A unique situation... am I a citizen or international?

[MastersHoping]

Hello,

     I am considering applying to some Canadian universities for Ph.D programs. I am a Canadian citizen, however for over 10 years I've lived in the United States, including high school, college, and my master's. My Canadian passport is expired - I am using an American one (dual citizenship). Further complicating matters is that I had a legal name change in the States that has not been reflected in any of my Canadian documents.

     Canadian universities take in a lot more domestic applicants than they do international. I would like to apply as a Canadian, however, am I eligible to apply as a domestic student? Despite having virtually no valid documents to say I'm Canadian (other than my expired passport), having all my secondary/tertiary education in the States, and the legal name change situation?

 

Thanks!

[TakeruK]

You are still a Canadian citizen. Just because you have an expired passport does not mean you lose your Canadian citizenship! 

It would be a good idea to be able to prove Canadian citizenship prior to starting your Canadian graduate program so that you are charged the appropriate tuition rate. I am not sure what the rules are exactly (i.e. at which date must you be able to provide this documentation to qualify for the domestic tuition rate). You can check with the school for details.

NOTE: Before reading further, remember I am a stranger on the Internet, not a lawyer or any sort of expert. So please read this suggestion and decide what is best for you, consulting experts if necessary. That said, I think the most straight forward path to take is to apply for a new Canadian passport while in the United States. I am assuming you cannot just renew your passport because of the name change. But I think you already do not qualify for a renewal because it sounds like your passport is expired for more than 1 year. And, also if your last Canadian passport was issued before you were 16 years of age, you also cannot renew. Therefore, you will have to apply for a brand new passport. I suggest a passport because it's one of the easiest ways to prove Canadian citizenship.

To start the new passport application process, go here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/passport/apply/new/apply-how.asp

You will have to apply by mail and you will have to provide proof of citizenship (I am assuming you were either born in Canada or had Canadian parents, so you need to document that). You also need to provide proof of your legal name change, which should not be a problem.

An alternate route to applying by mail would be to physically enter Canada (use your US passport) and then apply for a Canadian passport while in Canada. The disadvantage is that you will have to travel. But the advantage is that if there are issues with your documents, you will get it sorted out immediately at the Passport Canada office, instead of you sending in things, it getting rejected and sent back, then you re-sending everything again etc. (plus less likely to lose things by mail).

Note that Canadian passport photos are a different dimension and have different rules than US passport photos. When you get your photos taken (if in the US), make sure you print out the page with the passport photo guidelines and ensure they follow it.

Finally, one thing you have to decide is when to apply for that Canadian passport. You could wait until you decide to accept a Canadian school's offer. Or you can even wait until you arrive in Canada for school (again, depends on when you need to prove citizenship for domestic tuition rates). In either case, when you do apply though, you should say yes, you are a Canadian citizen because you are a citizen!

 

[fuzzylogician]

You are a citizen regardless of whether your passport is valid. You got some good advice on how to renew your passport above. I would suggest in the future always making sure you have a valid passport. It just makes life easier. A quick way to prove your citizenship is using your birth certificate. I assume you either have one or can procure one. I think you may even need to do this before you can apply for a passport. See here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/passport/apply/citizenship-proof.asp.

[MastersHoping]

Thank you guys! And yes I was born in Canada.

Very helpful, and I should definitely get to applying for that passport soon.  I don't have access to my birth certificate though and don't know where to get one... argh. Oh well.

Even though I've been gone from Canada for 10 years, I still have this love/nationalistic pride toward it. I guess it's kind of like how you will always love your mother. So it would be nice to be back XD

[fuzzylogician]

I don't have access to my birth certificate though and don't know where to get one... argh. Oh well.

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/subjects/cards/birth_certificate.shtml

[MastersHoping]

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/subjects/cards/birth_certificate.shtml

THANK YOU! 

Just submitted my application. 

[TakeruK]

Cool  I think that birth certificate is all you need to prove citizenship for domestic tuition so you really don't have anything to worry about anymore!