Moving To Canada In 2011

[Guest Sofiadragon]

My wife son & I are going to be moving up to Toronto in Fall of 2011 & I am not quite sure how I am going to go about some things 'cause I am going to be in the 2nd year of my life living as a woman so I was wondering if anyone had some advice as to what I should keep an eye out for as well as any tips for getting my passports & visas so I can make to move w/ as little trouble as possible.

[Guest LightNebula]

Maybe you should wait till you can legally change your name on a card of identification from "M" to "F", assuming you haven't been able to, yet. Also, asking people here/people you trust if you pass well enough as a woman. As always, you should keep an eye out for stupid bigots and people who stare at you in an odd way. I hope you'll be able to live in an accepting and safe neighborhood.

[Guest Sofiadragon]

Well I live out in Ohio & I don't know if when I get my name changed if I can get the M changed to an F yet 'cause I haven't had SRS yet, but I was wondering about what kind of things that I am going to run into like possible problems that I might run into but I am going to be changing my name next year as well.

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

Not sure if SRS is a requirement for getting your gender changed on your license and things. I know that DL's and SSN cards can be changed by a simple legal name change, how ever Im not sure about passports and other travel docs.

[Guest Zabrak]

If you do run into any problems, like hate crimes or anything at ALL like that you can report it. Even harassment about being transgendered at work - report it to your boss or Canada's Worker Rights and get the business and haters in trouble. Canada has protection for all GLBT people that goes across all of the country. We don't have 'some protection here' and 'maybe a little here'. We work a little different then the USA.

As for getting passports and such I don't know how it'll work from the USA to Canada, but good luck!

[Guest Sofiadragon]

If you do run into any problems, like hate crimes or anything at ALL like that you can report it. Even harassment about being transgendered at work - report it to your boss or Canada's Worker Rights and get the business and haters in trouble. Canada has protection for all GLBT people that goes across all of the country. We don't have 'some protection here' and 'maybe a little here'. We work a little different then the USA.

As for getting passports and such I don't know how it'll work from the USA to Canada, but good luck!

That is one of the biggest reasons that I wanted to move to Canada, I am so tiered of the descrimination that takes place down here in the states. My wife & I are planning on taking the Jewelry Arts Program @ George Brown College & I was so happy when I saw what some of there anti descrimination rules were. But I'm not too concerned w/ things once I get there I am more worried of things going wrong @ the border 'cause I have never crossed international borders before, I have only corssed borders w/in the US I mean come on I was born in southern California for crying out loud & now I am living in Ohio . & one thing that I am not able to find is when I get my name changed next year how I am going to get my name changed on my birth certificate. I am pretty sure that I know how to get it done on my SSC but that is all lol

[Guest AllisonD]

My partner (Donna) is a Federal Agent and worked at CIS a couple of years ago. That's immigration. I asked her for advice for your situation and she said:

As a CIS Officer/ Border Officer they will see a passport with a different name and the passport will state male. If she comes in drag (that is what they call it) she will need to remove her makeup and earrings, and if she is wearing a wig that will have to be removed also. Thier job is to verify that the passport and person match up. Some of the Border Officers are nice, some are on a power trip. The ones on a power trip will make her change in the men's room. I, on the other hand as a CIS Officer would clear the woman's room, close it to the public, and let her change there. Then after the interview I would let her reapply makeup and put herself together, but that is just me. As long as the passport says male she will have to be seen as a male. You can't blame immigration; they have to verify all parties coming into this country (USA) because of 9/11. She will have no problem leaving the USA, she will not be stopped on the USA border. The problem will begin on the Canadian border. I think they will be the same as the USA.

As Donna mentions, she is not a Canadian immigration officer and so I don't know whether Canadian rules will be the same. I take large encouragement from Zabrak's remarks about Canada's legal protections. I mentioned to Donna that I gather from some postings here that some women carry letters from their shrinks or whatever explaining that they are under care and crossdressing is part of their therapy. The letters are for peace officers, on the ocassion they make a traffic stop and the presentation doesn't match the license. Donna said that in her time in CIS she had never seen such a letter, although she had processed a surprising number of trans people, and that such a letter would carry no weight at all with her. "Anyone can write a letter" was her comment.

For what it's worth, from someone that actual did the job.

Allison

[Guest AllisonD]

That is one of the biggest reasons that I wanted to move to Canada, I am so tiered of the descrimination that takes place down here in the states. My wife & I are planning on taking the Jewelry Arts Program @ George Brown College & I was so happy when I saw what some of there anti descrimination rules were. But I'm not too concerned w/ things once I get there I am more worried of things going wrong @ the border 'cause I have never crossed international borders before, I have only corssed borders w/in the US I mean come on I was born in southern California for crying out loud & now I am living in Ohio . & one thing that I am not able to find is when I get my name changed next year how I am going to get my name changed on my birth certificate. I am pretty sure that I know how to get it done on my SSC but that is all lol

I might be able to help with this one too, about the birth certificate. Mine is in German. I have a another certificate from the US Dept of State issued to me when I was 14 that says I am a US citizen by virtue of the fact I was born of Amercan parents abroad. I never bothered to change either of them. I did the passport thing instead. Turns out a valid passport trumps all other ID documents. I take great care not to let my passport expire tho, 'cause applying for a new one would be a nightmare. Renewals are cake, just send in your not-yet-expired one with the application and fee and you are in.

I have used my passport for travel in the US, obviously for foreign travel, for driver licenses, for security clearances, for HR interviews and just about every other thing that requires a photo ID. No one refuses a passport as ID, so I never had to worry about a birth certificate in German with the wrong name and wrong sex. Or with my citizenship certificate, which has the same problems.

Social Security was a pain. They took an embossed print of the court order changing my name, and then wanted further proof of ID. They listed my passport as an acceptable ID, so I sent it to them. They corrected my SS account, but KEPT MY PASSPORT! I had to report it's loss in the bowels of SS to the State Dept. and they issued me a new one. No gas with State, they were right on top. 5 years later I got my passport back from SS! I sent it in to State (the old passport) with a letter explaining that my old one was found and here it is, and they returned it punched through CANCELLED. I still had a current one, so no big deal. State was very helpful. SS was a pain.

Allison

[Guest Donna Jean]

As Donna mentions, she is not a Canadian immigration officer and so I don't know whether Canadian rules will be the same. I take large encouragement from Zabrak's remarks about Canada's legal protections. I mentioned to Donna that I gather from some postings here that some women carry letters from their shrinks or whatever explaining that they are under care and crossdressing is part of their therapy. The letters are for peace officers, on the ocassion they make a traffic stop and the presentation doesn't match the license. Donna said that in her time in CIS she had never seen such a letter, although she had processed a surprising number of trans people, and that such a letter would carry no weight at all with her. "Anyone can write a letter" was her comment.

For what it's worth, from someone that actual did the job.

Allison

Allison, Honey................

Some of us girls have, from our therapist, what is known as a "Carry Letter"....

It is mainly for our protection. It explains why we would be in women's clothes or using the women's restroom. It explains that we are under the care of a therapist and dressing is part of our therapy. I have one as does Lizzy and Sally....

In some locales you can get into trouble with the police while dressed as they consider it a "disguise"....It is not actually used as a form of ID.

And most have the therapists phone and contact information on them.

I keep one in each of my vehicles and in my bag and everywhere else that I can think to have it handy!

Hope that helps a little, Honey!

XXOO

Donna Jean

[Guest AllisonD]

I understood the important bits, I think, from reading between the lines in other posts but no one had ever actually explained a Carry Letter to me before. In some ways I think it might have been easier when I transitioned. There was far less information, and no support, but I did whatever I wanted to do and didn't need bios or letters or permissions or therapists or... Just exchanged my flats for heels (or not - comfort always counts with me), let my hair grow even longer, did the municipal judge thing to change my name and that was that. Done. I always eventually found my way to shrinks anyway (First time at 6, I was never accused of being very straight or sane) and they helped me with HRT once I was out of High School, although they didn't call it that in those days.

But I am catching up to the current processes, procedures, rituals, and lingo. I am just a little behind all the other women here. It is one of the reasons I joined

Thanks for pulling me along and filling in the gaps.

I've been stopped by the highway patrol of course (who hasn't), and I've been in court before (parking ticket), and been in other situations with the legal establishment (nothing remotely serious), presenting as female long before SRS and never really had any issues. They would sometimes give me a searching look before the hormones actually kicked in, but the name on my documents matched my presentation and so nothing was ever said. Ever. Even the judge that ruled on my name change petition just looked at me twice, shrugged, and muttered this was "obviously appropriate". By the time I left LA I was only very rarely read (at least I think so).

I can see by the seriousness of the discussions that such an easy transition is not to be had anymore. I've been feeling disadvantaged 'cause of the wealth of information and support nowdays, as exhibited by this site alone, where I had none but perhaps I actually had it easier than modern women.

Allison

[Guest Sofiadragon]

Ok so my next question is that when I am applying for the passport I am going to need my name changed on my birth certificate so how do I get that done 'cause I can't find anything on that either.

[Guest AllisonD]

Ok so my next question is that when I am applying for the passport I am going to need my name changed on my birth certificate so how do I get that done 'cause I can't find anything on that either.

Donna is sitting here next to me reading over my shoulder. She says you can get a new birth certificate with your new name, but it will still say M. The State Dept will issue the passport in your new name, but it will also say M. But you don't need to change your birth certificate.

I didn't fuss with my birth certificate, I presented the court order changing my name to establish which name was to go on the passport and my naturalization certificate to establish my birthdate and citizenship. Donna says that is still true, the court order will suffice for the State Dept to change your name on the passport. I could have used my German birth certificate for my birthdate, but it wouldn't have established my citizenship or my name. When I applied for my passport I also had a certificate from Stanley Biber attesting that he had done my SRS and that my legal sex was now F, but I think I could have used my driver license from the state of New York for that since I had long since lied to them and it had said F for years.

Donna says you cannot lie about your sex nowdays at the DMV. She relates an anectdote where the Justice Dept busted the New Haven DMV for issuing licenses without properly establishing ALL the particulars of the applicant, so you likley can't take the short-cut I took. 9/11 made one heck of an impact on everyone's life. Your documents will say M.

So Canadian immigration is likely to want to verify that you match your passport as an M. She suggests you dress androgynously to make it easier for them and easier on you.

Hope all this is helpful,

Allison