By Kyle Rea
Times-Journal Staff

Looking for a passport? Better get moving, because thanks to travel changes south of the border, a passport will soon be required fare for air travel to the United States.

It’s all part of the U.S’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative -- the final rules of which were released on Nov. 24. Come Jan. 23, 2007, Canadians traveling to the U.S. via airplane will require a valid passport. Land and sea travel to the U.S. are exempt from this requirement until Jan. 1, 2008.
At Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston’s office here in St. Thomas, staff are already dealing with a higher-than-usual number of passport inquiries.

“We’ve had quite a bit of an increase in people coming into our office and needing some kind of assistance,” said constituency assistant Karen Vecchio. She explained that prior to Nov. 24, the office received about one inquiry every three weeks. But on just one day this week, Nov. 29, the office assisted with six applications.

“And there have been quite a few people calling,” Vecchio said. “I think we’re going to continue getting busier on this.”
She said office staff can help by sitting down with people and going through the passport application, to verify the information has been properly filled out. Then, staff can tell them what the next step is.

“If people want to come in and ask questions, that’s what we’re here for,” Vecchio said.

They can send the passport applications off themselves, Vecchio said, but that can take up to six weeks.

She recommends that people prepare their application online at http://www.ppt.gc.ca. Forms have to be printed off, but the online software will tell you if you’ve made a mistake.

“And if you’ve done them online and then go to the passport office, you’ll receive priority.”

If people do need help, they can contact Preston’s office at 519-637-2255.

“That’s what we’re here for,” said Vecchio.

Click here for a link to the original story.