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Wow that is a really stupid rule I wonder what they are trying to accomplish with that. More unnecessary government crap.

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It gives them more data to work with because they can background check your references. And plenty of people will pick someone who won't vouch for them.

Why is a background check that includes references needed for a passport? Its not the governments job to determine if you are a likable person and i hope they don’t rely on those likely very shallow checks to determine anything.

Tons of fraud is why.

How does this reduce fraud?

Validating identity. Canadian passport security was crap and there were several high profile cases (e.g. Millennium bomber) of them being used for terrorist activities.

Your photos also need to have the name of the studio stamped and signed in the back.

Government suspects fraud? Call the references (they are generally licensed professions). Suspect the photo? Call the studio or send someone down.

It’s just traceability for the key claims in the application and biometric data.

That makes much more sense to me. Thanks for explaining.

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