Canada To Issue Electronic Passports In 2012

(AHN)

Ottawa will issue electronic passports to Canadian citizens starting in 2012. To begin the process, Public Works and Government Services Canada sought potential suppliers to submit letters of interest this summer.

The ePassport will have a proximity contactless chip which could only be read within 10 centimeters (3.93 inches) of a reader. But the machine-readable zone on page 2 of the passport must be scanned first. Among the data on the chip are the holder’s name, gender, date and place of birth and a digital photo of the citizen’s face.

Customs officials will compare the information on the chip with the printed information and photo in the passport. Read more here.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) Reminder

(U.S. CBP — Pembina)

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) documentary requirements for land and sea travel will go into effect on June 1, 2009. U.S., Canadian, and Bermudan citizens that
were previously exempt document requirements will be required to present a WHTI-compliant document for entry into the United States at land and sea ports of entry beginning June 1.

WHTI codes will be applied to ACE E-Manifests starting April 2009, with a transition period, until compliance is enforced on June 1, 2009. Effective June 1, 2009, all E-Manifests filed that are non-WHTI compliant will be rejected by ACE until WHTI compliance is obtained. As a reminder, WHTI-compliant documents include the following:

• U.S., Canadian or Bermudan passports;
• U.S. Passport Card;
• Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (when and where available);
• Trusted Traveler Cards (NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST);
• Form I-872 American Indian Card, or (when available) Enhanced Tribal Cards;
• Military identification cards (for members of the U.S. armed forces on official orders);
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Document (for U.S. citizens on official maritime business);

As specified in the WHTI land and sea final rule, U.S. and Canadian citizen children under age 16, and those under age 19 traveling in a designated group, may present an original or copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Naturalization Certificate, or a Canadian Citizenship Card.

U.S. Legislators Renew Push to Delay Passports at Canadian Border

American legislators are renewing their push to delay requiring passports at the Canada-U.S. border until June 2009 by slipping the measure into a critical spending bill.

But the Homeland Security Department says it's determined to move forward with the new security requirement next summer as planned, regardless of how Congress votes. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the $516-billion measure funding 14 cabinet agencies and troops in Afghanistan, setting the stage for a year-end budget deal with the White House.

President George W. Bush has signaled he'll ultimately sign the measure – assuming up to $40 billion more is provided by the Senate for the Iraq war – despite opposition from Republican conservatives. In an unusual two-step, legislators first voted 253-154 to approve the omnibus spending bill; they then voted 206-201 to add $31 billion for troops in Afghanistan to the measure. The combined $516-billion spending package is set for Senate debate on Tuesday. Canada has long supported a delay in the passport requirement to ensure the security system is properly in place, avoiding nightmarish traffic lineups and long wait times for passports.

The extra time was written into the House bill by New York Democrat Louise Slaughter. She included a provision for withholding $75 million to implement the plan until officials report on the status of new identification cards and high-technology driver's licenses that are being developed as alternatives to passports.

“The traffic across our northern border is critical to our economy and we must never sacrifice our relationship with Canada with an ill-conceived attempt to increase border security,” said Slaughter. “Economic security and physical security are not mutually exclusive. We can, and must, have both.”

But Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said he doesn't believe the stalling measure will impede plans to implement the so-called Western Hemisphere and Travel Initiative at land and sea crossing starting next summer. “A delay in WHTI implementation would create the very type of chaos at the border that Congress has repeatedly urged our department to avoid,” Knocke said.

Canadian Embassy officials called the latest move on passports “a very positive step.” Ambassador Michael Wilson has been lobbying for more time for more than a year. “On the present timetable, Canadians and Americans do not have time to get the documents they will need,” Wilson said in an editorial published last week in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

“Neither country can afford the kind of backlog that both passport agencies experienced last winter when the new ... requirements were implemented for air travellers.Many more travellers cross by land and there needs to be a realistic and transparent plan to ensure that legitimate tourism and trade can continue."

Wait times for passports were up to 12 weeks, from four to six weeks, in the United States before air passengers were required to use the documents in January.

The land and sea portion of the rule has already been delayed once to give U.S. officials more time to develop a passcard dubbed “passport lite” that will be cheaper to get. Several states and some provinces are interested in developing enhanced driver's licences that will contain proof of citizenship like passports. Last week, Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff called the high-technology licences a “win-win for security and convenience.”

Starting Jan. 31, the United States will require all Canadians to provide some proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate. Adults will also need a government-issued photo ID. Customs agents will no longer be allowed to simply ask people where they were born.

McGuinty, Doer Work to Ease Border Crossings

(Globe & Mail — Nov. 26/2007)

The Ontario and Manitoba governments are working to make it easier for travellers to visit the United States without a passport, but Canadians shouldn't get the wrong message and consider it an invitation to shop more in border cities, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says.

Mr. McGuinty met yesterday with Manitoba Premier Gary Doer to discuss new high-tech driver's licences the provinces are working on, which will contain citizenship data and could be used in place of passports at the border.

Streamlining the process to cross into the United States might tempt more people into shopping stateside, but Mr. McGuinty said shoppers should ignore the lure of irresistible deals and support their local economy….

The talk of easier border crossings follows a Statistics Canada report last week that found day trips to the United States hit a six-year high in September, due in no small part to Canadians taking advantage of a strong dollar and lower prices at U.S. retailers….

Mr. McGuinty said there is no exact timeline on when the new licences will be brought in, and the premiers are waiting on the U.S. government to reveal what specifications they need to satisfy their security concerns.

The provinces will then work with Ottawa to integrate citizenship information into the new ID card, said Mr. Doer, who added he is confident that the new standard will also encourage Americans to visit Canada and bolster tourism.

U.S. Confirms High-Tech Driver’s Licences Will Be Allowed at Border

(Canadian Press)

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff confirmed Thursday that enhanced driver’s licences will be accepted as passport alternatives at the Canada-U.S. border.

Canada has been pushing hard to give travellers a choice, saying passports are expensive, harder to get and most people need licences anyway.Homeland officials have become increasingly comfortable over the last several months with high-technology driver’s licences that will contain proof of citizenship like passports do.

The final rule on the so-called Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, due soon, was expected to endorse them.

But Chertoff left no doubt in a speech to a trade symposium hosted by the U.S. Customs and
Border Protection agency.

“Next year, we’ll be implementing a rule in stages that will require . . . either a passport, a passcard, Nexus card or enhanced driver’s licence to cross the land border,” he said.

The new security program is supposed to go into effect as early as next summer. Air travellers entering the U.S. already need passports.

“Inevitably there’s going to be inconvenience as we make the transition,” said Chertoff.

But border agents who now have to go into their computers to pull up information will now be able to swipe cards and access information more quickly, he said.

“It’s an efficient but more secure way of checking at the border.”

The passcards Chertoff referred to will have special ID chips and are only being developed in the U.S., where they’re referred to as passport-lite. Canada has no plans to follow suit and has concentrated solely on licences.

Chertoff’s remarks came as business leaders in both countries worry about waiting times that have increased to two and three hours, the longest delays since the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Extra security checks, not enough infrastructure, inadequate staffing and faulty computer systems are to blame, they say.

The U.S. is moving toward a system of checking everyone, said Chertoff, who maintained it will be faster with only a handful of acceptable documents rather than the 8,000 that exist in the U.S. now.

A project using high-tech licences at border points between British Columbia and Washington state is expected to start early next year.

“I think it’s great that Chertoff is confirming it this early on,” said John van Dongen, B.C. intergovernmental relations minister.

“Both federal governments now see the efficiency of it. We can improve flow and security. It’s a win-win.”

The U.S. department has struck deals with other states, including New York, Arizona and Vermont.

Several provinces, including Ontario, Quebec and Alberta are keen to develop the required licences.

Now the provinces can step up discussions with Ottawa about licences, said Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley.

“I’m certainly very happy to see it finallly happening.”

Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, complained last month that Americans still aren’t collaborating properly with Canada on the technology they’ll be using so the licences in both countries are compatible.

But Ken Oplinger, president of the Bellingham-Whatcom Chamber of Commerce in Washington state, said the U.S. is waiting for Ottawa to get moving and officially endorse them.

Canada still wants the Bush administration to delay implementing the new security measure until 2009, saying no one will be ready and it will cause even more havoc at the border.

New Passport Guarantor Policy in Effect

(Passport Canada)

The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs today announced a new guarantor policy for Canadian passports. This new policy allows most Canadian adult passport holders residing in Canada or the U.S. to act as guarantors for passport applications. Today’s announcement is the next step in the continued efforts by Canada’s New Government to improve passport services.

“Canada’s New Government is taking positive action to improve passport services for Canadians. And unlike the previous government, we are delivering results. In only a few months, we have increased Passport Canada’s capacity by 40%, we have launched the simplified passport renewal process and we are announcing today the new guarantor policy,” said the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Under the new policy effective today, an eligible guarantor must:– Be a Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older; – Hold a five-year Canadian passport that is valid or has been expired for no more than one year; – Have been 16 years of age or older when they applied for their own passport; and – Have known the applicant personally for at least two years.

Demand for Canadian passports has more than doubled over less than a decade. In 1999-2000, Passport Canada issued 1.7 million passports. In 2006-2007, it issued 3.6 million passports and this fiscal year, the figure is expected to reach more than four million.

Now, any family member as well as any individual residing at the applicant’s address may act as guarantor, provided he or she meets the requirements noted above. To simplify the verification of guarantor eligibility, Passport Canada will use its own database, thereby increasing the security and efficiency of the process.
For more information on travel documentation required for travel to the United States and upcoming changes due to the U.S. Western Hemispheric Travel Initiative, please visit the CBSA website.