Canadian Passport Applications Could See Long Wait Times After The Federal Workers' Strike
Here's what you should know. 👇
A person holds a Canadian passport and boarding pass.
Is your Canadian passport expired? Passport offices in Canada are prepared to resume services following the strike of thousands of public service workers, but if you're in need of a renewal or application, you may have to wait.
On April 19, more than 155,000 federal workers walked off the job in one of the largest strikes in Canadian history.
The strike action affected numerous government services, including passport applications and renewals.
During the strike, many Canadians were unable to apply or renew their passport, unless they met criteria for humanitarian or emergency situations.
Canada's minister responsible for passports, Karina Gould, said on April 19 that residents should also expect delays in receiving their passports.
"A lengthened labour disruption may cause a backlog in passport processing, which may contribute to additional delays," she tweeted at the time.
On May 1, PSAC announced that it had reached tentative agreements for the workers it represents, effectively ending the strike.
Now, Employment and Social Development Canada says Service Canada and passport offices across the country are expected to see a high number of applications following the strike action.
In a press release on May 1, the government department said the higher number of applications could lead to "longer lineups at Passport offices, Service Canada Centres, and higher call volumes received through the Passport call centre."
Similar to the delays experienced in 2022, staff at Service Canada centres and passport offices will prioritize those with urgent needs, including upcoming travel.
If you're worried about a repeat situation where applicants will have to essentially camp out at passport offices, the government stressed that Canadians don't need to "arrive or line up prior to the opening of offices to be served that day."
How long does it take to get a passport in Canada?
Service Canada's delivery standard for regular passport applications submitted in Canada is 10 business days if the application is submitted in person at a passport office, or 20 days if submitted by mail or to a regular Service Canada centre.
For urgent applications, the government's standard is by the end of the next business day if you select urgent pickup, or 2-9 business days for express pickup. You can request both services after you apply.
The government says that before the strike, Service Canada was delivering nearly all passports within its delivery standard. However, the recovery from the labour disruption may result in "longer processing times in some cases" as the backlog in applications is cleared.
To find offices with 10-day processing, as well as check the walk-in wait times at passport offices, you can use a new feature on the government's website that allows people to see wait times at many Service Canada passport offices within the country.
Can I track my Canadian passport application?
In March, Gould announced that a new service for Canadians would make it simpler for them to check their passport application status, smoothing the process of preparing for future travel.
Now, Canadians who recently applied for a passport can check the status of their application online by using Service Canada's Passport Application Status Checker.
The tool allows Canadians to easily contact staff for answers to their questions about their passport, including its status.