No passport? No problem!

[voyageur11]

Easy to understand this permit is for travellers to the U.S. And with a criminal record you are not welcome unless you got a waiver. So why selling this permit to someone with a criminal record who will be turn back at the border

 

[master_bates]

Easy to understand this permit is for travellers to the U.S. And with a criminal record you are not welcome unless you got a waiver. So why selling this permit to someone with a criminal record who will be turn back at the border

Because sometimes depending on your crime you can get a pardon and be

allowed back in the U.S

 

[voyageur11]

Because sometimes depending on your crime you can get a pardon and be

allowed back in the U.S

The pardon by a Canadian court in not accepted in the U.S.. But you can ask them for a waiver it might cost $600 or $700 if accepted you will have to report to us immigration every time you get into the U.S. The link to the saaq site does not tell you everything you need to know about the new permit. The saaq will not give you a new permit unless it is ok by homeland sécurity it is a partnership between the Quebec govt. and homeland sécurity.If it is not ok by them you wont get the permit and with a criminal record good luck, I know some people who like me work in the us with a waiver but they cant get a card like mine and they are ask to see an immigration official everytime they are entering the U.S.

 

[Techman]

It have nothing to do with having a criminal record or not. You can get this "permis plus" even if you are the worst criminal possible, as long as you are a Canadian citizen living in Québec, are not prohibited to leave Canada, not officially under a jail sentence or your driver licence isn't suspended.

http://www.saaq.qc.ca/en/documents/pdf/driver_licence/licenceplus_guide.php

Nowhere do they talk about a criminal background check or fingerprinting. This isn't a visa, only an identification card. This isn't a NEXUS card either.

The card itself contain only a random identifier number. That identifier link the card to information you provides on the forms you need to fill-out, nothing more. This information is stored elsewhere. It gives no access to anything else, including your driving record. No fingerprinting is required.

In Canada, this information is generally destroyed 2 years after the "permis plus" expires but, in USA, it's kept 75 years!

Now, what the USA will do with this info, as far as digging deeper, nobody know. They might be able to find a criminal record but, this will be done on their own and it have nothing to do with the process involved in getting or using a "permis plus".

It is stressed a few time in the document, the "permis plus" doesn't automatically grant you access to the USA, it only positively identify you to the US Customs Agent. It's still up to that person to let you in or not. He could even seize the permit if he feels it's used fraudulently or it's invalid!

From MacLeans.ca: http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=n0316121A

People will have to prove they are Canadian citizens and that they have no criminal record to be eligible for the new permit.

It's not something I made up.

Techman

 

[metoo4]

Techman, again something coming out of a REPORTER! A journalist! Why insisting on taking third party info as the absolute truth when the original source is available?

The SAAQ doesn't give a shit about criminal record. Surf their site and come back with a link who say they does. You can enter the USA with a criminal record if they don't know about it. In all my trips to the USA, even before Nexus, I have never been asked if I have a criminal record and, unless they ask you, not talking about it isn't an offence.

NOWHERE in the paperwork you fill to get this "permis plus" do they ask about criminal record and SAAQ will not communicate any other info than what you provided to the US immigration or anybody else. the SAAQ doesn't have access to a criminal record. There's no other approbation by any other agency that's done, all they do is pass-along/store whatever YOU gave them.

Somebody with a visa or other work permit might have to sign a declaration about criminal records, that's a different story.

This "permis plus" is simply a Québec document that certify you are who you say you are. It's a driver licence with enhanced security features, Nothing more. From that point, it does make life easier for US Immigration to dig-down deeper, since they know the person in front of them isn't his brother but, the Canadian/Québec government doesn't give them more info in relation to this permit. Whatever else the US Immigration find will be on their own.

The goal for the USA is to facilitate screening of unwanted peoples by ensuring the person trying to enter is the person on the ID. This allow them to search their own databases with a certain level of confidence that any database hit will be real and any miss will also be real.

If your logic would be true, a passport wouldn't be issued to anybody with a criminal record since it can be used to enter the USA. We all know this isn't the case. Why? A passport serves the same purpose as this "permis plus": identify the bearer with a good level of certainty.

You will certainly come back and say a passport can be used to enter other countries so, they can't deny issuance simply because the USA will likely not let you in? That's true! But then, if you have a criminal record and you want to enter the USA, if the "permit plus" have a criminal record check, all a criminal have to do is to get a passeport and the USA aren't one step further. Again, if they don't ask about a criminal record and you don't say, no offence is commited.

There is no criminal check done by any Québec/Canada agencies for the "driver licence with enhanced security feature" because it's only that: a driver licence who identify you better than regular ones.

Once you show-up at the border, will the USA have access to more info they collected on their own than what you provided? That's for them to know but whatever extra info won't be from the "permis plus".

 

[voyageur11]

So we cant trust la presse,tva, mcleans, canadian press they are all wrong only meteo4 know the truth

 

[Techman]

metoo4, that is exactly what I thought also. But after reading some posts here I decided to check and all the info I have found indicates the same thing. As I ahve not yet applied for the enhanced license myself, I probably will when my renewal is due, but at the moment I do not have any first hand knowledge on it at all.

And I take nothing as 'absolute truth', I am simply reporting on the information I have come across.

Techman

 

[voyageur11]

metoo4, that is exactly what I thought also. But after reading some posts here I decided to check and all the info I have found indicates the same thing. As I ahve not yet applied for the enhanced license myself, I probably will when my renewal is due, but at the moment I do not have any first hand knowledge on it at all.

And I take nothing as 'absolute truth', I am simply reporting on the information I have come across.

Techman

Just call the saaq they will not give you a drivers plus permit unless its ok by homeland sécurity The new permis is not control by Quebec only your application will go to the U.S. they make the décision

 

[metoo4]

So we cant trust la presse,tva, mcleans, canadian press they are all wrong only meteo4 know the truth

These news sources simply report what they know and think is right, same as your brother-in-law when he's talking about his last fishing trip.

I don't say I know the truth, I am referring to official sources who are publicly publishing the information instead of hearsay by journalists. Yup! That's what a court of justice call whatever is said in the media if you try to use it to defend you. You: "I read in the paper that..." The judge: Sorry sir, that's hearsay and isn't admissible."

Are you saying you actually called the SAAQ and asked or are you telling me to call? I suspect it's the latter.

 

[voyageur11]

I did call 2 days ago according to the lady the permit plus application will be sent to the U.S.

 

[metoo4]

I guess then we'll have to see what is going to happen the first time somebody with a criminal record goes for one. Any volunteers here?

The strange part is, if it actually need to approved by the US Immigration then, it's more secure than a passport yet, a passport is accepted when flying and this "permis plus" will not.

My take is yes, the application is sent to the US Immigration for their information but they still don't have any say on the permit's issuance. Once they have the info, if they dig on their own and don't like what they find, they still can flag you and refuse you access even if you have the permit. It becomes an "advanced warning" who raise a flag as soon as the permit is scanned.

 

[voyageur11]

The différence is a passport is only a proof of your nationality. The driver's permit plus will give them more information like who you are do you have a criminal record with the new licence no more trip inside to see the immigration officer all you information will be on their computer screen

 

[voyageur11]

I don't like the idea of carrying around a rfid chip at all times. Even if they provide you with a special protective case. So many hackers out there and Identity theft, it makes me leery. Not to mention that you are emmiting a signal everywhere you go. Like the gps feature on cell phone. Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist or anything but you could be located anywhere at any time. Sounds like the begining of a police state to me. I'll just keep my good ole license for now.

daddy

There is no info on the card just 1 number And tracking you with it i dont think so

 

[Merlot]

I don't like the idea of carrying around a rfid chip at all times. Even if they provide you with a special protective case. So many hackers out there and Identity theft, it makes me leery. Not to mention that you are emmiting a signal everywhere you go. Like the gps feature on cell phone. Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist or anything but you could be located anywhere at any time. Sounds like the begining of a police state to me. I'll just keep my good ole license for now.

daddy

Hello Daddy,

Do you think you aren't being tracked constantly now? Cell phones, cars, debit cards, credit cards, endless technical gadgetry...etc...etc...etc. The more technically up to date you are the more you are being tracked every time you turn something on or use it. Not to mention some of the ideas in the works to prevent identity theft like retinal scanning. So there is really no freedom to lose you haven't already lost. Yup, technology is sooooo cool. Most are so eager to buy into it they don't realize what they are really buying into. Thanks for the convenience.

Me, I have a passport. It's good for 10 years.

Cheerio,

Merlot

 

[metoo4]

Daddy, you aren't emitting anything unless you are "pinged" when you carry one of these RFID chip. There's no batteries in the card, all it does is to take the electrical energy of the signal who "pinged" you and use that energy to shortly power a transmitter who will squirt an ID number. This is the same as with the numerous access pass used since years all over the place to open doors at work and things like this.

The protective shield is an envelope with the inside covered in copper or equivalent. It does work, I tried it with a keycard at a customer's office. The metal shield prevent the very faint signal who's pinging to reach the card so, the card never get turned on and, even if it does, the signal it emits is so weak it won't make it's way out of the metal shield. My NEXUS card was replaced a few month ago and it came with one of these protective envelope.

 

[Regular Guy]

Hello Daddy,

Do you think you aren't being tracked constantly now? Cell phones, cars, debit cards, credit cards, endless technical gadgetry...etc...etc...etc. The more technically up to date you are the more you are being tracked every time you turn something on or use it. Not to mention some of the ideas in the works to prevent identity theft like retinal scanning. So there is really no freedom to lose you haven't already lost. Yup, technology is sooooo cool. Most are so eager to buy into it they don't realize what they are really buying into. Thanks for the convenience.

Me, I have a passport. It's good for 10 years.

Cheerio,

Merlot

Exactly! Funny thing is that with the stellar success of the nuclear program in Iran, and the rapidly progressing increase in China's military arsenal the question of the border between Canada and the US pales in comparison. Coming up north to take in a little fishing guys?

 

[Techman]

I just don't think it's worth the 10 or so seconds it takes to find the id you're looking for in your wallet.

The question is not about the time it takes someone to find their ID, it's about being able to verify the ID in as accurate and fast a way possible. Scanning a RFID chip and having all the pertinent info come up on the screen is a lot faster and more efficient than having to type in the license number and then run the name through various databases to get the information that will come up in seconds with the new license.

This should also help in reducing wait times when crossing the border. Hopefully anyways.