Dear Attorney/someone experienced -- please help. I currently live in the USA. I obtained Canadian PR (via skilled worker category application) in 2005 and subsequently Canadian Citizenship/Passport in 2009. I left Canada in 2009 and I have been working in the USA on H1B visa since then. I obtained the Canadian Passport in 2009 at Windsor, Ontario when I applied there in person. My passport in going to expire in 2 months. I have not traveled to Canada since 2009.
Could you suggest if I should travel to Windsor,Ontario to apply for the passport renewal in person or should I send the renewal application via mail from the USA? Is there any chance that my mail application from the USA could be denied (Is it safer to apply in person in Canada)?
Many thanks for your help.
Regards,
Rajesh

Very Simple.
You do not have to travel anywhere. Your mail application from USA will not be denied.
Complete the renewal application form, pay the fees, attach two photos as per specifications and expiring passport. Make sure that the photos has the name, address of the studio and date the photo taken. If you need the old passport back, specifically request the same. If not they keep the old one.

As a Canadian citizen with a Passport, you need not worry about anything. Canadian citizens can return to Canada at any time, without any mandatory residence time to be spent in Canada.
Visit the internet and see the Canadian embassy, closest to the place that you live in USA, and mail your application there for renewal (new passport).
Cheers

Murali

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

Many thanks for your kind replies. When I left Canada in 2009, I did not notify any Canadian authority about moving to the USA. So I do not know if they sent any important mails (if any) during the past 5-years.

I worked in Detroit and lived in Canada and struggled hard to satisfy the 1095-days residency requirements between 2005 and 2009. But the citizenship application and interview went through without problem at Windsor, Canada.

When I search in Google, I see that the Canadian Government has in the recent years revoked citizenship of many of its citizens who did not satisfy the 1095-days residency requirement but had got the passport. And they specially revoked passport of those who left Canada after obtaining the citizenship/passport.

Is there any way to know if I were among those whose citizenship has been revoked? Sorry if I sound paranoid. (I did not misrepresent in the passport application but one can sense that there are gray areas when it comes to 1095-days residency requirement, which in my case in equally hard to disprove or disprove). I also trashed my Canadian cell phone bills, internet bills, rent payment checks copies etc from year 2005-2009 after obtaining the Canadian citizenship in 2009. So I cannot any more prove that I had met the 1095-days residency requirement before I applied for Canadian citizenship in 2009.

My Indian passport has been cancelled as expected as of year 2009. I am not in touch with Canada for the past few years. I have USA H1B visa stamp on my Canadian expiring passport. So is there any possibility that they do not even return me the old passport if they deny the renewal of my mail application? My apology for being so detailed. I was thinking if I go to Windsor, Canada I could in person represent me better in the event of such denial. But again I cannot even enter back to USA without a 6-month valid Canadian passport in the event of a denial.

Many thanks for your kind help.

Boss,
You are too paranoid.
That rule is for Refugees' who have faked their residency to get the passport (if at all).
Canada is not a terrorist or an authoritarian govt..
Just send your passport to the nearest Canadian post to get it renewed. Donot forget to tick the columns 'I want my passport returned' and you will be fine.
Once you get Cdn. passport (having been a skilled worker then PR), you will be fine.

Peace by Murali

P.s. Please post the google links that you had googled.

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

Babu Rajesh ...as TK said ..... UR tooo Paranoid.
Your PP process will be fine .... but being a Canadian, try to contribute some thing for Canada regularly. After all, it is your second home after your home country. Also pay respects to your mother country where you have born and brought up.

Initially on H-1B visa, the duration of your stay in the US is three years, extendable to six years. If a visa holder has submitted an I-140 immigrant petition or a labor certification prior to their fifth year anniversary of having the H-1B visa, you are entitled to renew your H-1B visa in one-year or three-year increments until a decision has been rendered on your application for permanent residence. You know that you are there in your second THREE year cycle.

If you, have an approved I-140 immigrant petition, and are in the process of obtaining your Green Card, then you are going to stay there permanently. Otherwise you will be returning back to Canada, for a minimum period of One year.

You have been given good advice and how to go about renewing your Canadian Passport. Follow that process and it will tell you what your current status is in you Canadian Citizenship. And if there AREN'T any problems, then you will get a NEW Passport back in the mail. Ask for the return of the OLD one back.

You can heave a sigh of relief and carry on with your life and other activities normally when you see your New Passport. If you do have travel plans between now and the next week or sooner, you can surely ask for the Passport for your travels in an emergency. It will cost you a little bit more. (But then, who cares!) All you need is a copy of an e-ticket out of USA.


FH