Passport nightmare - Woman unable to get travel document after eight years of trying
Stacey Ann Buchanan has been trying to get a passport for the past eight years, but with no success.
Buchanan's voter registration ID card says she was born 37 years ago and is a resident of Duanvale, Trelawny. Her birth certificate said she was born in Falmouth in the parish to Pamella Holmes. Her father's name does not appear on the document.
"When I went to the passport office with all my documents, they asked me if I have gotten a passport before, and I said no," Buchanan said of her first trip to the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) offices in Montego Bay, St James, in 2010.
She told THE STAR that on that occasion, she spoke with a man who told her to wait for a few minutes. She said that he later sent her to another person.
"Him show me sup'm on his computer with my same name, my mother name and the same date of birth as me, everything. He asked me if I know this woman, and I said no. He told me that I needed to get some documents to prove that I am who I am, so I went to get my school records," she said.
Buchanan's mother died when she was three years old, and as a result, she was raised by another woman, Vera Vassell.
She said that Vassell followed her to the PICA office the following day, and they had a meeting with one of the investigating officers. She was told by the officer that they would get back to her. However, eight years later, Buchanan is yet to get the travel document she is seeking.
"I work in the hotel industry, and I said I want to go on different hotel programmes. But from they told me they were going to investigate my case, I have not heard anything else," she said.
Buchanan said that she went to a Courts furniture store and was told that an account currently exists in her name.
"This is really troubling ... . They said someone with my name take out something already, so I can't get anything," she said.
"I even come to Kingston to get information because this is inconveniencing me. I can't try anything because I can't get any passport and I really need it. This is like a nightmare," she added.
PICA, when contacted by THE STAR, promised a response. However, none was forthcoming at press time yesterday.