Toronto 
Service Canada has announced the resumption of all services at its Service Canada Centres and Passport offices following the end of the public service labour disruption.
Credit: Pexel
During the strike, Service Canada processed only passports that met essential criteria for emergency or humanitarian situations, receiving about 81% fewer domestic passport applications than predicted for the period, representing 27,900 applications nationally.
Although there is a backlog due to the labour disruption, Service Canada expects to recover quickly. However, the recovery period is expected to see an increase in application volumes, resulting in longer lineups at Passport offices, Service Canada Centres, and higher call volumes through the Passport call centre.
According to the news release, to manage the lineups at Passport offices and Service Canada Centres, Service Canada will prioritize clients with more urgent passport needs, including those who need to travel soon. Applicants are not required to arrive or line up before the opening of the offices to be served that day, and staff will manage the lines to serve clients throughout the day.
For clients who submitted an application during the labour disruption, Service Canada says they will process it and there is no need to reapply. Clients who applied before the labour disruption and whose application is currently being processed can contact the Passport Call Centre or visit a Passport Office to request prioritization if they have an imminent need.
Canadians can monitor the processing of their applications in real-time using the online passport status checker. The government’s service delivery standard is 10 business days for in-person passport applications received at a specialized passport office or at a Service Canada Centre offering 10-day service, and 20 business days for applications dropped off at a regular Service Canada Centre or received by mail.
Prior to the labour disruption, Service Canada had been issuing almost all passports within the 10- and 20-day service standards, with approximately 99% issued regardless of the intake method.
Service Canada encourages Canadians to use the most convenient service options that best suit their needs based on the urgency of their situations. This includes a network of over 300 Service Canada Centres that provide 20-day service for passport applications, 13 Service Canada Centres offering 10-day pick-up service for passports, and 36 specialized passport offices offering 10-day pick-up service.
