If you arrive here through an old link, please click here for the Current Thread.
Wonder what really happens at the consulates? Find out in the Isaac Brock Society’s Consulate Report Directory, currently 274 pages of first-hand accounts of renunciation/relinquishment appointments, arranged by consulate location, along with links to further information and the required Dept of State forms.
Reports are updated as consulate visit stories are posted on the website.
You can post here or elsewhere on the site (we’ll keep an eye out for them). Some comments may be excerpted or condensed slightly in the consulate reports. The original posts and comments remain on their threads are not edited.
Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences…and keep ’em coming! It’s a new experience for everyone and your information is really helpful.
To change or delete your report in the Directory, you can post the change as a comment on this thread or e-mail Pacifica@isaacbrocksociety.ca
Click here for the Consulate Report Directory
2013.02.12. As of today, this discussion now continues at Part 2. Please click here to go to Consulate Report Directory (Brockers describe their Consulate Meetings) Part 2.
@Arrow,
That is interesting. Have we ever had that reported here before, anyone? Was that included with your CLN, Only a Canadian?
@Arrow,
As I have mentioned, I am still waiting to be contacted by Vancouver consulate re my 2nd (and I hope final) appointment. Like your wife, mine is regarding a back-dated (40 years+) CLN. In the interim period (February to August), did your wife contact the consulate at any time requesting the 2nd appt or reminding them that she was still waiting?
I for one do not want to jeopardize what should be a ‘slam-dunk’ CLN but someone else has posted on this site they contacted the Vancouver consulate at least 7 times since Sept. and has still not had acknowledgement that the emails were received.
Congratulations, Only a Canadian! It’s a great feeling to see that you are who you are! And get to the end of this road!
Thanks for your report, there’s a lot of detail in there. I like your e-mail inquiry strategy — that’s a good idea.
Thank you for providing the dates of the various stages of the CLN processing. We are very curious about that, particularly in Canada because it takes so long with ours. That’s odd yours didn’t get sent out of TO for over a month. So far the ones we know of left Toronto within a week.
Looks like you and I were two days apart at the consulate. I think Zucchero was the same day as me, but we don’t know each other and only realised it from posting online later 🙂
Glad to hear that the info on Brock was of help to you, and thanks for sharing your experience which will help others!
@Arrow and Tiger,
No IRS forms in my CLN package (Toronto). I haven’t heard of this phenomenon anywhere but Vancouver. From what I’ve been reading in the above comments, I think the person who is taking the time to put IRS forms in Vancouver CLN envelopes should use that time to answer e-mails!
@Tiger
No contact — we were just about to start making phone calls etc. when the consulate phoned us with proposed dates for the second appointment. They would have done it in July, but we were out of the country, hence the August date. We’ve made no contact since then.
*
Some time ago, Schubert posted that Vancouver was dealing with R & R in an ‘on again, off again’ manner. It is looking more and more like that is what is happening here. It sounds like in July and August there were things happening; I was able to get my first appt in Sept. because of a cancellation in the on-line booking calendar and then there is nothing. The consulate here is presently showing no appts available(for notarial services) right through early May.
*Arrow
Nothing about tax forms in my package or in discussions. The package only contained copies of the documents I signed (4079 & 4081) plus copies of the documents I submitted plus the CLN & a covering letter enclosing the package.
@ Pacifica,
My 2nd appt was on Jan 20 and my paperwork didn’t leave TO until March 2- exactly 6 weeks.
*Hello All
I am pleaseed report that today I received my CLN from the Marseille Consulate.
Time span from start to finish, 2 months and 20 days with only one appointment.
Happy,
Dunja
@Dunja – That’s fantastic, congratulations! I’ve been waiting 3 months for mine and am wondering if your experience can be taken as grounds for hope for other Europeans as well. Hmm…
Congratulations, Dunja! Thanks for letting us know. I remember you had some hassles — weird hassles — in setting up your appointment. Glad to hear it’s all wrapped up now!
Renounced in Montreal with one visit!
Although I live closer to Ottawa, I took the advice of others who have posted here to use Montreal or Toronto instead. Also, I had much more scheduling flexibility in selecting Montreal vs either Ottawa or Toronto. There were lots of openings, almost every week for both November and December. I made my appointment using the on-line system as they will not answer the phone. Selected “notarial and other services” and no one knew why I was coming until I arrived. The whole process took less than one week and they have given me an estimated date for receiving the CLN of approximately three months.
The Consular offices in Montreal are actually very nice. They are located on the 19th floor of the SNC-Lavalin Building in downtown Montreal. The waiting area is large with big windows and views of Montreal to the west, north and east. There are vending machines for drinks and chips, washrooms, toys and books for children. There was even a computer available to surf the net while you waited.
My appointment was for 2:00. I arrived at 1:30 but found I could not enter the building until 2:00. Left for the nearest Tim Horton’s which was just a block away. When I returned at 2:00 there were about 10 people ahead of me and by the time I got through security, up to the 19th floor and waited to be assigned a number it was about 2:45.
Everyone I dealt with was pleasant,efficient, and helpful. They seemed to appreciate that I had arrived with all the paperwork done (DS-4079, 4080) and with all the required documents. I was asked a number of times if I understood what I was doing and if I would like more time to think about it. I was also asked several times to express why I was taking this action now. All contacts were at a glass window. Even though they were not very busy, I wasn’t finished until about 4:30. At one point I had to leave the building and go purchase a prepaid envelope at a Canada Post outlet less than a block away.
The oath was given by the vice consul. There were no flags or pictures of Presidents current and past. The parting words of the vice consul were – you are always welcome to come back and see us anytime. Over all a pleasant experience considering the seriousness of why I was there.
In conclusion, I would say I am glad I made the decision to take this step, happy the process was quick and without incident, but sad it was ever necessary.
Congratulations, Myst! Thanks very much, appreciate the details. Happy to hear it went very well. That’s a cool vice consul! I think how he ended your meeting is really nice. He is an excellent representative of his country.
@Myst.
Thanks for reporting and sincere congratulations.
I am presuming yours is a renunciation? Did you actually need Form 4079 if that was the case? We’re glad it went so smoothly for you in Montreal. I am adding your information to the Relinquishment and Renunciation database at http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2012/03/14/draft-pdf-compilation-of-relinquishment-and-renunciation-data-as-reported-on-isaac-brock/.
Each experience reported here will help others who come after you, looking for useful information to help them in their decision.
… and Dunja,
A belated congratulations to you which I just picked up here and have now entered and posted in the latest update of the R&R database at http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2012/03/14/draft-pdf-compilation-of-relinquishment-and-renunciation-data-as-reported-on-isaac-brock/.
Thanks for letting us know of your very efficient experience, with your CLN already! We hope the process improves all round.
Update: I sent my two expired passports and a letter indicating that I had lost my certificate of Consular Report of Birth Abroad via Xpresspost to the Calgary Consulate. They emailed me to acknowledge receipt and told me that my letter was satisfactory and that they are now able to proceed with my renunciation application.
Thanks for your update, Shaggy Z. I’ve incorporated it into the database maintained at http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2012/03/14/draft-pdf-compilation-of-relinquishment-and-renunciation-data-as-reported-on-isaac-brock/. The Calgary US Consulate has been easy to deal with.
I renounced my USC in July of 2012. I got my CLN today. Included was an official letter and my old cancelled US passport, both of which said my renunciation was effective June 2012. Then, the CLN says approved in Oct 2012. Has this happened to anyone else? Not sure why they backdated my renunciation. Which of the 3 dates do I go with?
@ Newb — Congratulations! I don’t know which date for sure but it looks like they gave you a bonus month so I’d take it! Was it for good behaviour? 🙂
@Newb,
I have this comment from you, but I don’t see that report in the Comments.
Can we put your information in the Calgary information of the Relinquish & Renounce database? Did you have 2 appointments? If so, I need from you:
Date of Your Initial Request:
First Appointment: Year and Month 2012/07?
Second Appointment: None?
Date CLN Received: Year and Month 2012/12
Date of CLN: Year and Month 2012/06 (should have been the same date that you gave Renunciation Oath — or the date that you reported having Relinquished, so ???)
Renounced.
At any rate, CONGRATULATIONS!! Glad to add your information to Calgary’s successful CLN recipients!
Congratulations, Newb!
My guess is that the officer made a mistake typing your renunciation date as June on the CLN last July, and then the cover letter automatically used the date as appears on the CLN.
One thing that I could see as a potential problem is that the incorrect date on the CLN might cause confusion when you file your final 1040 and your 8854, as you base them on the day before your renunciation.
The approval date doesn’t have any impact on anything.
You could contact the consulate about getting the date corrected. I’d tend to do that, but probably some people wouldn’t. A pain, of course, and I’d assume you’d have to wait again to get a new CLN in the mail. But whatever, at least you know you’re now officially a non-citizen 🙂
Thanks for the congrats.. It’s nice to be free. I will work on my story at the consulate and provide it soon.
What is weird is that the actual renunciation date is dated for July but somehow June got typed on the cover letter and written into the invalidated passport. The stamp on the CLN does say Oct, but perhaps that is not the effective date. The tax implications do have me concerned.
The approval date stamp doesn’t affect anything because according to the US govt once it’s approved, you are no longer a citizen when it’s approved, the citizenship loss being retroactive to the date of your expatriating act.
That’s what jumped out at me, tax implications. Also one never knows what unforeseeable thing might occur the future where an incorrect date could cause a problem. So, I’d tend to want to get it corrected. But what I’d definitely want to do right now is celebrate!
Lots of CLNs happening lately so for all of you who have received your ticket to freedom this is for you …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWLIgjB9gGw
*I guess the question is, does the stamp date and the renunciation date for other people who have CLN’s match?