Sears Tower? It was a Chicago beaver, apparenty. That might explain the light blue on the front.
Happy Canada Day! 
This thread is how I found out a few months ago about the 2025 rule change expanding citizenship, so I’ll celebrate today by getting my “passport photos” so I can send my application in the coming weeks for a Canadian citizenship certificate.
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One thing to be aware of, if you haven’t already seen it elsewhere:
A couple weeks ago, there was a bit of excitement because IRCC suspended about 100 citizenship certificates they had issued, because of concerns about their documentation. (This also resulted in some passports getting canceled…which was a problem for folks who were traveling on their new Canadian passports at the time.)
IRCC has since cleared about a third of the suspensions…but they also clarified some of the guidance on what they want to see in the applications. The main points seem to be:
- Applications cannot rely solely on third-party sources. Best guess on that is that even when old records are publicly available on places like Ancestry or Family Search, IRCC very strongly prefers that they be obtained from a more official source, even when the more official source tells you to use Ancestry/FS. (E.g., my great-great grandparents’ marriage registration can be seen online. I’ve had a request pending with Archives of Ontario since April to get a certified copy.)
- When birth certificates/registrations are not available, they want to see evidence that an attempt was made to obtain them. (It’s not clear how they’ll handle situations like an ancestor having been born before birth certificates/registrations were issued in the relevant jurisdiction.)
- If using a baptismal record in lieu of a birth certificate/registration, the baptism must have occurred within a “reasonable” time after birth. (I.e. infant baptisms are probably fine; adult baptisms are probably not. Someone online did mention they had success with a record of a bris of a Jewish ancestor.)
- For birth/baptismal records for Québecois prior to 1994 (QC didn’t do “normal” birth certificates until then), IRCC wants the records to come from DEC if the birth occurred within the last 100 years, or BAnQ if before that. (Annoyingly, BAnQ is now charging C$350 to fulfill requests.)
A couple of other thoughts, which weren’t impacted by the recent kerfuffle and updates:
- Trans people are eligible for urgent processing at IRCC. If you’re requesting urgent processing, make it very obvious on the outside of the package. Otherwise…well, I sent my non-urgent application in on 20 April; I don’t expect them to have opened my package and acknowledge receipt for at least another month.
- Non-urgent applicants might be able to get away with sending in less-than-perfect applications and uploading an update before IRCC reviews them (e.g., the IRCC website says I have 15 more months to wait; I suspect it may be longer). Urgent applicants probably shouldn’t attempt that; it looks like several of the urgent applicants got processed fairly quickly once IRCC was aware of the request and confirmed eligibility.
- I’d wait until just before you ship the application to do your citizenship photos, because of IRCC’s requirement that photos be no more than 6 months old (I assume measured from the date they scan the application into their system, so given the queue…) Actually finding a place to get the photos was (at the time, before updated guidance) the hardest part of putting my application together because ground truth differed quite a bit from generic online guidance on where to get photos. Keep in mind that information stamped/written on the back of the photos potentially will smear easily / take forever to dry. If the place that does your photos doesn’t cut them, be aware that IRCC is reportedly extremely picky about the photos’ dimensions being precisely correct.
Good luck, and happy Canada Day!
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Thanks! I had heard about the stricter documentation requirements that happened recently, but I’m not too concerned—both my paternal grandparents were born in Canada, and I have birth certificates for everyone from me to them.
My main concerns are how to organize everything since I’m also planning to apply for my children in the same packet, and how to prove my identity, as I realized I have a pitiful lack of suitable identification documents. For organization I plan to just clearly explain in a cover letter why there are three applications and what all is enclosed, and for suitable identification documents I’m hoping I can use the “minor child” exception to explain that they have zero suitable identification documents. For myself, I may need to get a US Passport, as I can’t think of a suitable second ID beyond my driver’s license… I hadn’t thought about the fact that they might want the photos to be no more than 6 months as of review—I’d assumed it would be as of their receipt—so I’ll have to consider that, though my wife was able to get a US passport pretty quickly not too long ago, and that’s really the last thing I’m waiting on (unless I can think of another ID).
A note pointing out their minor status should help, but folks online have observed that for minors, anything government-issued that has their name and birthdate (aside from birth certificates) seems to work.
Depending on where you are, state vaccination records and fishing licenses (although not every state has birthdates on their fishing licenses) might work.
Also, depending on how far away you are from applying…remember that turnaround time on US passports was, the last I heard, about a month in the regular processing queue.
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I wonder if there’s a need for a Canada = EU thread.
I have never been a Bryan Adams fan but agree with the sentiment in his new song.
“North of the Line” — Original Song Lyrics
Verse 1
I was raised where the maple leaves fall slow, Where the winters bite hard and the summers still glow. We’ve got our own stories carved in ice and in stone, And I don’t need another flag to call this place home.
Pre‑Chorus
I hear the talk from down below, But my roots run deep in the northern snow.
Chorus
I’m Canadian, standing tall, Got my red and white, that’s all. I don’t need a star to tell me who I am today. Keep your fifty, I’ll stay free, From the Rockies to the Maritimes sea. I’m proud to say I’m not your fifty‑first state.
Verse 2
We’ve got kindness like currency, strong as the cold, And a history that’s ours, brave, quiet, and bold. From the cities to the tundra, we walk our own way, And I won’t trade that for anything you’ve got in the USA.
Pre‑Chorus
No disrespect, but hear me clear, My northern heartbeat keeps me here.
Chorus
I’m Canadian, standing tall, Got my red and white, that’s all. I don’t need a star to tell me who I am today. Keep your fifty, I’ll stay free, From the Rockies to the Maritimes sea. I’m proud to say I’m not your fifty‑first state.
Bridge
We share a border, share a laugh, But our paths don’t need the same map. I’ll raise my voice, I’ll celebrate, This northern soul that won’t migrate.
Final Chorus
I’m Canadian, standing tall, Got my red and white, that’s all. I don’t need a star to tell me who I am today. Keep your fifty, I’ll stay free, From the prairies to the Arctic sea. I’m proud to say I’m not your fifty‑first state.
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That is so wrong…
There’s a new bridge between Canada and the US, just built and ready to open. but it’s not open because the US won’t allow it.
Canada paid for it, with the agreement that we would take 100% of tolls until we got paid back. After that, 50-50 split between canada and michigan. That’s sure seems like a good deal to me.
Except a crossing at the same location is controlled by trump supporters.. So now the US is stopping the new bridge from opening and demanding a better deal.
The new norm in agreements with the US is that they can’t be trusted to stick to the deal that they agreed to. I think that’s going to do a lot of long term damage to the US. I.e. in retrospect, in the current environment, Im sure Canada would not have agreed to front the money for the bridge.
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I was informed by the US ambassador that its mythology that Canada paid for it.
Every time that guy opens his mouth he steps in it.
Brings me back to when the Dutch roasted him…
Could be suggesting that the bridge authority should follow Trump’s practice of borrowing money and defaulting.
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Canada should stop handing this guy a microphone.
IIRC, the actual agreement re construction was between the State of Michigan and Ontario, with Ontario paying for the bridge, and Michigan letting Ontario keep all the toll revenue until construction costs have been recouped, and then revenues and maintenance being shared 50/50 between MI and ON.
Our Glorious Loser and Lutnick, however…friends/beneficiaries of the privately-owned incumbent bridge at Detroit…want a new deal.
Still not a good look for Washington (perhaps even worse). But it’s worth remembering that Michigan is one of the protagonists in this farce.
I assume the reason he hasn’t officially been declared persona non grata by Canada is the knowledge that the resulting temper tantrum by the Glorious Loser wouldn’t be worth it.
Hopefully this is the last chapter in this saga.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/gordie-howe-bridge-opening-9.7266280
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Depends on Trump’s mood and what is distracting him.
It’s going to open after he opens the Strait of Hormuz, obviously.
If Canada agreed to pay more money, I hope they didn’t pay in advance.
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