# US Consulate (Toronto)



## Choopi (May 23, 2009)

Hey guys. Just a quick question for you "Toronotonians"

My Daughter is going to be getting American Citizenship this Friday (Wife is American) and I was wondering the best suggestion for getting to the Consulate (225 Simcoe Street).

We live just south of London... I had planned on taking the GoTrain from Burlington to Union Station, and then taking the subway to the Consulate.. 

You guys have a better idea? I have never really navigated around T.O.

Thanks!
Matt


----------



## Sonal (Oct 2, 2003)

You could also walk from Union station--it's only a couple of stops, maybe a 10-15 minute walk or so? (The core of downtown Toronto is mostly a grid, so it's fairly easy to navigate.)

But otherwise, that's probably the best way. Parking around that area is expensive and hard to find.


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

Sonal's right--walking is pretty good. But, if you want to take the subway, then take the University Line north to Osgoode Station, walk a block west on Queen, then head north on Simcoe by foot about half a block.


----------



## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Choopi said:


> Hey guys. Just a quick question for you "Toronotonians"
> 
> My Daughter is going to be getting American Citizenship this Friday (Wife is American) and I was wondering the best suggestion for getting to the Consulate (225 Simcoe Street).
> 
> ...


I do wish your daughter all the best. I would hope that during the application process your daughter was made aware of the following:

US tax law requires that US citizens file US tax returns on worldwide income forever, no matter where she chooses to live (except perhaps Israel). She does get tax credits for taxes paid to foreign federal governments but even so could still be on the hook for some US taxes especially if she continues to live in Canada and the Canadian dollar continues to gain strength. Ironically it is lower income Americans living in Canada that are most vulnerable as Canada's basic deduction is higher than south of the border. As income goes up the higher Canadian taxes paid tend to offset US taxes owed.

I am not trying to persuade her to go one direction or another, just to be aware of this unusual tax situation. 

FWIW clearly voicing my exact opinion of this would rightly earn me a long vacation from ehMac as the mayor does wish this to be a family safe site.

A final note on this subject: The US foreign tax credit form has not changed for as long as I can remember and as far as I know no one currently alive understands it with any degree of certainty.

I know several US/Canadian citizens that have never filed US taxes. As long as they do not live in the US this has never been a problem. I would be hard pressed to recommend this approach as it could make things very difficult if one ever wished to move to the US.


----------



## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

Choopi said:


> Hey guys. Just a quick question for you "Toronotonians"
> 
> My Daughter is going to be getting American Citizenship this Friday (Wife is American) and I was wondering the best suggestion for getting to the Consulate (225 Simcoe Street).
> 
> ...


The other's directions have pretty much covered it, but I just wanted to add that it's a complete zoo outside the entrance.

Also, security is incredibly tight. You can't take a cell phone or anything that could possibly be a weapon. I hope you have an appointment - usually can't get in without one.

Finally, there's a line for citizens and a line for everyone else, which is always considerably longer. Last time I was at the Simcoe entrance it wasn't clearly marked, but after asking the guard outside I was quickly let in without waiting.

Good luck!


----------



## Choopi (May 23, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies, guy.. Fairly lame in regard to the cell phone policy.. But, I guess it is their ball, so they make the rules... 

We do have an appointment (Thankfully)... My wife is a Yank, but I am a good 'ole Canadian.. 

Well, I guess I will either succeed of be tazed.. Either way, my daughter (who is 2.5) will enjoy the adventure...

Thanks again, everyone.


----------



## lara (Mar 15, 2009)

You need some place to stash your cell phone and various other stuff they won't let you take in. There are no lockers there. (They may be more accommodating to citizens, but I doubt it.)


----------



## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

In addition to the tax law issues, you should also be aware of the rules governing passports. As a US citizen, even one with Canadian citizenship as well, it is against US law for your daughter to enter the US on any other passport than a US one.

Both my kids are dual citizens - and while they will be 16 and 20 when their passports expire at the end of this year, the renewal HAS to be done at the consulate and cannot be done by mail because their last passports were obtained before the age of 16. Under the age of 16, the same rules apply AND you have to take the child with you, and both parents need to be there. There are no appointments for passports; you go, you line up and you wait. And wait. For hours. 

And while this doesn't concern your daughter, anyone with a son who is a dual citizen should be aware that registering for the US draft is a requirement for ALL male US citizens, no matter where they live, upon turning 18. That, at least, can be done online. The consequences of not doing it probably don't concern anyone who is planning on spending his life in Canada, but it's hard to know what life will bring. When I was in my late teens and twenties, if you'd told me that I'd end up spending 16 years in the US and having both my children there, I'd probably have thought you were crazy.


----------



## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

Paddy said:


> There are no appointments for passports; you go, you line up and you wait. And wait. For hours.


This is not true.

For security reasons, you must have an appointment for any visit to the consulate. You'll be turned away at the gate without one, citizen or not.


----------



## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

But the big question now is, how did it go? Found the place okay? Got in without being tackled over a cell phone? Is your daughter dual citizen now? Hope it all worked out for you.


----------



## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

John Clay said:


> This is not true.
> 
> For security reasons, you must have an appointment for any visit to the consulate. You'll be turned away at the gate without one, citizen or not.


Yep the Consulate office is twice as likely to be struck by lightening as they are to be attacked by terrorists so you can understand why they live in fear for their lives.

Seriously I believe it is now almost impossible to actually talk to the Consulate. Compare this to the Vietnam era when I was able to walk into the Calgary office and talk directly to the Head Honcho with no appointment and no waiting.


----------



## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

John Clay said:


> This is not true.
> 
> For security reasons, you must have an appointment for any visit to the consulate. You'll be turned away at the gate without one, citizen or not.


Ah - you're right, John. I was going by info given to me by a friend who has triplets (now 7) who are dual citizens. She was describing her nightmare with renewing their passports - an operation that took the better part of a day. They may have instituted appointments since her last trek there. (?)

Should have checked the web site more thoroughly.

The Consulate General of the United States of America - U.S. Consulate Toronto - Toronto U.S. Consulate
Appointments

It would appear that you cannot make an appointment more than a month in advance - but you do get a definite time. All good, if it avoids standing in a line for hours.


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

eMacMan said:


> Yep the Consulate office is twice as likely to be struck by lightening as they are to be attacked by terrorists so you can understand why they live in fear for their lives.
> 
> Seriously I believe it is now almost impossible to actually talk to the Consulate. Compare this to the Vietnam era when I was able to walk into the Calgary office and talk directly to the Head Honcho with no appointment and no waiting.


I walked in to the US Consulate in Quebec City back in 2007, just to say hello and ask if I could take a picture of the US emblem on the front. They asked me why I wanted to take such a picture, and I just told them that I was a US citizen and just wanted to has a picture of the emblem. They said sure and had no problems with me taking the picture. I was a bit amazed, but I took the pictures and went on my way.


----------



## Choopi (May 23, 2009)

Well, I decided that a US passport is not necessary for her at this point (Again, she is only 2.5 year old..) So, all we ended up doing is "Registering a Birth Abroad". 

Typically, the appointments are books MONTHS in advance, but we slipped into a cancellation spot luckily. To register a birth abroad, both parents have to be there to declare they are the biological parents of the child. Since I have taken a bit of time off work, we were fortunate to be able to get one of these time spots while I was off. 

Whomever said you cannot enter without an appointment is correct. Security was locked down tighter than any checkpoint I have ever been through. 

Anyway, our appointment was for 10:30, and we were done and gone before noon. Nice people for the most part..


----------



## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

Choopi said:


> Well, I decided that a US passport is not necessary for her at this point (Again, she is only 2.5 year old..) So, all we ended up doing is "Registering a Birth Abroad".
> 
> Typically, the appointments are books MONTHS in advance, but we slipped into a cancellation spot luckily. To register a birth abroad, both parents have to be there to declare they are the biological parents of the child. Since I have taken a bit of time off work, we were fortunate to be able to get one of these time spots while I was off.
> 
> ...


Actually, if you look at the appointment calendar (as I have for both passports and registering a birth abroad) you cannot book an appointment MORE than a month in advance. Right now, they're only booking appointments until the end of April. There are none available for registering a birth abroad until the week of April 11, and they seem to offer only up to 12 appointments a day - all in the morning. However, for every day they offer appointments in April for passport services, with the exception of this coming Monday, there are anywhere from 10 to 31 appointments available - probably a maximum of 36 per morning.

It's unclear what they spend their afternoons doing... 

I assume that you're not planning on taking your daughter to the US any time soon then, as she requires a US passport to enter the country?


----------



## Choopi (May 23, 2009)

Paddy said:


> Actually, if you look at the appointment calendar (as I have for both passports and registering a birth abroad) you cannot book an appointment MORE than a month in advance. Right now, they're only booking appointments until the end of April. There are none available for registering a birth abroad until the week of April 11, and they seem to offer only up to 12 appointments a day - all in the morning. However, for every day they offer appointments in April for passport services, with the exception of this coming Monday, there are anywhere from 10 to 31 appointments available - probably a maximum of 36 per morning.
> 
> It's unclear what they spend their afternoons doing...
> 
> I assume that you're not planning on taking your daughter to the US any time soon then, as she requires a US passport to enter the country?


That is odd as I had a hard time making an appointment for months.

As far as the travelling to the US, that simply is not true.



> Children: Beginning June 1, 2009, U.S. and Canadian citizen children under age 16 arriving by land or sea from contiguous territory may also present an original or copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Naturalization Certificate, or a Canadian Citizenship Card.


Derived from this site: WHTI | USA | Special Audiences

When she receives her "Report of birth abroad" paperwork, she will be free and clear to travel across the border until she is 16 years old. At that point, she will need a US passport.


********

On a completely unrelated note... I had assumed there would be lockers at Union Station to keep valuables in... So, we both brought our phones with us assuming we could store them.. Apparently, there have not been lockers since 9/11 (According to a GO employee I spoke with...) So, I asked a local Rogers Wireless (Our provider) outlet if I could leave my phones with him.. He gladly said yes.. I was amazed, if I am honest.. I would never have thought they would be willing to keep it.. I tip'ed him $20.. If for whatever reason I could not have found a place to keep them, I was prepared to Purolator them back to my house.. LOL


----------



## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

Choopi said:


> That is odd as I had a hard time making an appointment for months.
> 
> As far as the travelling to the US, that simply is not true.
> 
> ...


Actually not completely untrue - it's absolutely true for those traveling by air. From the same site:



> Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) and Air Travel for U.S. Citizens
> 
> When traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda, you are required to present a U.S. passport, except as noted below. This applies to everyone including newborns, infants and children.


As we usually travel to the US by air, I'm more familiar with the flying regulations.  Also, since we are Canadian only (our kids are dual-status), as of 2007, we have had to carry OUR passports when traveling to the US by any means, so I just take everyone's!


----------



## Choopi (May 23, 2009)

Fair enough... However, with the difference in prices between American and Canadian travel.. It is simply not worth flying anywhere from Canada.. But, that is a completely different Thread.. 

I guess I should have qualified somewhere in the thread that flying is not really ever an option for us.. I am "fortunate" enough to have my inlaws only 6 hours away in Cincinnati..


----------

