State Dept Proposes New 'Biographical Questionnaire' For Passport Applicants

[omimouse]

(First time posting; hope I've got the HTML right this time.)

The U.S. Department of State is proposing a new Biographical Questionnaire for passport applicants. The proposed new Form DS-5513 asks for all addresses since birth; lifetime employment history including employers’ and supervisors names, addresses, and telephone numbers; personal

Comments

[sakura_no_miko]

...all my addresses? I don't think I can even remember them all. At least 6, more if you count different dorm rooms. And all my employers? And, um...technically I don't know all of my siblings, or, rather, half-siblings. Do illegitimate (and I use that in the technical sense, even though it's a bit derogatory) siblings count? Step-siblings?

Really, I can't be the only person who moved all the time (mostly due to money problems) or had a series of part-time jobs, right? Isn't that normal nowadays?

[lightbird777]

Definitely not. I moved and changed jobs several times, and I don't remember the exact address of every place I lived, and I definitely don't remember the phone numbers of my old supervisors. And I don't have that old information written down anywhere either. It's not like I thought I would need it.

[archanglrobriel]

You're not the only one. I was a military brat, so we moved constantly when I was a child. As an adult I think this early conditioning kicked in and I've moved about every three to four years. There's just no way I can remember all of my addresses. I'm not sure I understand what relevance that information could -possibly- have on whether or not I would receive a passport. Ditto for the information about my siblings. Ditto for information about where I've worked.

This whole "it's not all that invasive" tack only works on people who have "standard issue" sorts of lives. For everyone else, this crap is HELLA invasive.

[roseofjuly]

I moved a lot growing up. I lived in at least 8 different houses before I moved out on my own and I only remember 4 of their addresses. I also don't remember the address of the apartment I lived in one summer in college. I asked my mom and she remembers some of them, but not the first address, so if I didn't already have a passport I'd be kind of screwed.

[wrestlingdog]

Oh, for fuck's sakes.

[popehippo]

The proposed new Form DS-5513 asks for all addresses since birth; lifetime employment history including employers’ and supervisors names, addresses, and telephone numbers; personal details of all siblings; mother’s address one year prior to your birth; any “religious ceremony” around the time of birth; and a variety of other information.

Um, I'm 23, I moved from my birth home when I was 8 so that's one address I can't provide, I've already had 5+ jobs and don't remember where the first one or two are, I'm fucked if I have to know my mother's address (where does this factor in for gay parents? O_o), and why do I suspect that 'religious ceremony' is a sneaky way to continue Islamaphobia by singling out kids in Muslim households?

[thevelvetsun]

Seconding all of this. UGH!

[lightbird777]

...why do I suspect that 'religious ceremony' is a sneaky way to continue Islamaphobia by singling out kids in Muslim households?

Exactly. Also:

It seems likely that only some, not all, applicants will be required to fill out the new questionnaire, but no criteria have been made public for determining who will be subjected to these additional new written interrogatories.

I'd really like to know what that criteria is, although I'm sure whatever it is the motivations are very similar to the "religious ceremony" crap.

[roseofjuly]

Yo, this...why does a religious ceremony around the time of my birth have any bearing on my fucking passport application? And yeah, my own mother can't remember the address she had one year prior to my birth, so I'd be fucked too.

[lightbird777]

This is bullshit.

It sounds like they just want to make it as difficult as possible for people to get yet another form of photo ID (or more difficult for certain people and we don't even know what their criteria for determining this is). I mean, I've lived and worked in several places - I don't have a lot of the info that they'd be asking for anymore, nor do I know it from memory. Submitting an official birth certificate with a raised seal provides all the information the State Dept. needs to know that the applicant is a U.S. citizen and is entitled to a passport. This is ridiculous.

[mirhanda]

It almost makes me think that they don't want certain citizens to be able to leave the country. It's quite disturbing! Why don't they want people to be able to travel abroad?

[lightbird777]

YES. That part of it occurred to me too though I didn't articulate it in my original comment - that they don't want certain people to leave. The fact that they might even be thinking along those lines is really disturbing.

This country gets scarier and scarier every day.

[mirhanda]

Yeah, it's one thing when they are saying they want to keep people out, but keeping people in is somehow even more disturbing. It's reminiscent of the iron curtain.

[mollywobbles867]

lifetime employment history including employers’ and supervisors names,

I can't remember that shit.

any “religious ceremony” around the time of birth

DA FUCK?