Canadians are getting creative in trying to cut long passport waits that have stretched for nearly five months after a surge in post-pandemic travel demand overwhelmed the system.
As of August 11, a total of 1,092,560 passport applications had been submitted this year, with more than 550,000 of those applications flooding in since April.
Service Canada said it is prioritizing applications from people who are traveling imminently, increasing staff and processing sites.
Despite all this, applicants say they are spending thousands of dollars to travel to less busy passport offices, or even falsifying travel plans to speed up the process to overcome the backlog of 340,000 applications.
People lined up before dawn in Toronto on Victoria Street to try to apply for new or renewed passport documents on June 29. (Roger Thompson)
Federal officials say they are working to fix the problem.
False trips affect the entire system
Karina Gould, the minister responsible for passport services, said Canadians are getting their passports on time and there’s no need to “fake” travel — booking a flight you don’t plan to take — to be eligible for the 48-hour Passport Canada expedited approval. mechanism
“This affects the whole system. There are a lot of people who did the right thing. They sent their passports in well in advance. Their applications are affected by anyone booking bogus travel,” Gould told the CBC in a phone interview Friday .
He had heard of the practice, but doubts it is widespread.
“I would be very disappointed to hear that, because that would put additional pressure on a system that is already under pressure,” Gould said.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, a man the CBC agreed to call Robert said he has spent the past 59 days organizing 10 employees to fill spots in lines for about 500 absentee passport applicants.
He said he has earned up to $1,000 a day offering this service.
No passport number is required to book many flights online
“Most of my clients book bogus flights just to get their passports and be able to drive there [the border]said Robert.
“You’re jumping through more hoops to drive [the border] to fly So what they do is book a fake flight. It’s usually Toronto to New York or Toronto to Miami, and within 24 hours they cancel it,” he said of his clients.
Several travel agencies and Air Canada confirmed that many flights can be booked online without a passport number and that a full fare or business class ticket is often refunded.
In Ontario and Quebec, a company has sprung up to deal with long waits for passport applications. Line riders are charged $40 to $60 an hour or a flat fee of about $240 to line up at dawn and hold an applicant’s place so they can apply for a Canadian passport or renewal. (Roger Thompson)
Other travelers head to Service Canada offices outside the province where lines aren’t as long, with some citing shorter waits in Halifax or St. John’s.
The photographer from St. John’s, Robert Young, is often asked to take passport photos.
He said lately more travelers from other parts of Canada are using passport processing services in Newfoundland.
“We’ve always had people come from the edges of the world, like Pangnirtung (Baffin Island), but now they’re coming from bigger cities,” Young said.
The government’s promised solution works
Gould said the lineups have eased with the hiring of 500 new employees, expanded hours and prioritization of applicants with imminent travel plans, within 48 hours.
On July 25, Service Canada expanded passport collection services, adding five more locations in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and BC to the existing 29 passport offices.
People line up at the passport office in downtown Vancouver on April 20. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
This and other measures, such as transferring application files to one of Service Canada’s 300 offices upon request, were aimed at reducing passport processing waits.
But many who mailed in applications last spring say change remains slow.
It’s difficult to get someone on the phone or get an accurate status of an application, according to many applicants, including Paula Langley, a Canadian living in the United States who applied for a new passport in April.
Upgrades hard to come by
“The biggest problem is that people can’t get an answer about where their passport is in the process. I think the problem is partly technological. They’re probably using outdated software. Other countries allow you to check your status in a online portal,” he said. Langley.
“It’s very difficult to even get someone on the phone to ask questions. The 1-800 number only hangs up when the call queue is too high.”
On the Passport Canada website, delivery is promised in 46 days or six and a half weeks. But anyone who needs a passport within two working days can go to specialist places that offer emergency service, if they have proof of travel.
The government’s plan was to ease delays, but he has been given the chance to jump the queue by booking and then canceling travel.
broken system
“It’s annoying,” said Leanne MacLeod, who runs Getaways by Leanne out of Toronto and offers online passport advice. What doesn’t help, he said, is booking a “fake” trip that you cancel to get travel documents.
“I’ve seen people recommend booking a refundable hotel and then canceling,” he said. “It’s really what’s holding the whole process back right now. For every person that comes forward, one person is affected.”
As of August 11, Passport Canada had processed 748,784 of the 1,092,560 passport applications submitted so far this year. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Taylor Bachrach, the New Democrat transportation critic, said the fact that people are trying to work around the system is proof that it’s not working.
“It shows how frustrated people are and how far they’re willing to go,” Bachrach said.
“If people have to ‘game’ the system to get their documents, that shows how broken the system is.”
People in his constituency of Skeena Bulkley Valley in northern British Columbia live a 12-hour drive from the nearest passport office.
Bachrach has a staff member who has spent the past few weeks helping constituents secure their passports.
Family trips at risk
“I have a constituent whose family had to travel to the United States, and we were able to work with the federal government to arrange for the passports to be collected. But he had to incur $2,000 in additional travel costs to get from here to Smithers, BC, to Victoria to pick up the passports… This obviously has a huge impact on people.”
Bachrach said these months of passport chaos are “unacceptable”.
The Ivens family from Terrace, BC saved for four years for a trip to Mexico. They are supposed to leave on August 27th, but need two passport renewals that were applied for on April 4th. Pictured left to right are (front) Finnley, Milla (back) Jaroslava, Maxwell and Joseph Ivens. (The Ivens Family)
“The surge in demand for passports was entirely predictable. But the Liberals failed to act even though they had months to prepare for the return trip.”
This lack of foresight has left many Canadians apprehensive, with only a few weeks of summer left. Joseph Ivens of Terrace, BC, applied to renew the passports of his two teenagers on April 4.
The family of five has been saving for four years for a trip to Mexico. The flight is booked for August 27, but the passports have not arrived.
The minister promises that family passports will arrive
The father-of-three said he has made hundreds of calls, multiple file transfer requests and appealed to his member of parliament. You may be forced to travel to Calgary or Vancouver at the last minute to try to secure travel documents so you don’t miss your vacation.
“It’s causing my family massive stress with loss of sleep. It’s tearing us apart,” Ivens said. “I have no choice.”
Gould, the minister responsible for passport services, told the CBC on Friday that Ivens will receive travel documents in time.
“He’s going to get his passport. I understand people are stressed, but everybody gets their passports on time,” Gould said.