Canada Passport Help

There has been a federal law in place for a while which enables the Canadian Federal Government to deny any Canadian citizen the issue of a new passport or the renewal of an existing passport if they are behind or in arrears on child support payments. This was recently unsuccessfully challenged by a Montreal man who claimed that this violated his right to mobility under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. You can read the full article here at CBC News.

The loss or denial of a Canadian Passport can also happen for other reasons besides support payment issues, and it is important for Canadian citizens, especially those living in the United States to be familiar with considerations that Passport Canada’s Security Bureau will take into account prior to issuing a passport, and the situations where the denial or loss of your Canadian Passport can occur. If you have committed what the Federal Government considers a “serious criminal offense”, you could also be denied a passport. A “serious offense” includes crimes such as terrorist activities, smuggling, trafficking in people, kidnapping, sexual offenses against children and attacks against the Crown. These are not automatic grounds for denial of issuance, but can come up as factors when your passport application is being reviewed.   We encourage you to let us know if this is the case, or if there is a support payment issue associated with your application, so that we can better assist you. Again, these issues do not necessarily mean that your application or existing passport will be unconditionally revoked or denied, but it is important to note when gathering your information prior to submission, and it is also important to disclose this information to one of our Passport Specialists when assisting you.

Questions? Contact us at info AT canadapassporthelp DOT ca