Hopeful travellers brave long lines as Service Canada sorts through passport backlog

Service Canada is continuing to address a passport renewal backlog that has left would-be travellers in limbo for months — and many whose getaway dates are approaching are choosing to brave long lines to apply for new documents in-person.

The agency tells Breakfast Television there has been more than a 350 per cent increase in passports processed over the last year. Applications have surged with many Canadians looking to resume travel following two years of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were already 20 people lined up outside a Passport Canada office on Victoria Street in downtown Toronto shortly after 5 a.m. on Thursday. The location doesn’t opens its doors until 8:30 a.m.

At 5:15am, about 20 ppl were already in line outside passport office on Victoria Street. Service Canada tells @breakfasttv there’s been a more than 350% increase in passports processed over the last year. Applications pour in as travel picks up. pic.twitter.com/GXCBzcQDIY

— Tammie Sutherland (@citytammie) May 5, 2022

One person in line says they decided to endure the long wait with a scheduled trip approaching and not hearing anything back despite ordering their passports three-months ago.

“Nothing’s come through the mail, we tried to reach out, no one’s been answering,” he says. ‘This is kind of our last best.”

There were 363,000 passports issued between the onset of the pandemic in April 2020 until March 2021. That number jumped to 1,273,000 for the following year and the agency says they are fielding over 200,000 calls per day, compared to 5,000 before the pandemic.

Nearly 500,000 applications have been received in March and April of this year. The agency says they were able to process 133,000 of the applications last month.

Service Canada says it hired 500 new employees and staff are working overtime to help deal with the soaring demand and sort through the building delays.

They advise that people who plan to travel within the next month have been given priority and pushed to the front of the queue.

The agency says they also simplified the renewal process for some applicants, people no longer need to provide original documents or a guarantor. Individuals still need two passport pictures, two references, a completed application form and application fees in order to renew.

Related:

• More pandemic border measures ease, masks still required for travel

• Delays at citizenship office has applicants waiting years to become Canadians

Passport backlog addressed in House of Commons

Last week, Conservative MP Brad Vis demanded to know what was causing the delays in the House of Commons.

“The government knew this was coming, and now they’re realizing the consequences of their own poor decision making,” said Vis. “The government of Canada effectively shut down passport renewals for a period of time and you were only able to get a renewal if you had a ticket out of the country preplanned.”

In a statement to CityNews, the agency acknowledged that increased demand for passports has led to delays. However, it notes safety protocols must still be followed to “ensure the health and safety of Canadians accessing in-person services.”

“Members of my community and across this country are lined up by the hundreds, waiting for hours to get their new passports,” Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said in a statement.

Garner and others have called on the government to do more to bolster the passport offices so travellers can be on their way.

With files from Robyn Crawford and Hana Mae Nassar of CityNews, and The Canadian Press