The federal government says passport delivery has returned to pre-pandemic processing times, there are no backlogs, and Service Canada is exceeding its delivery standard for most applications.
Acknowledging a “minor” impact on passport processing during the public service labour disruption earlier in the spring, Ottawa says nearly all passports are being delivered within the 10- and 20-day targets respectively, with approximately 98% of passports issued within service standards regardless of intake method.
(Ed. note: Our recent passport renewal this month was processed and delivered in about 14 days).
Moreover, says the government, passport staff have made improvements to service offerings over the past several months and are prepared to handle the first wave of renewals for passports with a validity of 10 years, which started being issued in July of 2013.
10-day sights
Additionally, seven new 10-day passport service sites across Canada are now in operation, namely:
• Prince George, BC
• Lac-Mégantic, Que.
• Gaspé, Que.
• Saint-Georges, Que.
• Timmins, Ont.
• Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que.
• Dryden, Ont.
With the upgrading of these sites, Service Canada now has 20 Service Canada Centres across the country where Canadians can apply for a passport and receive it by mail in 10 business days (mail time not included), thus enabling some Canadians to get service closer to home and decreasing wait times at passport offices.
Canadians who require their passport in less than 10 business days must visit a passport office that offers express or urgent pick-up service and pay for expedited services.
Status checker
Additionally, Ottawa points out that for the past several months, Canadians have been able to get real-time updates, 24-hours a day, on the processing of their applications through the online Passport Application Status Checker, which has led to shorter wait times when contacting the Passport Call Centre. Since the launch of the service on March 21, 2023, there have been over 702,000 visits to the online status checker website. To have access to this tool, Canadians must include an email address on their application.
“By eliminating the backlog, offering 10-day service at additional locations, creating an online status checker, and rolling out online passport renewal services, Service Canada is making it even easier for Canadians to get their passports when they need them,” says Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, who adds, “We will continue to take important steps to modernize the passport system and provide the service Canadians deserve.”
Fast facts
• From April 2022 to March 2023, the Government of Canada issued 3,346,223 passports.
• For the 2023-24 fiscal year, between 4.3 and 4.9 million passports are forecast to be issued.
• Since April 1, 2023, the Government of Canada has issued 745,401 passports.
• Since Aug. 15, 2022, the 20 Service Canada Centres offering 10-day passport service have processed over 103,000 passport applications.
• The Government of Canada announced a return to a steady state for the Passport Program on Jan. 24, following major challenges related to, and exacerbated by the changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.