Canada’s passport application backlog has been ‘virtually eliminated’ minister says

After months of delays and the federal government saying it moved “heaven and earth” to speed up passport processing, the minister responsible says the backlog in applications has been “virtually eliminated.”

Wait times for Canadians to receive their passports are back to pre-pandemic standards, Karina Gould announced Tuesday during a federal cabinet retreat in Hamilton, Ont. This comes, Gould said, as a result of increasing passport offices’ “processing capacity” and “streamlined operations.”

Passport delays stretched to several months and led to cancelled plans and travel headaches over the summer. There were also extended wait times to submit applications at passport offices, leading to many being held up for hours — and in some cases, camping out for days outside offices — to submit their paperwork.

The delays led to criticism and questioning of the federal government’s ability to deliver services to Canadians.

Gould said Tuesday those who have submitted their passport applications after Oct. 3, 2022, have seen pre-pandemic processing times, while extra staff continues to tackle the backlog from the summer and into September.

“Approximately 90 per cent of the backlog of applications have been processed, and the backlog is virtually eliminated,” Gould said.

For those who applied before Oct. 3, the wait time still varies to receive their passport, but clients can now have their application expedited without having to show proof of imminent travel.

According to Employment and Social Development Canada, the high application volume in the early half of last year, plus pandemic health and safety measures, lead to the buildup of applications and the backlog.