Earlier this week, Canada’s minister responsible for passports called the wait times being faced by applicants “far from acceptable.” Citing a surge in demand, Karina Gould acknowledged the situation has put many Canadians in “very difficult and stressful circumstances.” So, what are the feds doing about it?
The problem
Canada and many other countries around the world are seeing a significant surge in demand for passports. There are typically between two million and five million passport applications per year in Canada and this year is expected to push the boundaries of the latter. During the pandemic, only about 1.5 million passports were issued as applications declined (or at first were largely not permitted to be processed) due to evolving travel and workplace restrictions.
Before the pandemic, Canadians could expect to have their passport applications fulfilled in 20 business days when applying by mail or 10 days when applying in person.
Currently, due to the increased demand, 72% of Canadians who apply for a passport by mail can expect to receive their passport within 40 working days, while 96% of Canadians submitting an application in person at a dedicated passport site will receive their passport within 10 working days.
Gould says matter-of-factly, “As is the case in many countries, the size and suddenness of this surge has created delays for Canadians in getting the passport services to which they are entitled.”
Top priority
To that end, the minister says addressing the situation and improving service is her department’s “top priority,” and includes “examining and implementing every possible option we can to expedite intake and processing of applications to help Canadians get their passports in a timely way, without compromising integrity.”
Options, she says, include potential policy changes to simplify the passport program, as well as further automation – which will be communicated when they are ready.
In the meantime
To date, Service Canada has:
• Hired approximately 600 new employees so far and will hire up to 600 more, along with continued internal reassignment of staff to work on delivery of passport services. (Note: this week’s lifting of the vaccination mandate for federal workers will see an unspecified number of passport office employees return to work)
• Simplified the renewal process for any adult passport issued in the last 15 years
• Adjusted the information on its website so Canadians can know what to expect
• Launched an appointment booking tool at eservices.canada.ca/reservation that directs clients to the right location for service. Clients are advised to check back often, as appointments are added as they become available
• Added processing hubs across the country and increased in-person service capacity by making all passport counters across the country available for service. In many locations, Service Canada has also adapted hours of service for clients who cannot be accommodated during regular hours
• Publishing approximate passport wait times to help clients prepare for their visit at a passport office. Clients will not be charged any additional fees if a complete application is submitted and the published service standard is not met. The government web site currently lists that standard as: “2 weeks for processing plus mail time if you apply in person at a passport site, and 9 weeks plus mail time if you apply by mail or at a Service Canada Centre.”
• Added additional staff and made changes to the phone system to ensure that despite long hold times, the Service Canada system does not drop client calls while they wait.
• Approved and in some cases mandated overtime (including weekends) for staff
We’re in it together, how you can help
Here is some advice and tips to help both individual applicants and, by extension, the overwhelmed passport office:
• Follow the application checklist to ensure that it is filled out properly (including signatures in appropriate places and not submitting expired documents) – if the documentation is not as required it slows down the process and requires officers to spend time on follow-up phone calls
• Don’t wait until the last minute to apply if you’re planning to travel, but don’t send in applications years before necessary (it happens)
• We’re all in this together, calling your MP for fast-track service may help personally, but slows down the overall process for everyone as people get moved to the front of the line
• And most importantly, don’t book travel before you’ve got your docs.
It’s not just us
Canada is not in a unique situation with many other countries also experiencing delays in processing and issuing passports. In Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, the processing time for a new passport is six, 10 and up to 11 weeks, respectively.
And with approximately 90,000 citizens waiting for passport renewal, Norway has sent an inquiry to all the countries in the Schengen and elsewhere, including Canada, asking that Norwegians be allowed to travel with expired passports.
“We have also offered to find solutions because we know that a number of other countries are also struggling with passport production,” said Norway’s minister of justice Emilie Enger Meh.
As for Canada, Karina Gould says “We continue to thank Canadians for their patience.” But at the same time, she cautions, “(We) encourage individuals to plan ahead to ensure they have a passport before making travel commitments.”