So I'm a US citizen currently waiting for my citizenship certificate application (by descent). I actually end up regularly in canada, within 10km of a Passport Canada location. The issue is that I've never held residence in Canada, and don't know anyone personally for 2+ years in the area of Canada to which I travel (family is on the opposite coast). My father doesn't have a current Canadian passport (it expired) so he can't be my guarantor.
The CIC website says that applications made from the US can use an occupation based guarantor, and I have a couple doctors willing to sign it (once I get my citizenship certificate, formally sign/date the application, and have a photo taken for them to sign).
CIC says:
My alternatives are to either have a coworker in the Canadian branch of my company (who met me four years ago in person and a handful of times since - knows who I am, what I look like, my area of expertise, etc. but I'm not sure if that counts as knowing me "personally") or to mail the entire application package to an Uncle or Cousin in British Columbia, have them sign it and the relevant documents, and then mail it back to me.
Or to simply apply via mail, but I've had a lot of bad luck with lost mail with Canada Post and the US Postal Service... I would prefer to avoid mailing the original citizenship certificate.
The CIC website says that applications made from the US can use an occupation based guarantor, and I have a couple doctors willing to sign it (once I get my citizenship certificate, formally sign/date the application, and have a photo taken for them to sign).
CIC says:
If you happen to be in Canada, you can apply in person at a passport office or a receiving agent (Service Canada or Canada Post) and make arrangements to pick it up for an additional service fee (passport offices only) or have the passport delivered to an address in Canada or to your home address in the United States.
And the page on guarantors/references says:
If you’re applying for a regular passport (blue) from outside Canada
A family member or anyone living at the same address as you may be your guarantor as long as they meet the basic guarantor requirements above.
You may also choose an occupation-based guarantor, as long as they’re: (Etc.)
So I know it's a bit of an odd scenario, but has anyone actually tried to apply for a Canadian Passport using an occupation based guarantor (Form PPTC-140) in person in Canada? Page 5 of that form mentions "Applying In Person" in Canada, but the language is odd...A family member or anyone living at the same address as you may be your guarantor as long as they meet the basic guarantor requirements above.
You may also choose an occupation-based guarantor, as long as they’re: (Etc.)
My alternatives are to either have a coworker in the Canadian branch of my company (who met me four years ago in person and a handful of times since - knows who I am, what I look like, my area of expertise, etc. but I'm not sure if that counts as knowing me "personally") or to mail the entire application package to an Uncle or Cousin in British Columbia, have them sign it and the relevant documents, and then mail it back to me.
Or to simply apply via mail, but I've had a lot of bad luck with lost mail with Canada Post and the US Postal Service... I would prefer to avoid mailing the original citizenship certificate.