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