A recently naturalized Canadian citizen says she was denied the ability to list Israel as her country of birth on her Canadian passport application, raising questions about internal policy, political influence, and the treatment of applicants born in disputed regions.Anastasia Zorchinsky, an Israeli-Canadian living in Canada, told the Western Standard she submitted her passport application earlier this week. The issue, she said, began when she wrote “Kfar Saba, Israel” in the birthplace field on the form.According to Zorchinsky, the passport office employee reviewing her documents told her the application could not list Israel due to “the political conflict.”.“She said it was because of the political conflict and they could only write Kfar Saba and not Israel,” Zorchinsky recalled.Zorchinsky said she questioned the decision and asked to see a written policy supporting it. After several minutes, a second employee returned with what she described as a conflicting explanation.The second official allegedly told her Israel could appear on her passport, but added that some cities previously recognized as Israeli are now considered part of Palestine following what the employee referred to as a declaration of Palestinian statehood by Prime Minister Mark Carney..Zorchinsky said she was told that Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus, and Jerusalem were among the cities now categorized as Palestinian.She said she asked whether applicants born in those areas would now be permitted to list Palestine as their country of birth.“He said yes,” she said. “So clearly I was under some political influence because of who I am and where I was born.”.Zorchinsky said the experience left her feeling singled out and judged based on her birthplace and Jewish identity.“It made me feel like something was wrong with me,” she said. “I’m a Canadian citizen. It made me feel as if I was somehow at fault just for being who I am.”She also expressed concern that others may not question irregular instructions during the passport process..“What if someone doesn’t know to push back or ask for policy?” she said.While some online posts have described the situation as the beginning of a legal challenge, Zorchinsky clarified that no lawsuit has yet been filed. Instead, her legal representatives have sent a formal letter to Passport Canada requesting clarification.The letter asks the federal government to specify which cities Canada considers Israeli or Palestinian, whether any official policy prevents “Israel” from appearing as a birthplace, and what training passport staff receive on international border or sovereignty disputes..The government has been asked to respond within 10 days.Zorchinsky said she believes the incident reflects a broader shift in tone surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Canada.“We should be aware of the consequences of decisions that have empowered certain people, even government workers, to discriminate,” she said. “If something like this happens to you or someone you know, speak up.”.Passport Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have not issued a public statement responding to Zorchinsky’s account or the legal inquiry. No official written policy has been provided confirming or contradicting the statements allegedly made by passport office staff.Zorchinsky says she intends to update the public once she receives a response from federal authorities.The Western Standard will continue to monitor developments and seek clarity from government officials regarding passport policy for applicants born in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
