As of August 11, a total of 1,092,560 passport applications had been submitted this year – with more than 550,000 of those applications having flooded in since April. Service Canada said it is prioritizing applications from people traveling immediately, increasing staff and processing facilities. Despite this, applicants say they spend thousands of dollars to travel to less busy passport offices – or even fake travel plans to speed up the process to overcome the backlog of 340,000 applications. A line of about 300 people formed before dawn outside this Service Center in Laval, Que., on July 30. (Gisela Frias) Federal officials say they are working to fix the problem.
Fake trips affect the entire system
Karina Gould, the minister responsible for passport services, said Canadians get their passports on time and don’t need to make “sham” trips — booking a flight you don’t intend to take — to be eligible for 48-hour emergency approval from the Passport Canada mechanism. “This is affecting the whole system. There are a lot of people who did the right thing. They sent their passports in much earlier. Their applications are being affected by anyone booking bogus travel,” Gould told the CBC in a phone interview on Friday. He had heard of the practice but doubts it is widespread. “I would be very disappointed to hear that, because that would put additional pressure on a system that is already under pressure,” Gould said. Meanwhile, in Toronto, a man the CBC agreed to call Robert said he has spent the past 59 days organizing 10 officials to reserve spots in groups for about 500 absentee passport applicants. He said he earned up to $1,000 a day offering this service.
No passport number is required to book many flights online
“Most of my clients book bogus flights just to get their passports so they can drive through [the border]said Robert. “You jump through more hoops to get across [the border] rather than flying. What they are doing is just booking a fake flight. Usually it’s Toronto to New York or Toronto to Miami and within 24 hours they cancel it,” he said of his clients. Many travel agents and Air Canada have confirmed that many flights can be booked online without a passport number and that full fare or business class tickets are often refundable. People lined up before dawn in Toronto on Victoria Street to try to apply for new or renewed passport documents on June 29. (Roger Thompson) Other travelers head to Service Canada offices outside the province where the lines aren’t as long, while some report shorter waits in Halifax or St. John’s. The photographer of St. John’s Robert Young is often called upon for passport photos. He said recently more travelers from other parts of Canada have been using passport processing services in Newfoundland. “We’ve always gotten people from the ends of the world — like Pangnirtung (Baffin Island) — but now they’re showing up from bigger cities,” Young said.
Fixing the government’s promises is working
Gould said lineups have been reduced by hiring 500 new employees, expanding hours and prioritizing applicants with upcoming travel plans within 48 hours. Back on July 25, Service Canada expanded its passport pickup services, adding five more locations in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and BC to its existing 29 passport offices. In Ontario and Quebec, a business has sprung up to deal with long waits for passport applications. Line workers charge about $40-$60 per hour or a flat fee of about $240 to stand in line at dawn and hold an applicant’s place so they can apply to get a Canadian passport or renewal. (Roger Thomson) This and other measures – such as transferring application files to one of Service Canada’s 300 offices upon request – were intended to reduce waits for passport processing. But many who sent in applications last spring say the recovery remains sluggish. It’s difficult to get someone on the phone or get an accurate status on an application, according to many applicants, including Paula Langley, a Canadian living in the U.S. who applied for a new passport in April.
Updates are hard to come by
“The biggest problem is that people can’t get an answer about where their passport is. I think the problem is partly technology. They’re probably using outdated software. Other countries allow you to check your status on an online portal Langley said. “It’s very difficult to even get someone on the phone to ask questions. The 1-800 number just hangs up because the caller line is so high.” On Passport Canada’s website, it promises delivery in 46 days or six and a half weeks. However, anyone who needs a passport within two working days can turn to specialist websites offering urgent services if they have proof of travel. The government’s plan was to reduce the backlog, but some were given the chance to jump the queue by booking and then canceling trips.
Broken system
“It’s upsetting,” said Leanne MacLeod, who runs Getaways by Leanne from Toronto and offers passport advice online. What doesn’t help, he said, is booking a “fake” trip that you cancel to get travel documents. “I’ve seen people recommend booking a refundable hotel and then cancel,” he said. “That’s really what’s holding the whole process back right now. For every person who steps up, someone gets hit.” People are pictured in long lines at the passport office in downtown Vancouver on April 20. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Taylor Bachrach, transportation critic for the New Democratic Party, said the fact that people are trying to work around the system is proof that it’s not working. “It shows how desperate people are and what they’re willing to do,” Bachrach said. “If people have to ‘game’ the system to get their documents, that shows how broken the system is.” People in his constituency of Skeena Bulkley Valley in North BC live a 12-hour drive from the nearest passport office. Bachrach has a staff that has spent the past few weeks dedicated to helping voters secure passports.
Family travel at risk
“I have a constituent whose family needed to travel to the United States and we were able to work with the federal government to arrange for the passports to be picked up. But he had to incur $2,000 in additional travel expenses to go from here in Smithers, BC, to Victoria to get the passports… That obviously has a big impact on people.” Bachrach said these months of passport chaos are “unacceptable”. As of August 11, Passport Canada had processed 748,784 of the 1,092,560 passport applications submitted so far this year. (Ben Nelms/CBC) “The increased demand for passports was entirely predictable. But the Liberals failed to act despite having months to prepare for the return journey.” This lack of foresight has left many Canadians worried, with summer just weeks away. Joseph Ivens of Terrace, BC, applied to renew his two teenagers’ passports on April 4. The family of five has been saving up for a trip to Mexico for four years. The flight is booked for August 27, but the passports have not arrived.
Minister promises that family passports are coming
The father-of-three said he has made hundreds of calls, numerous file transfer requests and appealed to his member of parliament. He may have to travel to Calgary or Vancouver at the last minute to try to secure travel documents so the vacation is not lost. “It’s causing my family tremendous stress with the loss of sleep. It’s breaking us,” Ivens said. “I have no recourse.” Gould, the minister responsible for passport services, told the CBC on Friday that Ivens will receive travel documents in time. “He’s going to get his passport. I understand people are stressed, but everyone gets their passport on time,” Gould said.
