Applied Knowledge
Well it's official. Sort of. After work today, I stopped by the Shoppers Drug Mart, not to buy a new toothbrush (although I did end up doing so, because my current one was given to me by my dentist and it's one of the tiny-headed super soft ones), but to mail off my immigration paperwork.
Finally.
I had most of it completed back in April, but was waiting for some other materials from my employer which seemed to take forever. Don't get me wrong — I'm thrilled they're helping me out with this — but five months is a bit of a wait.
It's an interesting process over all. Things I've learned while completing the forms and going through some of the other requirements:
Asking someone to give you every address at which he's resided since his 18th birthday is an amazing test of a person's record-keeping habits.
I'm certified crime-free in both the US and Canada (and have my fingerprints on file with both, in case I touch anything naughty).
There are two kinds of passport photographers in Vancouver: the ones who think all passport-style photos are the same, and the ones who actually know the different rules and regulations for passport vs. permanent residency vs. provincial nomination vs. citizenship. You'd think that all these agencies could agree on a photo specification, but, alas, no. I should ask the first guy for my money back, except that I can't even find that first round of photos anymore.
Birth certificates change a lot over thirty years. I didn't want to give up my only certified copy of my birth certificate, in case I were to lose my passport or something, so I asked my parents to obtain a second one for me. This one was a printout (rather than a photocopy of the original) on watermarky cheque sort of paper. Kind of like a stock certificate. One share of Matt's birth.
At any rate, it's time to sit back now and see how this goes.
Finally.
I had most of it completed back in April, but was waiting for some other materials from my employer which seemed to take forever. Don't get me wrong — I'm thrilled they're helping me out with this — but five months is a bit of a wait.
It's an interesting process over all. Things I've learned while completing the forms and going through some of the other requirements:
At any rate, it's time to sit back now and see how this goes.