As I said earlier, my problem wasn't getting into Canada without a passport. It was getting back home.

That's your problem! With all the crazy sh!t that has happened in FL (the election fiasco, Terri Schiavo, pedophiles and murderers on every block) the US government doesn't recognize FL as part of the US anymore. As far as law enforcement, quality of medical care (every quack doctor who loses his license elsewhere goes to FL) and education of its citizens FL ranks below most 3rd world countries. I can slam the place because my wife is from there!

In the future if the coach needs a certified birth certificate from Florida, here is the link to receive it:
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/planning_...irth_death.htm
With express service he could have received one within two days for his travel to Canada while his passport application was pending.

He can order another copy of his Certifide Birth Certificate. I don't
know what the processing time is in FL, though.

How can he not have a social security card, was it lost? If you live and
work in the US you need a social security card.

If he has a certified birth certificate with a raised seal, he shoould have
any trouble going to Canada. As other posters have said, he had to
show proof of citizenship to get into both countries.

If you're flying into Canada, you'll go through US Immigration & Customs in the
Canadian Airport before you go through secruity. This info is for people
that may not have flown to Canada, from the US.

It can be cheaper and/or make sense to order multiple certified copies of your birth certificate (with the raised seal) at the same time. I keep one with me, along with my (current, expired and/or cancelled) passport(s), while travelling (since old habits die hard).

Just FYI, the OP's problem was already solved. Read the rest of the thread.

And since when do you need a Social Security card to work in the US? It's the number you need, not the physical card. No one has ever asked me to show my SS card for any purpose.

I've been asked to show my Social Security CARD. The employer says they need it to fill out the I-9 form.

Incidentally, I endorse what a poster above said about having multiple certified copies of everyone's birth certificate in the house. They are cheap enough, and you never know when you will need them.

Get ready. Many states are now requiring that birth certificates and SS cards be shown for driver's license renewal. And, employers who follow INS recommendations will take a copy of your SS card and keep it in your personnel file, to protect them against penalties for hiring illegal aliens.

In our current security environment we are going to need more and more documentation to go about our daily lives. I agree with the poster who suggested keeping multiple Birth certificates.

I'm glad everything worked out.

The other alternative - at least, everything I've read indicates is still an alternative - would have been for him to use a baptismal certificate (if he has one) in lieu of a birth certificate. That in conjunction with a photo ID, such as a driver's license, has been published on state sites as being acceptable for US citizens when crossing from Canada to the US.

That does work and can even be used as an indication of nationality for purposes of passport issuance. That does not mean that it is the most advisable "proof of citizenship" to rely upon.

I await the news reports about people born in the US being considered non-Americans. It's going to raise its ugly head in a substantial and expensive way with all the new "REAL ID" requirements mandated by the federal government but left unfunded (i.e., for the states to pay for or to pass along directly to you and me).

This is getting off-topic, but last time I looked into this, an I-9 form required documentation to prove who you are and that you are legal to work in the US. A social security card satisfies the latter requirement, but is by no means the only document to do so. A valid US passport or green card would work just as well.

yeah I know this is off topic a bit too but, infact the the I-9 SPECIFCLY states that the employer cannot specific which documents they will take. Tho when I went to work at kroger they said they would only take a SSN card.... even tho I had a valid US passport and DL.... so anyway I found a job at home depot for 2 dollars more an hour AND they took my passport...

Many times the actual card is needed.

I needed the physical card for my current job. My sons have needed theirs every time they have gotten a job.

Very surprising. Are you sure it wasn't to meet the I-9 requirements mentioned by others? In that case, a passport would work also. The passport is what I have shown employers who were doing the I-9 check. (Even an expired passport from many years prior was acceptable, although this was quite a number of years ago now. More recently, I have shown employers a current passport.)

Great news. That was the good call. This is something that congresspeople and senators can actually help with. A number of years ago I had a sudden important business trip to the UK happen. I had no passport because I previously had a government one which I of course surrendered when I left government employment at that time. Both NY senators offices, I called both for advice, offered detailed instructions and one even gave me their direct dial number to call if I had any problems at the NY Passport office. They even gave me instructions not to leave the building (there is a line to get in) prior to calling if there were a problem because they could help a lot more if I was actually calling from the building. When we lived in the DC area my wife also got a passport in one day by calling her congressman and being directed to the special congressional passport office in DC. With any passport problem as a registered voter I would immediately turn to them for help. Again, glad it worked out for your friend.