Canada Post lost my passport with US visa and nobody seems to care (lemmy.ca)

submitted 6 hours ago by Huyen@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca

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I’m honestly beyond frustrated at this point.

I am an international student in Canada. I had my B1/B2 visa interview at the US Consulate in Toronto in January, got approved, and my passport was shipped via Canada Post on Jan 21. It was supposed to be ready for pickup Jan 23 in Ottawa. Instead, it’s been stuck as “in transit” in Ottawa for over two weeks.

I’ve contacted Canada Post multiple times, and every time I get the same useless answer: they can’t find it. Now they’re telling me to contact the US consulate to file a claim. So basically my passport is somewhere in their system and nobody knows where, and nobody takes responsibility.

I have a US trip next week and there’s no way I can get a new passport and visa in time if this thing is actually lost. Has anyone dealt with Canada Post losing a passport from the US consulate shipment? How long did it take to resolve?

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[-] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Wow this freaking sucks. I'm sorry.

[-] Reannlegge@lemmy.ca 13 points 5 hours ago

Go to the consulate tell them your passport is lost in the mail, it is their job to get you a new one.

[-] Huyen@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 hours ago

The Consulate can get me a new visa but I need to have my passport, right?

[-] Reannlegge@lemmy.ca 7 points 4 hours ago

I only know things from the Canadian side but I know passports can be given to you rather fast.

[-] Huyen@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 hours ago

The Consulate can get me a new visa but I need to have my passport, right?

[-] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 30 points 6 hours ago

Maybe it’s saying you shouldn’t travel to the US.

[-] Huyen@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 hours ago

Maybe, lol

[-] SomeoneSomewhere@lemmy.nz 9 points 5 hours ago

I work in post, but not in Canada.

Postal facilities often move >100k items a day. Or much more. Occasionally, a parcel will go missing, lose its label, be destroyed and unrecognizable, or end up in a place no one thought it was possible for something to fit. Thin items are especially bad for this.

There is only so much that can be done to try and follow it via CCTV and/or scans. Whether they have done everything practical, I don't know.

We don't machine sort passports (which reduces the chances of it getting lost/destroyed), but I think that's only new passports coming from the printers. Your passport may have been treated like any other courier item - assuming Canada's processes are similar.

The rest of it is probably a question for a travel sub.

[-] Huyen@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 hours ago

Thanks for your sharing

[-] its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.works 7 points 6 hours ago

Have you tried calling the last place it was at? And it never hurts to let your fear, panic, sadness show. You need an inside person to try to track it down

[-] Huyen@lemmy.ca 4 points 5 hours ago

I just know that the passport was processed in Ottawa. A Canada post representative said that is a service facility so I can't visit and I don't know any inside person there

[-] its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago

I'm so sorry, that really sucks. Was it generic shipping or did you have it certified mail? It sounds like you really need to get to the embassy, they should be able to help.

[-] qupada@fedia.io 4 points 3 hours ago

I'm from NZ, but having been through the process for a US work visa, the way it happened was after the in-person interview at the consulate you left your passport with them, and it was returned by courier a few days later with the visa document attached.

I'm roughly assuming OP has gone through a similar process, and it is that return courier step that has gone awry.