Family members with different nationalities.....help!

[CGD]

Hi,this forum sounds great. Glad to be here - maybe I can find someone who can help me find a solution to my problem.

We are a family of five, myself, my wife and three children. I applied for PR (skilled worker, CHC New Delhi) in April 2004 with AOR 28 July 2004 and have been waiting for developments ever since (the whole family is included in my application). My problem is:
1. Me and my daughter are Indian Nationals with Indian passports
2. My wife and two sons (18 yrs and 12 yrs old) are Zimbabwean Nationals holding Zimbabwean passports
My wife's Zim ppt expires in 2011. The Zim ppts of my sons have already expired in 2006. We were all living in Zimbabwe where I was working till 2002 when due to the deteriorating situation there we all came to India from where I applied as skilled worker (computer systems analyst) in 2004. Even after numerous efforts I was unable to renew my two sons ZIM passports (that country's situation is now hopeless) and getting them Indian citizenship and Indian passports will take a lot of time (approx. three to five years from today) so currently they do not have any valid travel document.
Now my problem is: if all goes well and I get my COPR or when the CHC in New Delhi ask for passports for visa stamping, before I can get all our travel papers in order, how can we travel to Canada and land together as a family? I prefer we all travel together. Any options?
Can anybody think of a solution??? Thanks and God Bless,
George

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hi,this forum sounds great. Glad to be here - maybe I can find someone who can help me find a solution to my problem.

We are a family of five, myself, my wife and three children. I applied for PR (skilled worker, CHC New Delhi) in April 2004 with AOR 28 July 2004 and have been waiting for developments ever since (the whole family is included in my application). My problem is:
1. Me and my daughter are Indian Nationals with Indian passports
2. My wife and two sons (18 yrs and 12 yrs old) are Zimbabwean Nationals holding Zimbabwean passports
My wife's Zim ppt expires in 2011. The Zim ppts of my sons have already expired in 2006. We were all living in Zimbabwe where I was working till 2002 when due to the deteriorating situation there we all came to India from where I applied as skilled worker (computer systems analyst) in 2004. Even after numerous efforts I was unable to renew my two sons ZIM passports (that country's situation is now hopeless) and getting them Indian citizenship and Indian passports will take a lot of time (approx. three to five years from today) so currently they do not have any valid travel document.
Now my problem is: if all goes well and I get my COPR or when the CHC in New Delhi ask for passports for visa stamping, before I can get all our travel papers in order, how can we travel to Canada and land together as a family? I prefer we all travel together. Any options?
Can anybody think of a solution??? Thanks and God Bless,
George

No option all will need valid passports. Have you tried getting passport from the Embassy in Delhi?

PMM

 

[CGD]

Thanks for your interest PMM. Time line for indian passports - 7 years legal residency (we have completed 6), two or three years waiting for indian citizenship after applying. then indian passports within 21 days. total approx 10 years.
Contacted Zimbabwe Embassy in Delhi, went there personally, applied for and paid fees for my two sons passports (one has just attained 18 years of age in February). Reply was have to go back to Zim and apply for National ID and passport there. They will issue an emergency travel document for Zimbabwe for that purpose valid for six months. Quite impossible as the political situation there is not good (you must have watched BBC or CNN) and dangerous for Indians. Also that process will take almost two years if not longer. We have disposed all our assets there and moved to india.
Googled the CBSA site (Canada Border Services Agency) and found references to Single Journey Travel Document (SJTD) issued by Canadian Missions abroad. This could be an option. Do you know anything about this? Thanks in advance

 

[PMM]

Hi

Thanks for your interest PMM. Time line for indian passports - 7 years legal residency (we have completed 6), two or three years waiting for indian citizenship after applying. then indian passports within 21 days. total approx 10 years.
Contacted Zimbabwe Embassy in Delhi, went there personally, applied for and paid fees for my two sons passports (one has just attained 18 years of age in February). Reply was have to go back to Zim and apply for National ID and passport there. They will issue an emergency travel document for Zimbabwe for that purpose valid for six months. Quite impossible as the political situation there is not good (you must have watched BBC or CNN) and dangerous for Indians. Also that process will take almost two years if not longer. We have disposed all our assets there and moved to india.
Googled the CBSA site (Canada Border Services Agency) and found references to Single Journey Travel Document (SJTD) issued by Canadian Missions abroad. This could be an option. Do you know anything about this? Thanks in advance

It is an option, but you will have to jump through a lot of hoops trying to get it. You will have to prove that Zimbabwe will not issue a passport for the sons.

PMM

 

[CGD]

Thanks PMM....Its not that Zim authorities will not issue a passport for the sons. Their conditions for doing so are illogical and the process is impossible from India. They say they have to apply from within Zimbabwe as they don't process anything here. Which diplomatic mission of which country, except Zim, does not issue passports (without going back to the home country) to their nationals residing in a country that is not their country of citizenship??? Canadian authorities must be aware of Zimbabwe's current dangerous political and desperate economic situation. What are the 'hoops' you mention PMM? I think more research on this is required
Is there any landed immigrant out there who has travelled on a Single Journey Travel Document who can advise me??? Thanks in advance
George