Revising our Standards

[leahbobet]

From the CBC today:

Canadians entering the United States with visas will have to scan 10 digits rather than just two under a newly expanded security program launching later in November.

Under the current US-VISIT program, Canadians and others entering the United States on visas must scan both index fingers and have a digital photograph taken by a border official.

Canadians engaged to marry U.S. citizens must also go through the process, and the U.S. has announced that Canadian students and nurses working in the U.S. will also be subject to the screening.

Dear American Boys:

I'm sure you're very nice, but at this point? I regretfully can no longer date you. It's not worth it anymore.

Cheers,

Leah

Comments

[timprov.livejournal.com]

I think "with visas" is kind of important there. Not that it isn't ridiculous, but most Canada->US travel should be unaffected.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Tim, reread the last paragraph I quoted:

"Canadians engaged to marry U.S. citizens must also go through the process, and the U.S. has announced that Canadian students and nurses working in the U.S. will also be subject to the screening."

Doesn't matter if you have a visa for that bit.

[timprov.livejournal.com]

Those are all things you need visas for.

[timprov.livejournal.com]

This (http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/immigrant_visas/marriage/1marriage.htm) is what they're talking about.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

While the logic does track on that, the article did specifically say people engaged to U.S. citizens, not people engaged and planning to move there (which is what the visa site deals with). Just "engaged" also includes being engaged to a U.S. citizen, going down to visit or whysoever, and planning to have your life elsewhere.

I'm interested now to find out which they mean, as I've been working on the second assumption.

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

Chant it with me and we will make it so:

One more year and we throw the sick bastards out, one more year and we throw the sick bastards out...

I read an article the other day about the new "federal driver's license" Georgie wants to issue to US citizens. Apparently, we won't be allowed to travel without one. He appears to have pissed off a large number of state governors and legislators with this idea, because they are telling him to shove it up his ass and thus delaying the roll out of the program.

One. More. Goddamn, freaking year....

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Alas, I cannot make that so. But we wish you good luck with that.

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know.

I was just hoping for some of that all powerful Canadian voodoo to give us that little extra push over the top.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

If I had voodoo, a great many things would be different in this world.

For example, a certain poetry department would have answered my e-mail last week. :P

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Even if the next President is from the Democratic Party, they won't want to look soft on the War on Terror. I suspect President Clinton's first act will be to require bone marrow samples from visitors and for all foreign nationals to have explosive neck collars attached while within the USA.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

On the upside, more Canadian Worldcons? :p

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

And I've heard mumblings about moving the UN to Montreal, one of my favourite Traders plots. (http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=b05be971-f18b-4e43-b909-f3b9a6c729ea)

[veejane.livejournal.com]

The joke about the federal driver's license idea, aside from the whole hey wait, I thought states' rights was a republican issue! and the bitch-kitty committee that would have to be established to normalize 50 different state driving laws into a single code, is that illegal immigrants will still be driving without any license at all.

Which, kind of... defeats the whole "I know where you live" purpose of the things, right? I mean, passing a new law doesn't suddenly make illegal immigrants stupid, they still know they'll be deported if they show up at the Motor Vehicles building.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it does seem like a nice way to punish the law-abiding.

The city girl in me also is curious about those of us who don't drive. *g*

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

One wonders whether this will apply to firefighters and paramedics as well...

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

That's a rather literal fiddling while Rome burns... *g*

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

(In case you hadn't heard about it already.)

[obake.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure my Lovey and I score pretty high on the Canadian immigration test. All he needs is one year of experience after graduating to qualify as a professional. I'm already a skilled worker in several fields and I have passable skill in French.

Part of me wants to get out before we become a completely fascist state and part of me wants to stay so that I can join the resistance.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

I think the resistance might need to get its ass resisting really, really soon now.

[cathemery.livejournal.com]

Couches across America agree.

[squirrel-monkey.livejournal.com]

Wow, it's almost as bad as what I have to go through to get a Canadian visa! So yeah, next WFC -- so not going.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Don't you get off the hook for that by being a U.S. resident?

[squirrel-monkey.livejournal.com]

Nope. It's the country of citizenship that matters.

[madwriter.livejournal.com]

>>Dear American Boys:

I'm sure you're very nice, but at this point? I regretfully can no longer date you. It's not worth it anymore.<<

*Stomps foot at stupid government bureaucracy*

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

hee.

Maybe if I talk to some of the other Canadian girls we can kick-start The Revolution here. *g*