JAJ

Later in 2014, or sometime in 2015, Canada is planning to implement an electronic travel authority system (similar to the U.S. or Australia). After then, it will most likely be effectively mandatory for Canadian citizens to use Canadian passports to travel to Canada.

U.S. citizens will be exempt, so Canadians may still be able to use American passports to travel to Canada. However, it is likely to be much more difficult for Canadian citizens using other foreign passports.

magnumpi

No cards are issued now.

So given that a person lives and works in Canada, rents a nice apartment at Eglinton Ave and Martin Grove Road in Etobicoke, married and has six kids and needs passports for eveyone to visit Oinks Nan in the UK, money is tight, just passed Can Citizenship, no intentions of visiting Ruanda, Brazil or Europe, what would be the best passport to buy.

I am thinking get a Canadian Passport as it will get more usage being that we are near the US

dgagitw

I've often wondered about this. In the hypothetical situation where you turn up with no passport what exactly are your rights?

BritInParis

Well, since it's highly unlikely that any airline would let you board without a passport, those who do make it as far as the UK border are likely to be fraudulent asylum seekers who have flushed their passport down the toilet mid-flight or after landing but before arriving at passport control. With no passport you'll be held until you can prove your status since you can't be allowed into the UK or sent back.

Anecdotally however I can tell you that people often turn up to Gare du Nord having lost their passports and are allowed back into the UK on presentation of a British accent. And there's the loophole where people board the Eurostar at Brussels, buying a ticket to Lille (and therefore face no passport checks) and simply remain on-board as the train travels onto London. Since passport controls are only in place at the Belgian/French end then they can stroll into the UK no questions asked.

MarylandNed

If you are also a UK citizen you can stay in the UK as long as you like. I repatriated to the UK with my kids who actually travelled there on Canadian passports. Visitor status is meaningless to a UKC once they exit the airport. UKC's can't be deported from the UK. It's easy to get a UK passport while in the UK. I got UK passports for my kids after we arrived back in the UK and they went about life there just like any other UKC.

UKC's don't need to enter the UK on UK passports. Visiting on a Canadian passport is totally acceptable. They do prefer that you use a UK passport if you repatriate but that's not legally enforceable.

BritInParis

That's fine if they let you in but they're under no obligation to do so without a British passport. I think maintaining your British passport is a small price to pay for the peace of mind if nothing else but as stated I know I'm in the minority on this.

MarylandNed

Actually, that is not true. If you can prove that you are a UKC, they must let you in regardless of whether you have a valid UK passport or not.

Novocastrian

I hope you feel a warm glow to learn that I'm in the same small minority.

One extra point that hasn't come up is that if you have both passports, suitably staggered in their expiration dates, you'll never be screwed in cases of family emergencies (I'm thinking funerals here).

Yes, there are workarounds in terms of emergency travel documents etc., but does one want to deal with that stuff in times of stress?

BritInParis

And how do intend to prove your British citizenship without a British passport?

And ETDs will soon be more expensive then ten year FVPs in any case.

magnumpi

Drinking 10 pints of smooth and devouring a kebab should cover that one

BritInParis

Ah, so you've done it before

Peterborough Stu

As someone born in the UK who has become a Canadian Citizen, having a Canadian passport is more important than having a British passport. You will need a Canadian passport to prove Canadian Citizenship. A Certificate of Canadian Citizenship is not a travel document.
You could always prove you were born in the UK by showing your UK Birth Certificate, if needed.
I'm not sure I like the idea of leaving Canada using a Canadian passport and then entering the UK using a British passport. That just seems a bit Jason Bourne to me, and it is really necessary ?
The idea of having two passports with over-lapping expiry dates wouldn't really gain much. If your Canadian one expired then yes you could leave Canada and go to the UK (or wherever) using your British passport but you would still have potential problems trying to prove Canadian Citizenship upon returning to Canada without a Canadian passport.

magnumpi

I agree, for me a Canadian passport makes more sense, as i visit the US several times a year and the UK never times a year.

Peterborough Stu

You wouldn't need a British passport to get into the UK or prove you were a UK Citizen but you would need a Canadian passport to enter Canada as a Canadian Citizen. Therefore, out of the two passports, the Canadian one has to be the necessity. The British one would just be if you wanted it, I guess. Unless you planned to go to Brazil or Rwanda a lot.

Atlantic Xpat

Technically not. You just need a passport as a travel document and some proof of citizenship. I've entered Canada as a Canadian on my British passport. But it is a technicality. If you are going to live here as a Canadian Citizen, it makes sense to have a Canadian passport. Whether you want to go to the bother and expense to maintain a British passport as well is down to you. In my case, the bother and expense are fairly small in the overall scheme of things and the benefits of holding a British passport signficant enough to make it worth while. YMMV of course.