@MIchelle, The RCMP criminal record check is required, the bio-metrics you do at the border are FBI prints. You were lucky to get previous waivers based on submission done before. This would never work at the borders I deal with. 3 reference letters minimum, court documents regardless of a Pardon along with other necessary paperwork. The borders here would have rejected anything less. I have continued with the same process for e-safe, also. Hope this helps. Thanks!

@Random

Technically the requirement is 2 letters. It was 3 at one point. Our west, certain border points still want 3, but the decision makers in Virginia technically require 2.

Despite my answer before, sometimes people take shortcuts, and in the right conditions, those can work. But when it comes to reference letters, its a bit puzzling to me why the shortcut wouldn't simply be "Steve, i'm writing a letter of reference from you to me, just in case they call you" rather than "i'll just give them one letter".

A reference letter can be 3-4 sentences, quite simple, and you can write it for them and even scribble a signature. Homeland Security, to my knowledge, has NEVER called a single clients references of mine. We provide the phone number every time, but no calls.

@J Rogers oh that means having 2 referrals is a requirement? I thought we are only required to submit 1 letter

@Michele

So you can look at the waiver application 2 ways.

1. You can do the bare minimum.

2. You can do the application exactly how it is supposed to be done.

For #1, whatever happens, happens. If someone at Homeland Security goes "you know what, I'm going to teach you a lesson, and just give you a one year waiver"...well, you did a lazy waiver, you got a result you deserved. I have seen waivers where they dropped people down because of this exact thing.

For #2, you did everything you could to get the longest waiver possible.

But this is life in a nutshell, isn't it? "How you do anything, is how you do EVERYTHING". Its every 5 years. I am paid to do a GOOD job, not a LAZY job.

When I coach sports, rugby and basketball, I tell the kids the same thing. Winners do everything they can to succeed. Losers make excuses.

This forum gives you ALL the answers. Its free. If you still decide "nah, I'm just going to do the bare minimum"....then who am I to tell you differently?

I will tell you that SOMEONE will do a lazy waiver, get a 1 year, blame everyone but themselves, and then when they re-apply, the fee will go up. And then they will bitch "its a money grab", conveniently ignoring that Homeland Security actually doesn't care if you ever travel there again.

i have done 1 reference letter 3 times