A week after announcing that nearly 137,000 passports had been held since November 8, this figure is now around 185,000 passports. This is an increase of 48,000 pending documents in one week.
In a response sent to Noovo Info by email, Service Canada says it anticipates further increases in the number of requests to be processed in view of the holidays and claims to have deployed “additional resources accordingly”.
“This is a normal phenomenon that occurs during periods when people travel more,” it says.
Service Canada warns that queues may form at in-person service points due to delays, as people with planned trips turn to the Passport Program and rush to one of the Service offices Canada.
To address this crisis, Service Canada says it now offers “passport services at regular mobile service sites to meet the needs in rural and remote communities.”
At the beginning of November, Service Canada temporarily suspended the sending of passport packages “in view of a possible interruption of postal service.”
“By holding residential mail several days before a work stoppage, Service Canada has reduced the risk of passports being held at Canada Post distribution centers.”
– Extract from a written comment from Service Canada
See also – Passports and Canada Post: “we feel held hostage”
What to do if your passport has been detained?
If you’re not in a hurry to receive your passport, just wait until the Canada Post strike is over. Passports held by Service Canada will be mailed once the postal service interruption has ended and regular postal service has resumed.
If you have a trip planned and need your passport more quickly, you can call the Passport Program [1-800-567-6868] to request that your documents be transferred to one of the 60 Service Canada offices offering pickup service.
“There is no established wait time for transfer requests. In fact, the pickup date is set based on the travel date of the customer requesting the transfer or their needs. The transfer can even be done the same day in case of emergency. Proof of travel or need is required to obtain this service,” explains Service Canada.
For people who need to apply for a passport in the coming days – or weeks – please note that during the interruption of postal service at Canada Post, the processing of applications and printing of passports continues.
“Customers can still go to one of the Service Canada offices to apply for a passport in person. Canadians who will be traveling over the next 6 weeks must submit their passport application as soon as possible at a Service Canada service point that offers service within 10 business days to avoid any delays,” says Service Canada.
Those who will be traveling in more than 6 weeks can go to a Service Canada Center that offers the service within 20 business days to submit their request.
“If a customer mailed their passport application just before the Canada Post work stoppage began, Service Canada may not have received the application. In these cases, Service Canada will not be able to process these requests until postal service resumes,” concludes Service Canada.
-With information from Émilie Clavel and Jennifer Gravel for Noovo Info
