Cablegate: Consular Outreach to American Citizens in Newfoundland
VZCZCXRO8860
PP RUEHGA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHHA #0206 2972016
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 242016Z OCT 06
FM AMCONSUL HALIFAX
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1124
INFO RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 0412
RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHHA/AMCONSUL HALIFAX 1192
UNCLAS HALIFAX 000206
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR CA/OCS/ACS/WHA, CA/PPT AND CA/P
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CASC CPAS CA
SUBJECT: CONSULAR OUTREACH TO AMERICAN CITIZENS IN NEWFOUNDLAND
1. SUMMARY: In early October CONOFF and ACS assistant traveled
to St John's, Newfoundland to provide services for American
citizens living in the region. CONOFF met privately with nearly
50 American citizens to provide consular services normally
available only in Halifax and to discuss issues ranging from
acquisition and transmission of citizenship, upcoming changes to
cross-border travel under the Western Hemisphere Travel
Initiative (WHTI), and procedures for voting from overseas. She
also met with contacts at Canadian Citizenship and Immigration
and Canadian Border Services Agency in St John's. The visit
succeeded in raising the level of WHTI awareness in Newfoundland
and Labrador and helped highlight the Consulate General's role
in providing needed government services to the resident American
community. To the extent that funding is available, Post would
like to make this a regular outreach effort. END SUMMARY
2. Consulate General Halifax has consular responsibilities for
the provinces of Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Prince Edward
Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland/Labrador), and the French
islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. Routine consular services
are performed in Halifax, requiring extensive (and expensive)
travel for the sizeable American community living in the outer
reaches of this district. As part of Mission Canada's broader
WHTI program, post determined that a visit to St John's, with a
particular focus on encouraging passport applications, was in
order. Prior to the visit, post ran a Public Service
Announcement in local newspapers and CONOFF was interviewed by
VOCM, a popular St John's radio station.
3. In only two days, post processed 35 passport applications,
many from people who were applying for the first time. (This
compares with just 21 applications taken from residents of
Newfoundland and Labrador by the Consulate General in the prior
twelve months.) Most applicants had questions about whether
certain relatives met the criteria for citizenship and they
expressed hope that the visit to St. John's could become a
regular event. The savings in time and money we were able to
offer American citizens living in Canada's poorest province were
considerable, especially considering that an applicant would
probably have to purchase a round trip air ticket, stay
overnight and take off two days from work or school to apply in
Halifax. One family of six that applied for passports probably
saved over $1000 by taking advantage of our visit. In addition
to passports, Americans were able to apply for Consular Reports
of Birth Abroad and Social Security numbers. Furthermore,
CONOFF used this opportunity to increase awareness, not just of
WHTI, but of the benefits of registering online, the Embassy's
public website and procedures for absentee voting.
4. CONOFF also met with the provincial managers at Citizenship
and Immigration Canada and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
The CBSA Director for Newfoundland and Labrador, John Fagan,
used the opportunity to pull together his managers for an
impromptu training session on U.S. visa and border procedures.
CONOFF, drawing on guidance from the Department, also briefed
these officials on the latest status of WHTI implementation and
answered their questions about expected changes. (Note: In
contrast to the predominant negative tone in the Canadian media
towards WHTI, our colleagues in border security look forward to
the day when a passport will be required to cross the border
between Canada and the United States, in the words of one
investigator, "the sooner, the better." End Note.)
5. COMMENT: This was the first time Consulate General Halifax
has made an outreach trip to an outlying district to provide
passport and other services for American citizens. Newfoundland
in particular has a sizeable American community with strong ties
to the United States, as the U.S. Naval Base at Argentia
operated here from 1941 until 1994, and many of Newfoundland's
present-day American community report some family ties to that
base. Post is extremely pleased with the results of this trip
and, contingent upon adequate travel funding, plans to make the
consular visit to St. John's a regular event. END COMMENT.
FOSTER