Service Canada – the contact point for Canadians to access government services – recently revealed that the number of Canadian passport applications had skyrocketed:
- From April 2021 to March 2022 – 1,273,000 passports issued
- From April 2020 to March 2021 – 363,000 issued
As a result of the surging demands, processing times have increased dramatically.
Hence, the Canadian government recommends:
- Canadians traveling within two business days must present the evidence of urgency and visit passport offices with pickup services to apply. No appointments are required.
- Canadians traveling within 45 business days should show their proof of travel and go to passport offices to apply.
- Canadians traveling beyond 45 business days can show up at any Service Canada center.
- Avoid applications by mail as it may take even longer to process. Instead, submit applications in person at the centers to shorten wait times as the on-site officers can screen documents to ensure their completeness and accuracy.
For more information, please consult the government website.
(Source: Government of Canada)
Heying Migration Corporation (HMC) 