Air Canada refuses re-entry into Canada (Foriegn Passport + Citizenship Certif)

[Oct13]

With most countries in the World which do accept Dual citizenship which I believe Egypt is one of them, when you become a Citizen of another country you automatically loose the citizenship of your country of origin and therefore after receiving Canadian citizenship then you are no longer a citizen of Egypt and therefore you are not a dual citizen and therefore cannot travel on your previous Passport not until you get dual Citizenship BUT you can become a dual citizen after you apply and re-acquire your Egyptian Citizenship which then qualifies you to be a dual citizenship. For most Countries if not all dual citizenship is not automatic, one has to acknowledge the Country of origin about their acquisition of another country's Citizenship and receive written consent from their country of origin confirming they are considered dual citizens from their countries of origin. Usual most countries will cancel the valid passports of such people and issue them with new ones which reflect their being dual citizens.
So if you ever get your Canadian Citizenship don't ever travel back to your country of origin with your old Passport, you will be held for illegal entry such as entering without a valid travel document. You are not a dual citizen back home not until you get registered as a Dual citizen. Many people make this mistake and they get held up at the boarder or airports. Then you having a Canadian Citizenship certificate while holding an Egyptian Passport while you have not applied for Dual citizenship in Egypt is true evidence that you are holding an invalid Passport. its the Law in most countries.
So if this said family had received their oath in ten days before their travel out of Canada then I doubt if they are Dual citizens and I think that's why they were refused to return on the Air Canada flight. It is as if they had no travel documents, its clear and I think that's why air Canada had to refuse them.

Egypt allows dual citizenship.

 

[Intel]

Egypt allows dual citizenship.

Not automatically. You have to apply for an authorization within a year to retain/renounce the Egyptian citizenship. However, the loss of the Egyptian citizenship is not usually enforced for who failed to apply for the authorization.

Quoted From Wikipedia:

Under Egyptian law, acquiring another citizenship is acceptable, but requires that those who apply for another nationality inform appropriate Egyptian officials. Egyptians who have acquired a foreign citizenship may keep their Egyptian nationality if the other country permits it and if within a period not exceeding 1 year from the date he/she acquires the foreign nationality, declares his wish to retain his Egyptian citizenship.

 

[Oct13]

Not automatically. You have to apply for an authorization within a year to retain/renounce the Egyptian citizenship. However, the loss of the Egyptian citizenship is not usually enforced for who failed to apply for the authorization.

Quoted From Wikipedia:

Yes, true. However, I have not heard of anyone who does apply for such authorization!

 

[kenyadian]

The family should have checked with the airline as well. There are many situation where a person may be allowed to enter Canada if they manage to get to Canada but would not be allowed to board a flight because the airline is not ready to take the risk. Aside from people with a non-visa exempt passport and citizenship certificate, this would also include PR's with a non-visa exempt passport and an expired PR card or even no PR card, just landing documents.

The family had various options, they could have canceled their trip, they could have forked out the money to get their Canadian passports before leaving or they could have applied for passports normally and have a friend pick up the post at their house and mail or courier the passports to where they were staying.

It is illegal to mail passports - if they get apprehended by authorities, it would land you in deeper issues.

 

[Leon]

It is illegal to mail passports - if they get apprehended by authorities, it would land you in deeper issues.

Illegal in which country? PR applicants frequently mail or fed-ex their home country passports to their visa office in order to get their COPR and then get their passport back in the mail. Since there is not a visa office in every country, this often means that you are mailing your passport internationally. You can also renew your passport by mail. Last time I renewed my Canadian passport, it was sent to me in the mail. Same when I last renewed my other country passport. I sent them the old one in the mail and they mailed me the new one.

 

[Rob_TO]

It is illegal to mail passports - if they get apprehended by authorities, it would land you in deeper issues.

No it isn't, that's completely wrong.

Find any rule or law in Canada that says it's illegal to mail passports, and post it here.

 

[dbss]

No it isn't, that's completely wrong.

Find any rule or law in Canada that says it's illegal to mail passports, and post it here.

Some countries do have restrictions on mailing passport but I think that is only for overseas..I am not sure....I know for a fact you cannot mail your Indian passport overseas...

I guess it depends on the issuing country...

 

[Rob_TO]

Some countries do have restrictions on mailing passport but I think that is only for overseas..I am not sure....I know for a fact you cannot mail your Indian passport overseas...

I guess it depends on the issuing country...

I am just referring to Canadian passports here.

 

[kenyadian]

I am just referring to Canadian passports here.

I was referring to sending your passport by mail overseas, not locally. Also, referring to mailing them privately from one person to the another, not to/from an embassy/official government body. Most international couriers will not courier passports for that reason. I'll try and find the info and post it here.

 

[emamabd]

This is new to me and quite worryingsome for people in our situation. Basically Air Canada refused re-entry into Canada with a foriegn passport and a Canadian Citizenship Certificate, as supposedly only a PR Card is proof that you have status to stay in Canada... but when you get citizenship you have to return your PR card, and it looks like a Citizenship Certiifcate isn't proof that you have status in Canada ??? ... what do you do here to avoid this situation - get a Canadian passport immediately before travelling?

this article has conflicting statements in my opinion and an air of confusion of the various parties understanding the legislation and what is actually correct.

----------
http://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2014/08/04/dual_citizens_carrying_foreign_passport_turned_away_at_florida_airport.html

Dual citizens carrying foreign passport turned away at Florida airport

Warning to dual citizens: Travelling with a foreign passport may make it tough to come home to Canada.

What happened to a Milton family returning from a summer holiday in Florida on Air Canada offers a cautionary tale for Canadians who use a foreign passport when travelling outside the country.

Canadian citizens Wael Ghali, his wife, Mira Wassef, and their teenage boys, Michael and Youssef, were stuck in the Tampa airport after an Air Canada agent refused to let them board their flight because she didn't accept their Egyptian passports and photo citizenship certificates as valid documents to re-enter Canada.

“We'd called the Canada Border Services Agency before we left for Florida and we were told it'd be totally fine,” said Ghali, an English teacher from Egypt, who moved here in 2008 and took the oath with his family at a citizenship ceremony days before leaving for the 10-day trip on July 1. “We did our diligence.”

In normal circumstances, permanent residents who have yet to become Canadian citizens must travel with passports from their country of origin, plus what's called a PR (permanent resident) card issued by Ottawa, as proof that they can legally stay in Canada and do not need a visa.

However, when someone becomes a Canadian citizen, the PR card is taken away — as was the case for the Ghali family — and coming home to Canada may become a problem with a foreign passport unaccompanied by a visitor's visa.

Ghali, 45, said the family had booked their vacation in March and were notified about their citizenship test later. They were scheduled for their citizenship ceremony on June 24, leaving them less than five business days to apply for a Canadian passport.

To avoid incurring additional costs — $857 — for an urgent pickup of four Canadian passports, Ghali contacted border officials for assurance that their Egyptian passports, in combination with their new citizenship certificates, would get them back to Canada.

Air Canada's website makes no reference to dual citizens travelling on a non-Canadian passport, but a spokesperson said the PR card provides proof of immigration status, and without it, passengers will not be able to board.

“Like other worldwide airlines, Air Canada utilizes information regarding travel document acceptance provided in a central system called TIMATIC which contains instructions from various governments,” Air Canada spokesperson Angela Mah said in an email.

“Passengers travelling with Egyptian passports are required to have a valid visa or PR card to return to Canada by commercial carrier. . .We have separately confirmed with CBSA this is correct.”

According to the Canadian government's website, international air travelers are required to have a valid passport. Among the valid supplemental government-issued identification documents are a provincial health card, permanent resident card, driver's licence and citizenship certificate.

Despite the family's protests that they were citizens, they say the Air Canada agent insisted that “you must also have a Canadian visa or a PR Card, because the PR card is a proof that you can stay in Canada and the citizenship certificate does not guarantee that you can stay in Canada.”

Ghali then called CBSA, who told the family the agency had no authority to compel airline officials to let them board the flight. However, border officials said they would let them into Canada if they arrived at the border.

Eventually, the family spent an extra $1,200 on two indirect flights from Tampa to Atlanta, then Buffalo, where they rented a car to get back to Canada on July 11.

Air Canada said it would get in touch with the family and refund their unused tickets.

Quite interesting story, i think air canada has made a point here that a "citizenship certificate" is not a travel document, which is very true..otherwise who would need to apply for a passport then?

 

[keesio]

After my citizenship test and interview in Mississauga, they give everyone who passed an oath ceremony invite letter. They also explicitly told everyone directly that at the oath ceremony you have to give up your PR card and that if you do not have a visa-exempt passport, you should not travel until you get your Canadian passport. They also explicitly told us that the Certificate of Citizenship they gave out is NOT a travel document.

Not sure if every office is like that but Mississauga was crystal clear on this.

 

[Rob_TO]

I was referring to sending your passport by mail overseas, not locally. Also, referring to mailing them privately from one person to the another, not to/from an embassy/official government body. Most international couriers will not courier passports for that reason. I'll try and find the info and post it here.

Yes, sending your Canadian passport internationally to another country, to a private mailing address.
It is not illegal, and I'm sure courier companies like FedEx, Purolator or Canada Post, couldn't care less if you are mailing a passport or some other document.

It's advisable if shipping it to a questionable/corrupt country, to not label the contents or make it obvious it's a passport, since a Canadian passport can be "lost" by any courier company and then sold on the black market.

 

[ANDRIANA TSIRONI]

Good Evening,

My name is Andriana Tsironi and I am 23 years old. I am a dual citizen by naturalization (Greek/Canadian) and i returned to Canada after 18 years to get to meet my mother. In the past, by the time my parents were getting divorced and we flew back to Greece, my father lost every certificate of mine that proves that i am a Canadian Citizen and as i was growing up due to the fact that our financial situation was always tight, i never really got informed about my Canadian rights or the documents i should be carrying as a citizen visiting. So I flew over as soon as i got approved from the Canadian Goverment ,for my passport to be linked to an emergency- special authorization (cause i had neither my Canadian passport or ID), with the intentions to visit , see my mother and my country after so long. My mother was supposed to help me stay with her so i could financially afford the visit ,but unfortunately for me her reaction wasn't really good. She is dealing with plenty of psychological traumas ,she chose to not put the effort to comply with me and my personality as im already a grown human .Instead, she used verbal violence and aggresive behavior to make sure i would leave her place for good.

I moved on, took the responsibility of myself as a citizen and with my last two hundred dollars from my income from Greece still on me, i left from Prince George,B.C. to move to Vancouver where i knew that the weather is better in case i would stay out cause i had no one and nowhere to go at that moment,with the hope that as soon as i get my papers done i would be able to work and feed myself. As soon as i got to Vancouver i spent all of my time around asking people going, to Canada Service places to get guidance and also i spent all of my cash to apply for PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP. I went around and asked what can i do for work? I asked many people ,no one seemed positive to help me without a sin number or an id. I was forced to stay homeless for the first 4 months ,i couldn't trust anyone, all i knew was how to pick up cans and make the exact amount of change that i need to buy me something to eat at least. I would try and call the IRCC center to get information on my application at least once a month but they would always give me the same answer " It doesn't seem like we have started the processing part yet ,it might be still in the mail box" leaving me crying ,while on my application i had already applied with an attached letter requesting for URGENT RENEWAL ,describing all of the above in it.I contact my father back then, embarassed for the turn out of my mothers behavior and the situation in general and asked for help. He was unemployed himself and so worried, as he couldn't do much for me either at that time. I got a phonecall from the couple whose adress i gave for the application to be mailed to ,cause i didn't have an actual adress, my application was returned after a month and a half that i applied, with the conclusion that i was missing form of ID (which I didn't have any valid one) .I then had to apply using my Greek passport as a physical form of ID once again which would only be valid in a case like mine. Since then ,(February 18th) i have been waiting to get approved (when our goverment already knows i entered as a Canadian) finding the poorest and unhealthy ways to survive and i owe this to many kind people and they're interest to help otherwise i would've already been resting in the memory of the streets. The situation won't change to finally having again a normal human routine and not struggling, until i hear a different answer from the call center of Nova Scotia. Yesterday's announcement due to my application process update was: " It doesn't look like your application has started processing cause we cannot detect it in the system,must be still in the mail box" ,once again, Mrs. Rosa-Anna -phone agent said. Are there any chances of me getting any help as a Canadian citizen without any financial support?All of the non profit organizations said that my only chance is talking to the representative of my Area ,which i already have done and not got any help or any email replies in a week now when his caseworkers used to reply to me everyday.
For the last nine months i have been here, none of my rights as a Canadian Citizen were recognized i have been starving, i have been stressed and i have been standing strong, for all i know. I have been working since i was fourteen years old, I am mature and able enough to provide to myself the needs ,but i can't just be a ghost on the map.Please with all of my respect ,help me in any way you think is possible.I only wanna be able to work and obtain my responsibilities as a Canadian Citizen ,I wanna make something brighter out of my experience ,be able to feed myself again and mostly provide to our society.

Thank you for your time in these difficult days for all of us,
Thank you for adding up any of ur personal knowledge.
,
Sincerely,
ANDRIANA TSIRONI

 

[masood8]

This is new to me and quite worryingsome for people in our situation. Basically Air Canada refused re-entry into Canada with a foriegn passport and a Canadian Citizenship Certificate, as supposedly only a PR Card is proof that you have status to stay in Canada... but when you get citizenship you have to return your PR card, and it looks like a Citizenship Certiifcate isn't proof that you have status in Canada ??? ... what do you do here to avoid this situation - get a Canadian passport immediately before travelling?

this article has conflicting statements in my opinion and an air of confusion of the various parties understanding the legislation and what is actually correct.

----------
http://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2014/08/04/dual_citizens_carrying_foreign_passport_turned_away_at_florida_airport.html

Dual citizens carrying foreign passport turned away at Florida airport

Warning to dual citizens: Travelling with a foreign passport may make it tough to come home to Canada.

What happened to a Milton family returning from a summer holiday in Florida on Air Canada offers a cautionary tale for Canadians who use a foreign passport when travelling outside the country.

Canadian citizens Wael Ghali, his wife, Mira Wassef, and their teenage boys, Michael and Youssef, were stuck in the Tampa airport after an Air Canada agent refused to let them board their flight because she didn’t accept their Egyptian passports and photo citizenship certificates as valid documents to re-enter Canada.

“We’d called the Canada Border Services Agency before we left for Florida and we were told it’d be totally fine,” said Ghali, an English teacher from Egypt, who moved here in 2008 and took the oath with his family at a citizenship ceremony days before leaving for the 10-day trip on July 1. “We did our diligence.”

In normal circumstances, permanent residents who have yet to become Canadian citizens must travel with passports from their country of origin, plus what’s called a PR (permanent resident) card issued by Ottawa, as proof that they can legally stay in Canada and do not need a visa.

However, when someone becomes a Canadian citizen, the PR card is taken away — as was the case for the Ghali family — and coming home to Canada may become a problem with a foreign passport unaccompanied by a visitor’s visa.

Ghali, 45, said the family had booked their vacation in March and were notified about their citizenship test later. They were scheduled for their citizenship ceremony on June 24, leaving them less than five business days to apply for a Canadian passport.

To avoid incurring additional costs — $857 — for an urgent pickup of four Canadian passports, Ghali contacted border officials for assurance that their Egyptian passports, in combination with their new citizenship certificates, would get them back to Canada.

Air Canada’s website makes no reference to dual citizens travelling on a non-Canadian passport, but a spokesperson said the PR card provides proof of immigration status, and without it, passengers will not be able to board.

“Like other worldwide airlines, Air Canada utilizes information regarding travel document acceptance provided in a central system called TIMATIC which contains instructions from various governments,” Air Canada spokesperson Angela Mah said in an email.

“Passengers travelling with Egyptian passports are required to have a valid visa or PR card to return to Canada by commercial carrier. . .We have separately confirmed with CBSA this is correct.”

According to the Canadian government’s website, international air travelers are required to have a valid passport. Among the valid supplemental government-issued identification documents are a provincial health card, permanent resident card, driver’s licence and citizenship certificate.

Despite the family’s protests that they were citizens, they say the Air Canada agent insisted that “you must also have a Canadian visa or a PR Card, because the PR card is a proof that you can stay in Canada and the citizenship certificate does not guarantee that you can stay in Canada.”

Ghali then called CBSA, who told the family the agency had no authority to compel airline officials to let them board the flight. However, border officials said they would let them into Canada if they arrived at the border.

Eventually, the family spent an extra $1,200 on two indirect flights from Tampa to Atlanta, then Buffalo, where they rented a car to get back to Canada on July 11.

Air Canada said it would get in touch with the family and refund their unused tickets.

Citizenship certificate is not a Travel document, In order to board a flight to Canada you need a valid travel document.

 

[Bs65]

Citizenship certificate is not a Travel document, In order to board a flight to Canada you need a valid travel document.

You noticed I assume that this was a 6 year old thread regardless the long post from yesterday which does not seem that relevant to the OP