The Passport Office is starting to make a dent in its unprecedented backlog of applications, says the federal minister responsible for the documents, Karina Gould. In fact, she says, more than 50,000 passports were issued the week ending July 7, represented a 20% increase over the previous week and the highest point since before the pandemic.

“Canadians deserve access to timely, efficient, and transparent passport delivery services,” says Gould. “We’re continuing to tackle big challenges in the passport program, and as the summer progresses, thanks to the hard work of Service Canada staff, we continue to see improvements in service delivery.

“We are not out of the woods, but this is a positive trend. The next few weeks will be critical in keeping this momentum,” she adds.

The minister maintains that in-person services at passport offices are ensuring the vast majority of people are receiving their passport ahead of their travel the prioritization of those who have urgent travel needs, while connecting those with non-urgent travel with other service solutions.

Gould the first week of July 19 out of 35 passport offices and an additional 18 Service Canada Centres offering extended hours of service including weekend appointments and she notes that new tools for scanning and data entry will be used to help reduce the inventory.

And she adds that the workforce continues to expand with the hiring and training of approximately 500 additional Passport Officers and 319 Citizen Service Officers (CSOs), as well as re-assigning employees from other departments.

“Still, too many people have had to wait until their situation is urgent before they can get their passports” Gould concedes, noting “The more progress we can make on the backlog, the closer we will get to an environment where Canadians can get their passports within our service standards.

Triage system

In the face of well-publicized line-up outside Passport offices, Gould says the implementation of the triage system, there is no need or benefit to arriving at a passport office the night before as teams of managers go through the line, assess needs, and ensure that each client who comes during office hours is being provided a service solution based on the urgency of their travel. Canadians can also check wait times at each office online.

“Outside of our largest cities, the lineups are not much longer than we’ve seen traditionally, and staff are able to assist the same day, up to 45 days ahead of travel,” says Gould. “In busier passport offices, like in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, Ottawa, the Vancouver area, Calgary and Edmonton, our triage system helps ensure people can be served in time for their travel, and ensure those with less urgent travel can get an appointment in order to receive their passport before departure by land or by air.

Gould recommends that people who have travel scheduled in the next week and have mailed in their application or applied at a non-passport Service Canada Centre but not received it should go to their nearest passport office to request a transfer of the application file.

She adds, those who have mailed in and application that was not processed within the 20-business day service standard, will have all additional processing and pick up fees waived.

“I understand the passport situation continues to be challenging and frustrating. We will continue to work around the clock to address these issues and resolve this situation,” she says.

Quick facts

• Service Canada issued 363,000 passports between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.

• Service Canada issued 1,273,000 passports between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022.

• Service Canada has issued 556,796 passports since April 1, 2022.

• The total forecast for passports in 2022-23 is 4.3 million applications.

• Applications submitted by mail are being processed within 10 weeks, plus mailing time.

• Canadian citizens aged 15 years and under entering the United States by land or water, who don’t have a valid passport, only require one the following documents to cross the border – an original or a copy of a birth certificate, or an original Canadian citizenship certificate.