National Security

After 15 years of crossing back and forth between the Canada and US border, you would think I would have this down by now.

And, really, I’ve come a long way since my “I’m in the process of becoming a landed immigrant in Canada” days, which were quite nerve-wracking as I always feared I would be denied entry back into Canada and forced to be separated from my husband indefinitely. (Which might be a good made-for-tv-movie, but not exactly the life I had been hoping for.)

I’ve been asked lots and lots of questions by border officials over the years, and on some occasions, I’ve been asked absolutely no questions at all, which is perhaps a bit frightening when you think about it.

In March, my husband realized he had been traveling back and forth across the border on an expired passport for close to a year, with NOT ONE comment from any of the dozen or so customs officials that he had contact with during that time frame.

Then this week I crossed the border for some grocery shopping without the kids and this is what happened to me…

I pull up to the booth and hand the official my passport. He scrutinizes it and then asks to see some additional ID, because MY HAIR IS DIFFERENT NOW THAN IN MY PASSPORT PHOTO.

I then had to launch into a detailed description of how the bangs in the photo just didn’t work for me and the color was a bit dark too.

OYE-VEY. I ramble when I get nervous.

Yes, it’s true, my hair is a matter of national security, but my husband is allowed to travel freely with an expired passport.

I just thought you should know.

Single Post Navigation

← Older Entry

Newer Entry →