a visa. Could you please advise what options we have available when a passport is not present? Does anyone know if Canada would issue a travel document/permit if my wife were to travel to a neighboring country without a passport?
I don't think that there are any alternatives to a valid passport. Canada only issues the visa, not the travel document, to a "foreign national", unless they are an successful refugee applicant.
 
Last edited:

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,759
Is your wife in Nairobi? There are many embassies there where she can likely get a passport. What is her nationality? Is she a refugee? There may be a possibility of temporary documents based on her UNHCR documents.
 

OTW_ON

Newbie
Oct 9, 2018
7
0
Is your wife in Nairobi? There are many embassies there where she can likely get a passport. What is her nationality? Is she a refugee? There may be a possibility of temporary documents based on her UNHCR documents.
Hi canuck78, no my wife is not in Nairobi and she is not a refugee. She is an Eritrean citizen and she still living in home country
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,759
Assume you are likely the refugee and they are watching her because you left. Other refugees have reunited with family how do they do it?
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
92,541
20,360
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Hi canuck78, no my wife is not in Nairobi and she is not a refugee. She is an Eritrean citizen and she still living in home country
Does this have something to do with non-completion of military or other government service? I know this is an issue in some countries.

To the best of my knowledge there is no work-around to the passport and Canada won't issue a travel document.

You might want to pay for a consult with an immigration lawyer to see what the options are.
 
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zardoz

VIP Member
Feb 2, 2013
13,304
2,166
Canada
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
16-02-2013
VISA ISSUED...
31-07-2013
LANDED..........
09-11-2013
Does this have something to do with non-completion of military or other government service? I know this is an issue in some countries.

To the best of my knowledge there is no work-around to the passport and Canada won't issue a travel document.

You might want to pay for a consult with an immigration lawyer to see what the options are.
That would certainly be a problem. Canada's position would be to not attempt to subvert that requirement, I suspect.
Taxes might be another reason.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrean_passport
 
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OTW_ON

Newbie
Oct 9, 2018
7
0
Does this have something to do with non-completion of military or other government service? I know this is an issue in some countries.

To the best of my knowledge there is no work-around to the passport and Canada won't issue a travel document.

You might want to pay for a consult with an immigration lawyer to see what the options are.
Thanks scylla, yes, she is currently working for the Ministry of Health (Government) and they won't provide a release paper. I'm planning on seeing a lawyer/expert soon.
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,759
Does she have a passport but not a release paper? Most unfortunately have no choice but to head for Ethiopia without asking for permission. Assume you have Eritrean origins. Did you leave recently? If so how did you do it?
 
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OTW_ON

Newbie
Oct 9, 2018
7
0
Does she have a passport but not a release paper? Most unfortunately have no choice but to head for Ethiopia without asking for permission. Assume you have Eritrean origins. Did you leave recently? If so how did you do it?
No, my wife does not have a passport. Currently the border b/n ETH and ERI is open for all and my wife could travel to ETH with no issue. Yes, I’m originally from Eritrea but immigrated to CAN in the early 1990s
 

canuck_in_uk

VIP Member
May 4, 2012
31,558
7,195
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
06/12
No, my wife does not have a passport. Currently the border b/n ETH and ERI is open for all and my wife could travel to ETH with no issue. Yes, I’m originally from Eritrea but immigrated to CAN in the early 1990s
She needs a passport to get PR. Can she not just quit the job and then apply?