Passport application denied: need help

[J.Bell]

Sorry for the long read but could really use some help ASAP.
So it started a week ago when my GF got offered free tickets/airfare/hotel/ect thru work for the Canucks game in St. Louis on Feb 16. Both of us have expired passports, so we figured no problem, got a month to apply for new one and all that stuff.

So we both fill out all the necessary paperwork, get our pictures and so on. Being that she works right down the street from the surrey passport office she figured she could sneak away at lunch and hand her paperwork and pictures in.

Here's where the problem starts. She somehow missed the part on the instructions where it says to get your guarantee to sign the back of the pic. So when she goes to the office and waits for 45 mins in line then finally gets her turn, the woman working there told here she needed the pic signed by here gaurantee. She tells the woman that she works 5 mins away and could go get the signature quickly and asked if it was possible to bypass the line when she came back. Woman says no problem and gives her a ticket, so when she comes back she can bypass the line.

So she heads back to work and gets her employee who's worked for her for 10 years to sign the pic. He is the guarantee she wrote on her passport, so shouldn't be a problem. She then heads back to the passport office, uses her ticket to bypasses the line and hands in her application. So we thinking ok cool, just gotta wait 10 days and we good to go.

Well not quite. She gets a call from the passport office on Monday asking her to write a statement to verify that all her info was correct. At the exact same time her employee (the gaurantee) gets a call from the passport office to verify that he knows her and they ask him a couple question about her, all of which he answered truthfully and correctly being that they've know each other for 10 years. I guess they called at the same time so there's no making up stories or whatever.

So Monday night she's freaking out about this whole situation, while I'm trying to keep her calm and tell her everything will be fine and not to worry. Fast forward to today and she gets another call from the passport office telling her that they're denying her passport on the grounds that they think she went into the parking lot or something and forged her guarantees signature, which is not the case. She told the person she talked to that she can prove he signed it by bringing in security footage from that day/time to prove he signed it. But they just told her the investigation has been closed already and all she can do now is jut pay again and reapply.

So now if we want to go away next month she has to apply again and pay another $160 and get new pictures ect, which she has already gone and done cuz we want to make sure we get our passports before our trip so we can actually go away.

My question is has anyone ever dealt with anything like this? It all seems a bit ridiculous to me, that they would think she would forge her co-workers signature that she's know for 10 years and that they didn't believe she could have got his signature so fast, but she only works 5 mins away from passport office. So now she's all freaking out about getting denied again and possibly having this against her on her record.

Anyone have any insight as to what we can do? It's not so much about the extra $160, but it's the fact they totally screwed her over and may possibly have this on her record. We were thinking of writing a complaint but don't think that will do much. Either way any input/help is appreciated, cuz we're both just so confused as to how all this happened and how passport Canada can basically just say f*ck you.

Any help or insight I greatly appreciated.

[Acura604]

I just renewed my passport last month for 10yrs and didn't need a guarantor. I don't understand why she needed one ?

[turb0triX]

Well that's fucking bullshit. I've never had to deal with this myself, but from what I found on google, it seems like the only option now is to either just re-apply or file for a "judicial review."

Administrative decision process for the cancellation and revocation of passports and the refusal of passport services

Revocation of Passports and Refusal of Passport Services

Refusal and revocation decisions made by the Passport Program are considered final as of the date the decision is rendered. A person who chooses to challenge a decision may do so by filing an application for judicial review before the Federal Court of Canada within 30 days of the date of the decision.

To file for a judicial review: http://cas-cdc-www02.cas-satj.gc.ca/.../ApplicationJR

I didn't read through the whole thing, but seems like it will be a lengthy process, and there is a $50 processing fee. You guys might be better off just re-applying. I'm not legal expert, but from your post, it seems like you guys have a pretty solid case.

Good luck!

[DragonChi]

Originally Posted by Acura604

I just renewed my passport last month for 10yrs and didn't need a guarantor. I don't understand why she needed one ?

Passport renewals do not need a guarantor, new applications do.

[SSM_DC5]

Originally Posted by Acura604

I just renewed my passport last month for 10yrs and didn't need a guarantor. I don't understand why she needed one ?

Because renewals don't require a guarantor. OP's application is not a renewal.

[Acura604]

mine expired Nov 20. I applied for a new one dec 22. is that considered a renewal?

Got the passport January 4

[Inaii]

nvm!

[J.Bell]

Sorry, I should have made it more clear that our passports have both been expired for 3 years. So the renewal is not an option. We both had to apply for new passports.

@turb0triX - after my original post I was checking on the passport Canada website and found exactly what you posted about the judicial review. And I agree with you, it just doesn't really seem like it's worth the hassle or money trying to fight this, especially because we're just trying to get them ASAP so we can go on this trip she got.

She has already went and got new passport photos, and filled out new paperwork along with using my mother this time as her gaurantee, got everything done and re-submitted today. But now we just worried about them denying it again, or maybe she has been "flagged" and we'll have to deal with a bunch of crap again and possibly miss out on a free trip. Either way, it all just seem so ridiculous, especially cuz they won't even listen to her or take her video evidence into consideration. I thought we lived in a country where you are innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around?????

[DragonChi]

Renewal is open for up to one year after your current passport expires.

[whitev70r]

Forget it and sell tickets, hotel, flight to someone who can go ... get the passport thing sorted out, then use money to go somewhere you and GF want to go. Sorry but don't think St. Louis is worth all this headache to expedite or fight to rush our 'efficient' immigration department.

[J.Bell]

We would definitely love to do that, but she's getting the trip free because it's kinda like a "sales conference" thru work. She has seniority and gets first dibs, but if she can't go or does not want to go, they will ask the next person in line.

[SSM_DC5]

Originally Posted by Acura604

mine expired Nov 20. I applied for a new one dec 22. is that considered a renewal?

Got the passport January 4

To renew your Canadian passport, your current passport must:

be valid or has been expired for no more than one year;
have the same name, sex, date of birth and place of birth that you would like to appear on your new passport;
have been issued with a 5-year or 10-year validity;
not be damaged;
never have been reported lost or stolen; and
have been issued when you were at least 16 years of age.

[FerrariEnzo]

I didnt need a guarantor and renewed for 10years.. not sure what the problem is

[twitchyzero]

agreed not worth trying to get everything processed on-time.

if you think you have a solid case go for the judicial review route...innocent until proven guilty, righgt? may be call them once a week to check the status if you're set on going this trip.

sounds like some BS excuse but you'll probably just have to chalk this up as a lesson to take passport or any official govt documentation very seriously..double-triple check everything...they'll ask you to re-take a photo if your shirts the wrong colour for example.

[Zedbra]

Making a long story short, I once applied via mail for my passport, it didn't come in time for me to attend a mandatory work function in the States, so I went through the expedited process to get my passport. Fast forward a month, they take the money from my account for the app I mailed in. Filed a 'review' for my money back and one day out of the blue, over one year later, my cheque showed up at my work, of all places.

[J.Bell]

At this point we're both just hoping that there won't be any more problems and she gets her passport in time. Once we actually have her passport, we are going to look into pursuing this further, don't wanna ruffle any more feathers and possibly get denied again. She asked the clerk about getting some sort of refund because of all of this and they told her she would receive a $25 credit, but that she won't even get it for at least 2 months. They'll take $160 from her twice, but it takes 2 months to get a $25 refund. Such BS