The trip has not been stress-free for many Canadians since the COVID-19 measures began to ease earlier this year.
Many were delayed by major airports this spring, with some waiting for hours for health checks and customs to pass.
Meanwhile, for those not at the airport, trying to obtain a new passport to plan these trips abroad has been painful. For weeks, many Canadians have been seen waiting in line at Service Canada offices to obtain much-needed travel documents.
So what exactly is happening and what is being done to solve the problem? Here’s what we know.
The unprecedented demand for Canadian passports has slowed processing times, leaving impatient passengers unaware before the summer travel season.
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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many Canadians have been forced to postpone their travel plans due to measures imposed to limit the spread of the new disease.
More than two years later, many of these restrictions have been lifted and passengers are eager to travel abroad, but some must obtain their documents to do so.
Read more: Canadians get involved in the accumulation of passports, which delays travel plans for the summer
Authorities are preparing to increase the demand for passports by easing border measures for COVID-19, which they have eased several times this year.
But because many Canadians want to travel abroad, some passport seekers say they have been forced to camp outside service centers or reschedule trips due to bureaucratic difficulties.
News of long delays in Canadian passport services began to appear in April, with Global News reporting a jump in passport renewals at the time.
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As of April 1 this year, Service Canada has issued 317,000 passports. For comparison, between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, 363,000 passports were issued.
From 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, this number increased to 1,273,000 passports issued, with over 960,000 issued between 1 September 2021 and 31 March 2022.
1:49 Some Canadians are experiencing passport delays Some Canadians are experiencing passport delays – April 7, 2022
Service Canada expects to receive 3.6 million to 4.3 million passport applications in fiscal 2022/2023, a spokesman for Global News Friday said.
Despite the longer processing time, for the week ending June 5, 75% of Canadians who applied for a passport received it within 40 working days, and 96% of Canadians received their passport within 10 working days after submitting the application in person, the spokesman added.
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However, entering the door to these places is proving to be a challenge for some Canadians, jeopardizing their travel plans.
How does it affect Canadians?
In Edmonton on Thursday, Melissa Hansen and Briana Rosin drove from Fort McMurray to try to renew their passports at the Canada Place office.
They both heard about the long queues and delays and the full sunbeds waiting for them.
“We’ve been driving since 10 last night to come here and now we’re here to wait in line,” Hansen told Global News.
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“We’re traveling to Vegas next month, so in less than 40 days, so hopefully we can get it today, but we don’t have an appointment, so we’re just trying to do it.”
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1:51 Alberts face long waits at Edmonton’s passport office: “It’s not my first early morning” Alberts face long waits at Edmonton’s passport office: “It’s not my first early morning”
Noah Huang also had plans to travel in July and had 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 we can get a chance,” Huang told Global News.
Last week in Montreal, hundreds of residents brought camping chairs, blankets and sleeping bags to receive a personal passport renewal.
“You think you’ll be first at 2am, but that’s not the case,” Didier Sir told Global News on June 2nd.
“We came here yesterday at 7:30 in the morning, thinking that an hour earlier was enough. The line is already wrapped around the building. “
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2:10 Hundreds line up at the Montreal Passport Service because there are outstanding debts in Serivce Canada Hundreds line up at the Montreal Passport Office because there are outstanding debts in Serivce Canada – June 2, 2022
In British Columbia last month, Avang Narjali, who was five months pregnant, was camping in front of a passport office with her one-year-old father, father and cousin, hoping for a chance to get her documents.
“We showed up here yesterday at 5 am and stayed here for one night. It was awful, “she told Global News on May 18.
“I came in and asked them to help us, but they just keep giving us the same answer.
2:09 The long queues and the disappointment in the passport services of BC continue The long queues and the disappointment in the passport services of BC – May 18, 2022
So when can Canadian travelers expect relief?
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The recent jump in demand seems to surprise employees.
“The fact is that while we were expecting an increase in volume, this huge jump in demand was ahead of forecasts and ahead of capacity,” Karina Gould, Minister of Family, Children and Social Development, told a parliamentary committee on May 30th.
“We know that many people have been put in very difficult circumstances. That’s why I ordered the employees to work as hard as possible to meet the demand. “
Read more: Disappointment and lineups continue to grow in many places in Service Canada
Like many sectors across the country, the travel and tourism industry is currently experiencing labor shortages, said Beth Potter, president and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Industry Association.
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“What we are learning from the government is that they had to readjust many of these positions – positions that were either redirected or people left during the pandemic,” she told Global News.
“We asked the government to consider where they can streamline their processes so that we can tackle the backlog and how they can increase the human resources they are applying to this problem. … There is a large intake of things they really need to speed up as quickly as possible. ”
Last month, Service Canada announced that it had hired 600 new staff to help process passport applications, opened more specialized passport reception desks at Service Canada locations, set up more processing centers and introduced a new system for processing passports. load management and processing technology to increase efficiency.
1:56 Trudeau says the government is taking action to tackle the accumulation of passport applications Trudeau says the government is taking action to tackle the accumulation of passport applications – May 24, 2022
Service Canada continues to hire and train more staff, including the integration of up to 600 new employees during the year and the reassignment of up to 600 employees to provide passport services, the spokesman said.
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“In addition, the Passport, Processing and Call Center teams work overtime every day and on weekends, such as the opening of some Service Canada centers on Saturdays to provide passport services,” the spokesman added.
Also, 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 guarantor or must provide their original documents as proof of citizenship or photo identity. Now they need two photos, two references, their completed form and the applicable fees.
“We understand that this situation is difficult and stressful. “The minister has ordered staff to work as hard as they can to meet demand and investigate operations to ensure they are doing their best,” a Gould spokesman told Global News in an email.
“The minister has traveled around the country, visited Service Canada sites and heard directly from frontline employees about the challenges they face.
Read more: BC family says delaying passport renewal ends up costing them $ 3,000
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