Re: Passport Delays
 

First time passport applicant here (British by descent), received my passport today. :thumbsup:

April 26th application arrived in DC
May 27th Debit card charged
July 11th PP recieved.

I wasn't expecting it until August so this was quite a surprise. :eek:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Yo didn't spend your children's inheritance on calls to the Careline? And this was a first-time app? Wow! maybe there is hope. Congratulations!:thumbsup:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Did you call Careline? or send a letter /email to anyone. Or did you receive the passport without taking any follow up measures?

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Thanks!

I wasn't up against a deadline like many of the other forumers so I was fortunate in that respect. :)

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I haven't called Careline yet today. The consulate seems to have a new phone system set up though. Called the consulate in Vancouver, follwed and pressed a bunch of nos, waited on hold for 1 min and got through to the IPS office Washington. Took down my details and someone will appprently be calling me back about speeding up my passport (fingerscrossed :fingerscrossed: ). The call didn't cost anything either so its worth a try for those with no luck from careline to call your consulate and see. I'm sure this system is new as the last time I called I just left a viocemail.

Re: Passport Delays
 

They must be releasing passports in batches.

I received mine this morning also.

Timeline:

Mar 31st, received by I&PS
May 5th, Payment taken
July 8th, Passport issued.

No calls to Careline.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Congratulations!. No calls to Careline...thats even better.
Hopefully they will speed up applications, so that they can get to mine. Sent on June 10th and credit card charged on July 1st. Hoping to receive it by Aug-Sept...lets see....if its a miracle, I will receive it by the end of July.

Re: Passport Delays
 

4/25 - Application mailed
6/2 - CC Charged
7/4 - Call to Careline (They would only confirm that the process started on 6/2 and that processing was currently taking 10 weeks)
7/6 - Contacted British Consulate in Houston asking for escalation
7/11 - Passport delivered

Total :11 weeks

Travel date is 7/25

Re: Passport Delays
 

.....and nobody called back, just when I though I was getting somewhere too. Off to call Careline AGAIN. Good god this is frustrating!!!!!

Re: Passport Delays
 

Oops. Checked the web site and downloaded forms back in May. Saw the "up to 4 weeks" and thought not unreasonable since my last DC renewal took about 2 weeks (10 years ago).

Heard some rumors about 6 weeks and rushed it next day Fedex (exactly 7 weeks before travel). Waited 4 weeks and no passport so checked credit card account. Charge posted exactly 4 weeks after receiving application and now a web site message to expect another 10 weeks to wait... Talk about changing the rules :confused:

Anyway... called the help line at 9am Eastern this morning (Monday). Only had to wait two minutes before a nice man (Scottish accent) answered and took my details... credit card first of course ;)

I got a case number (ending in R) and mentioned travel date at a little over two weeks away now. He took two phone numbers for someone to me call back. I assume this is only needed if there is a problem?

Here are my stats:
June 9th - Application sent Fedex (Next Day AM)
June 10th, 10am - Application received
July 6th - Credit card charged
July 8th - Charge posted to credit card account
July 11th - Called Careline, got case number
...
July 28th - Travel :fingerscrossed:

P.S. As for Careline... best $5 I've ever spent :thumbsup: (I hope)

Re: Passport Delays
 

An update from me, and I can't actually believe I am writing this!

Passport renewal sent in from Vancouver, re'd in Washington May 25th.
Credit card charged June 24th.
This morning I wake up to an e-mail stating my passport is on a UPS truck and will be delivered today!!!!:eek:


I didn't do this quietly though! This is what I think helped-for those people still waiting.

2 calls to Careline, first one useless, all I got was a ref number.
Second one got Peter who said he would send a note to Washington to try to speed things up.

My Mum contacted her MP in Edinburgh who was horrified. He gave me his e-mail address and I wrote to him detailing the situation.

Fed-Exed letter to Washington (received July 6th) detailing my timeline. Faxed copy of this letter to British Consulate in Vancouver.

I did point out that an ETD wouldn't work for me, the company I'm travelling with expressly said they would not accept it.

My passport was apparently issued July 11th. CANNOT WAIT to get my mitts on it.

I think they must be throwing everything at this to get things moving, I hope everybody who needs theirs gets their passports soon.

I am happy but I have got to say this has been very draining. I fell out with both my Mum (who paid for trip) and my husband and I was worried summer was going to be ruined. I've decided to apply for Canadian citizenship after all of this as I've been eligible for a while but NO MORE PROCRASTINATION!

Good Luck to everybody else!!

Re: Passport Delays
 

Have not been in this thread for a couple of weeks but glad to hear that things seem to be moving and congrats to those who got their passports.
I am really impressed that an M.P. took interest in your case. he should have his/her name posted here for posterity!
I seem to remember speaking to a 'Peter' when I called careline and also found him to be one of the few to be helpful
Like you I am now filling in ppwk to get my USC so this cannot happen again.

All us poor sods (300 -400 posts back) who didn't get responses to v/mails ...
Maybe we were victims of the NOTW:sneaky:??

Re: Passport Delays
 

PASSPORTS ARRIVED - HALLELUJAH!! :thumbsup:

Cannot believe that I have actually received them. Timeline as follows:

10th May - Washington received applications
4th June - Called Careline
12th June - Called Careline
19th June - Called Careline
24 June - Payment/money order
27th June - Emailed British High Commission Ottawa
1 July - Called Careline spoke to Steve, escalated passports
11 July - Faxed letter to British Consulate Vancouver
12 July - Passports arrived.

Date on UPS said July 6.

It took 9 weeks in total. Absolutely ridiculous, but I am so pleased that I have them. Good luck to everyone who is still waiting, hopefully they are processing them quicker. It took just over two weeks from when payment was accepted.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Congrats. That's terrific news.

Don't be a stranger now will you. We've got a great Canada forum and we could do with some fresh blood :D :D :D

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I am really glad that I stumbled upon this forum, it only took me 7 years!! Better late than never!

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Hi all,Im panicking as we are travelling 10th august to las vegas by car from manitoba canada.i sent in the kids renewals on the 8th june by ups.they were signed for 9th june.cost me $48 for the priority service.we checked online for processing times and saw the 4 weeks posted.called careline sunday night,was told payment was done 1st july,but up to 10 weeks processing.my heart sank.
this is the kids first holiday in10 years...hotel booked,holiday dates booked at work..what do we do.i was told that toronto maybe could issue an emergency travel document but we cannot afford 3 return flights to toronto(our nearest british consulate).my sons p.p is being changed to an adults one from a childs.
Ive emailed the hotel in vegas and asked whats the latest time we can change our booking,but if i change it now what guarantee do i have that the passports will even be here by then????
do i dont i.
I know we still have 4 weeks to go but im just worried sick.
do i contact dean at the british consulate to see if they can speed up the process.
I feel so sorry for us all that are in this situation.if washington knew this was a situation that could arise then they should tell us to apply 3-4 months before travel to renew.
its ridiculous.we might not live in england anymore but please treat us with some priority even as ex-pats.
It makes me happy when i read that recent postings include passports arriving.GIVES ME SOME HOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also-how an I private message Dean.does anybody know.
He seems to be the only one who cares.
Good luck everyone.:(

Re: Passport Delays
 

hello, like many people, I found this forum through frustration by googling for the latest updates on wait times. My question to you folks is about passport numbers. I admit to not being the most organized person when it comes to formalities. I sent away my application in May without photocopying my passport. Therefore I do not have the passport number. I do however have my original passport from some twenty years ago when I arrived in Canada as it has my official Landed Immigrant stamp in it. my question is does anyone know if ones passport number remains the same or does it change each time the document is renewed. I want to call this careline, but I know I will need a passport number.
Incidentally, my passport went out in the middle of May and and payment was taken off my visa on June 22nd. My reason for needing my passport is minor compared to most, I have a wine tasting to attend in the US on August 13th. I am supposed to speak about Canadian wines while at the event, I know I will be cutting it close.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Cheers
Alan

Re: Passport Delays
 

Don't worry you won't need your passport number when you call careline. They'll ask for your name, DOB etc. They may also ask the date you sent your application in. I just checked my old passports and none of them have the same number either. Our timelines are similar, fingers crossed they'll come through for us:(

Re: Passport Delays
 

Thanks Shazban, I will keep you posted.

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So Icalled Careline this morning and they told me my daughters first time passport was completed yesterday and I should receive it in the next 2 days - here was my timeline:

Received by Washington April 7th
Check cashed May 13th

I am feeling quite hopeful!!!:)

Re: Passport Delays
 

OMG!!!!!!

UPS JUST arrived. We got our passport!!!

I can hardly breath!

oh my giddy auntie. Jeebus. What a freaking relief!!

Here's my timeline:

Mailed application - May 17th
Application recvd in DC - May 19th
CC Charged - June 22nd
1st call to Careline for escalation - July 1st
2nd call to Careline to check up on escalation - July 8th
Passport delivered - July 13th


There's hope people, there's hope. Here's wishing you all get your passports on time to travel.:thumbsup:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Congratulations! :thumbup: As for me I'm getting ready to call Careline a second time (my CC was charged on June 3).

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OMG - just got the passport from UPS - cannot believe it!!!!!:)

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hey..good morning..
well done and congrats to you guys who got their passports today.
im so happy for you.
IM RINGING CARELINE TODAY....
maybe they might have some update for me.
:):):):):):)

Re: Passport Delays
 

10 May – Passport received by embassy (web site quoted a 4 – 6 week processing time)
13 June – Payment taken from my credit card
27 June – Called help line and was told that my application hadn’t even started processing
6 July – Again called help line as was told that the application still wasn’t at processing stage and a message was sent to the embassy asking them to contact me with a possible date of receipt
13 July – Passport arrives :eek:

Hurahhhh!!!!!

Re: Passport Delays
 

Congratulations to everyone who received their passports today. This is such exciting news! Looks like 'something' shifted in DC!

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Ok quick update...
Got through to careline really quick.spoke to a really lovely girl called Gemma,she was so helpful,better than the previous girlwho sounded like she was reading from a script.
Gemma has escalated my kids renewals and we should have them back within 2 weeks,so fingers crossed that they arrive before the 10th august.
she said if we havent got them back by 29th july,call careline again,but she said washington will only contact me if theres any problems.
I triple checked the renewal forms before sending them so im hoping they are all ok.
timeline-sent 8th june
arrived-9th june
payment taken-1st july
Now we wait.........
Thanks for all the useful advice from you guys on here...it relieves the stress levels a bit...:fingerscrossed:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Ok, I am reading the above with a little hope as our dates are the same xoxo

I have not worked in over 2 months as I need my passport and I have been so stressed, loosing sleep lately as money has run out and I can't pay my bills....it's just been a nightmare they have no idea how they are screwing up folks lives and of course nothing can be done about it.

I sent mine in
MAY 17th
June 20th money taken

I now just pray as I cannot afford to call Careline again and both previous times they were no help

Re: Passport Delays
 

sselbie, I remember you saying that you need a passport for work - contact your MP in the UK, explain how desperate your situation is, and ask them if they can intervene. If you're not sure who it is, it will be the MP for the last address you lived at, or otherwise you could maybe contact the one for the area in which your family in the UK live.

Re: Passport Delays
 

Can I do that if I don't live in the UK anymore?

Re: Passport Delays
 

Yes. You're still British, so you're still entitled to help from our government. I sent an email to the MP for the constituency I grew up in (and where my parents still reside) letting him know of the trouble people were having, and of my family's situation. He was pretty shocked to hear what was going on in DC, and he sent a letter to the relevant minister, and to the ambassador in DC, to see if our case could get escalated. The next time I rang the careline, I got instant help (still not sure if it was just luck that I got a helpful agent, or whether the letter did it's job and our case had been flagged on their system).

Put simply, it can't hurt to have an MP in your corner pleading your case. I was told that I should contact the one for the constituency I lived in immediately before moving out here, but my Dad had forwarded an email I sent him to his MP, and given the time constraints of our situation (we're moving back to the UK in a little over a month and my baby son still doesn't have a British passport) and the fact that I grew up in that constituency, he agreed to help us.

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Thanks so much for the advice I shall go and look into it now....My pal just let me use their phone and they said they would send my case to the Examiner?...well let's see what happens

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Gosh...I'm not the only one having a nightmare with this!
I sent my son's non-expired passport off for renewal in early May as the IRS refused to accept my (first US) tax filing because his passport had 5 not 6 months left to run. I'm now being hounded by the company doing my filing who are being hounded by the IRS but my hands are tied because of this ridiculous passport delay.

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So, I Found my MP and shot them an e-mail so lets see what comes of that...Thanks again for your advice xoxox

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Hi everyone! I finally received my passport in the mail today!! :thumbsup:

First time poster, but I've been lurking for a few weeks. I just wanted to share my experience with you all :)

First of all I'd like to say what a great forum you have here. I came across it as I was searching for information regarding my passport application some time ago. The information provided by everyone here has been a great help and comfort to me while awaiting my passport renewal. I will definitely continue reading through all the interesting stuff on the website now I've found you.

So here is my timeline for a name change passport renewal:

April 11 - Mailed application overnight via USPS
April 12 - Received in DC
May 11 - Cashed money order
July 13 - Passport arrives

- Total of 13 weeks

I did not call careline once. After reading all the other accounts of most people having a bad experience with this and how much it cost them, I decided to just wait it out and see what happens. I did say to myself though that I would maybe try and call this week if I didn't hear any news. I'm glad I waited on that though. Who knows, maybe if I had called them my passport would have arrived sooner. Or maybe not, but I hated the thought of them getting any more money out of me.

The sad thing was, I lost out on my first vacation home to England in over 5 years because of this delay, and I lost the money spent on the flight tickets too. I, unfortunately like many people here waited to renew my passport until it was absolutely necessary because of financial reasons, and I still couldn't afford it at the time I applied. Looking back now I wish I had applied months ago, but since it stated clearly on the website it would take up to 4 weeks to receive my passport I thought I would have enough time. I guess not lol. I was just unlucky to apply at a time when they were clearly unable to cope with the demand.

After all is said & done, I am just happy to receive my passport finally. I just sat down and cried tears of joy after I opened the package. It's just such a relief and I'm so happy. Now I can relax and think about booking another vacation to see my family and friends as soon as I can find a good deal. I wish everybody else the best of luck in getting their passports and for those of you who have recently received theirs, congrats!

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Things really are happening.. I got my passport Today..flipping fantastic!!!:thumbsup:
Timeline: application arrived May 25th
Money taken: June 27th
Called Careline July 7th.. told they didnt have me in system, but someone from Passport office will call me within 3 working days.
July 8th.. passport office did call, and said Id have passport within two weeks as it was a simple name change. I asked for a reference number for it, and was given a USW# numbers with L at end. have no idea what this means, but have read that people have been given numbers with an R to denote expediting.
JULY 13th..PASSPORT ARRIVED!!!

Good luck to everyone still waiting, keep calling the careline/passport office.. I think wheels are beginning to turn again.

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:):)Just spoke with Careline, who said my passport was printed and quality checked today and is due to go out by UPS tomorrow, with delivery expected Friday!!
My son said, "how much of that is a lie?"
I'll let you know on Friday.
(Application sent April 30, payment taken June 3, first call to Careline July 7).

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I feel like I'm in a support group where everyone is getting cured.They have no need to come to this thread again-Good for them! The rest of us sad sacks wait on. Received in DC May 16
Account charged June 20

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Well UPS man came today and delivered our passports. And no I didn't kiss him on the lips. I think scared the beejees outta him when I slung open the front door before he'd even rang the door bell. That and me demanding to know if the envelope in his hand was from the passport office before he could hand it to me. Poor git!!
:rofl::rofl:

Re: Passport Delays
 

Was just about to call Careline to see how things were going and heard the UPS truck pull up (9am). Passport is here one day short of 5 weeks :thumbup:

June 9th - Application sent Fedex (Next Day AM)
June 10th, 10am - Application received
July 6th - Credit card charged
July 8th - Charge posted to credit card account
July 11th - Called Careline, got case number
July 14th, 9am - Passport Arrived

BTW. This only took one $5 call to Careline. It sounds like once they expedite they will turn it around in a couple of days. Overnight UPS adds just one more day. From Careline call to physically having my passport was only 72 hours.