Service Canada has reported that Canadian passport processing has returned to its pre-pandemic service standards. 

A recent news release by ESDC asserts that there are no more passport application backlogs & Service Canada is exceeding the delivery standard for most of the applications. This is despite the brief disruption caused by the PSAC strike that lasted from April 19 to May 1. 

Almost all passports are now being delivered within the target of 10-20 days. ESDC further asserts that approximately 98% of the passports issued are within the service standards of the intake method. 

In addition to the Canadian Passport Processing, the news arrives a year after passport offices across the nation experienced unprecedented demand for new/ renewed passports following the removal of many pandemic travel restrictions. Queues at the passport offices were usually long, with some individuals camping overnight to ensure they could submit their applications separately. 

The department asserts that the passport staff has been continuously improving services in anticipation of the expected renewals this summer. In addition, Canada introduced passports with ten years of validity in July 2013 & these will expire shortly. 

The service improvements imply that new citizens of Canada mustn’t find it challenging to make plans to travel home to see their loved ones on their new passports this summer. 

 

Canadian Passport Processing: Additional Improvements 

Passport Canada has issued 852,589 passports so far in 2023 & issued over 3,346,223 passports between April 2022 & March 2023. In addition, it forecasts that it will issue over 4.3 – 4.9 million passports in the 2023-24 fiscal year. One must note that passports will only be available to the citizens of Canada. 

One way that Service Canada plans to help maintain service standards is by offering online renewal. As of May 2023, those with passports that have either expired within 15 years or those with passports that were lost, stolen, or damaged can now submit the necessary documents online instead of waiting in long queues. 

However, this does not apply to citizens applying for their first Canadian passport.

 

Further, Service Canada opened over seven new 10-day passport offices in British Columbia, Ontario, & Quebec throughout the spring. They are located in: 

  • Gaspé, Quebec
  • Saint-Georges, Quebec
  • Timmins, Ontario
  • Lac-Mégantic, Quebec
  • Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
  • Timmins, Ontario
  • Dryden, Ontario
  • Prince George, British Columbia

 

Once the application is submitted, Canadians can keep track via the online passport application status checker. ESDC asserts that since the launch of the service on March 21, there have been almost 702,000 visits to the website.