Traveling has not been stress-free for many Canadians since COVID-19 measures began to ease earlier this year.
Many have been affected by delays at major airports this spring, with some waiting for hours to clean up sanitation and customs controls.
Meanwhile, for those who are not at the airport, attempts to obtain a new passport to plan these trips abroad have been unbearable. For weeks, many Canadians have been waiting in line outside of Service Canada offices to obtain their much-needed travel documents.
So what exactly is going on and what is being done to fix the problem? This is what we know.
Unprecedented demand for Canadian passports has caused delays in processing times, putting anxious travelers in limbo ahead of the summer travel season.
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Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many Canadians have been forced to suspend their travel plans due to measures imposed to limit the spread of the new disease.
More than two years later, many of these restrictions are being lifted and travelers are eager to travel abroad, but some need their documentation to do so.
Read more: Canadians involved in delaying passports delaying summer travel plans
Officials have been preparing for an increase in passport demand with the relaxation of COVID-19 border measures, which have been reduced several times this year.
But because many Canadians are looking to travel abroad, some passport applicants say they have been forced to camp outside service centers or reschedule travel because of bureaucratic bottlenecks.
News of long delays in Canadian passport offices began to emerge in April, and Global News reported an increase in passport renewals at the time.
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As of April 1 this year, Service Canada has issued 317,000 passports. In comparison, between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, 363,000 passports were issued.
From April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, that number grew to 1,273,000 passports issued, with more than 960,000 issued between September 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022. .
1:49 Some Canadians experience passport delays Some Canadians suffer passport delays – April 7, 2022
Service Canada expects to receive between 3.6 and 4.3 million passport applications during fiscal year 2022/2023, a spokesman told Global News on Friday.
Despite the longest processing times, during the week ending June 5, 75% of Canadians applying for a passport received it within 40 business days, and 96% of Canadians received it. your passport within 10 working days of submitting the application in person, the spokesman added.
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However, entering the doorstep of these places is proving to be a challenge for some Canadians, which is jeopardizing their travel plans.
How is it affecting Canadians?
In Edmonton on Thursday, Melissa Hansen and Brianna Rosin drove from Fort McMurray to try to renew their passport at the Canada Place office.
The two knew how to talk about long queues and delays and prepared lawn chairs for their wait.
“We drove from 10am yesterday to come here and now we’re here to wait in line,” Hansen told Global News.
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“We’re going to travel to Las Vegas next month, so in less than 40 days, so we hope to be able to get it today, but we don’t have an appointment, so we’re just doing a little bit.”
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1:51 Albertans face long waits at the Edmonton Passport Office: “It’s not my first first hour of the morning” Albertans face long waits at the Edmonton Passport Office: “It’s not my first morning”
Noah Huang also had travel plans for July and needed to renew his passport. He spent seven hours in line on Wednesday and returned Thursday morning hoping for the best.
“I did not enter (Wednesday). “We have to come here around 5 in the morning so that we may have a chance,” Huang told Global News.
Last week in Montreal, hundreds of residents brought camping chairs, blankets and sleeping bags to get a passport renewal in person.
“You think you’ll be the first at 2 in the morning, but that’s not the case,” Didier Cyr told Global News on June 2.
“We came here yesterday at 7:30 in the morning thinking that an hour in advance was enough. The line was already around the building.”
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2:10 Hundreds line up outside Montreal passport office as Serivce Canada lags behind Hundreds line up outside Montreal passport office as backlog persists Serivce Canada – June 2, 2022
In British Columbia last month, Avang Narjali, who was five months pregnant, camped in front of a passport office with her one-year-old son, her father and her cousin hoping to get a chance to get your documents.
“We showed up here at 5am yesterday and spent the night here. It’s been awful,” he told Global News on May 18th.
“I’ve been coming in and asking them to help us, but they keep giving us the same answer.”
2:09 Long Rows and Frustration Continue in BC Passport Offices Long Rows and Frustration Continue in BC Passport Offices – May 18, 2022
So when can Canadian travelers expect relief?
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The recent rise in demand seems to have taken officials by surprise.
“The fact is that while we anticipate an increase in volume, this massive increase in demand has exceeded expectations and exceeded capacity,” Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, told a parliamentary committee on 30 May.
“We know a lot of people have been put in very difficult circumstances. And that’s why I’ve told officials to work as hard as they can to meet demand.”
Read more: Frustration and alignments continue to grow in many Service Canada locations
Like many sectors across the country, the travel and tourism industry is currently suffering from a labor shortage, said Beth Potter, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
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“What we are learning from the government is that many of these positions have had to be renewed: positions that were redirected or abandoned by people during the pandemic,” he told Global News.
“We have asked the government to study where they can streamline their processes so that we can resolve the backlog and how they can increase their human resources they are applying to this problem.… There are a lot of things they really need to speed up as quickly as possible. possible “.
Last month, Service Canada announced that it had hired 600 new employees to help process passport applications, opened more dedicated passport reception desks at Service Canada locations, created more processing centers, and introduced a new workload management system and processing technology to increase efficiency.
1:56 Trudeau says government is taking steps to address delays in passport applications Trudeau says government is taking steps to address delays in passport applications – May 24, 2022
Service Canada continues to hire and train more employees, including the integration of up to 600 new employees throughout the year and the reassignment of up to 600 employees to the passport service, the spokesman said.
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“In addition, passport office equipment, processing centers and call centers work overtime every day and on weekends, such as opening some Service Canada centers on Saturdays to provide passports, “the spokesman added.
In addition, Service Canada has created a new process for applicants to renew an expired passport if it has been issued in the last 15 years. Applicants no longer need a guarantee and do not have to present their original documents, such as proof of citizenship or photo identification. They now need two photos, two references, their completed form, and applicable rates.
“We understand that this situation is difficult and stressful. … The minister has ordered officials to work as hard as possible to meet demand and examine operations to make sure they are doing everything they can, “a Gould spokesman told Global News in an email .
“The minister has been traveling the country, visiting Service Canada locations and listening directly to front-line staff about the challenges they face.”
Read more: BC family says delays in passport renewal ended up costing …