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Canadians can apply to renew their passports online beginning this fall
Say Goodbye to Long Lines: Canadians Can Now Renew Passports Online
Americans can now renew passports online. Canadians are still waiting
Americans can now renew their passports online, the U.S. government announced Wednesday — a service Canadians are still waiting for more than a year after it was promised.
The U.S. State Department said its online renewal system is now fully operational, after successfully testing it in pilot programs this summer. It will be available to adults whose passports have expired within the past five years or will expire in the coming year, but not for new passport applications, children’s passports, or renewals outside the U.S.
“By offering this online alternative to the traditional paper application process, the Department is embracing digital transformation to offer the most efficient and convenient passport renewal experience possible,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The department said it estimated that about five million Americans would be able to use this service a year.
Ottawa announced in May 2023 that starting that fall, Canadians with simple passport renewals would be able to apply online, pay fees and upload the necessary documents and passport photos on a secure government website.
But the season came and went without an announcement or any change to the passport renewal website, which still allows only renewal applicants to choose in-person or mail-in applications.
A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) wouldn’t provide a timeline for when the service will be available when asked by Global News.
“Online passport renewals are not available at this time; however, the Government of Canada is committed to offering secure online passport service options for Canadians in the near future,” a spokesperson said in an email Wednesday.
In November, when Global News asked IRCC for an update, a spokesperson said in an email that the department was “working on” launching an online passport renewal service “that is secure and protects data privacy.”
“We will proactively communicate when we have more information to share,” the spokesperson said at the time.
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The department has not explained a reason for the delay.
During the May 2023 announcement that also saw officials unveil a new Canadian passport design, Karina Gould — then the social development minister, now the government House leader — said there had been “internal” pilot tests on the online renewal system and suggested they had been successful.
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“We would never launch this project publicly until there is an assurance that those kinks have been worked through,” she said.
Other countries already offer online passport renewals, including the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Canada, the U.S. and other countries faced pressure to revamp their passport services after pent-up demand and staffing shortages from the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant backlogs and wait times for applications.
Canadians can apply to renew their passports online beginning this fall
Long lines and crowded waiting rooms also plagued passport offices and Service Canada Centres across the country, but the government was eventually able to reduce the backlog and said last January it was “virtually eliminated.” Service Canada now says it is meeting its service standards of delivering new passports within 10 to 20 days.
Gould said lessons learned from those pandemic-era delays, as well as ones created by a public service strike last spring, led to developing a digital renewal option.
“For people who are just doing a simple renewal of a valid passport, it will be a lot quicker and easier to process as well, because we already have that data in the system,” she said at the May 2023 press conference.
Canadian officials modernize passport renewal process after last year’s backlog
The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that most passport applications are now completed in far less than the advertised six weeks to eight weeks and the online renewal system is expected to further reduce that.
This is not going to be the last thing that we do,” she told reporters. “We want to see how this goes and then we’ll start looking at ways to continue to make this service available to more American citizens in the coming months and years.”
with files from Global’s Saba Aziz, the Canadian Press and the Associated Press
After months of backlogs, Canadians can now check their passport application status online
Until today, applicants could only call in to check the status of their applications
Canadians waiting anxiously for their passports to arrive before a trip abroad now have a new option to check the status of their applications.
The federal government launched a new online portal on Tuesday that allows recent applicants to see where their applications stand.
Passport offices became overwhelmed with applications last year as the government began to ease pandemic-related travel restrictions.
Karina Gould, the minister responsible for government services, announced in January that the backlog had been virtually eliminated.
Federal government announces online passport status tracker
23 hours agoDuration1:17Minister of Families Karina Gould says this is the first step in modernizing the system after months of delays due to a backlog.
On Tuesday, Gould said the backlog showed there was a need for an online status tracker.
It was something that became abundantly clear, and it’s a big lesson learned from [last year’s] situation,
she told reporters outside the House of Commons.
Previously, applicants had to phone a call centre to check on the status of their applications.
This new tool will shift many of these inquiries to an easy-to-use, self-serve digital solution,
she said. She said that Canadians will need to provide their email address with their application to access the new portal.
Asked why Canadians have been able to track mail packages online for years but not their passport status, Gould admitted it was a great question.
I asked the exact same thing when I became minister because I found it hard to believe that you could track your package through Canada Post or through Amazon, but we didn’t have that same opportunity for passports,
she said.
So the team has worked really hard at Service Canada to now provide this service.
Canada to Rollout New Passport and Online Renewal this Year
On May 10, 2023, the Federal Government introduced a new and revamped design for the Canadian passport.
The digital option will be quicker and easier for Canadians who need a simple renewal of a valid passport.
WHAT’S NEW?
Design: When placed under ultraviolet light, the new design reveals an outline of a maple leaf and artwork of Canada’s diverse population, landscapes, wildlife and four seasons.
Security: The new passport contains a polycarbonate data page, which is used in Canadian currency and drivers’ licenses.
The passport will also feature a see-through window with a second image of the passport-holder.
Personal information is engraved rather than printed with ink, which will make the passports more resistant to tampering and counterfeiting.
PASSPORT WAIT TIMES?
The federal government has resumed processing domestic passport applications.
As a result, Service Canada has been playing catch-up to the backlog of passport applications.
Canadians should expect longer lineups and processing times in the months ahead.
DID YOU KNOW?
Do You Need a Passport to Go to Canada? [Passport, NEXUS Card & More]
With constantly evolving travel regulations, it’s paramount to stay informed and prepared.
Turn a selfie into a compliant passport photo with help from Passport Photo Online.
- Take a selfie or upload a photo.
- Passport Photo Online’s AI checker will improve it.
- Our compliance experts will double-check the results.
- Download your digital copy or order prints. That’s it
What does it take to make a passport? Here’s a step-by-step guide
If you’ve applied for a passport this year — or put it off because of the hours-long queues outside Canada’s passport offices — you might have wondered why it’s suddenly so hard to get hold of one of those little blue books.
The federal government blames a sudden surge in passport applications, coming at the same time that pandemic-related health restrictions meant up to 70 per cent fewer staff could be onsite at its service centres and processing facilities, up until May of this year.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told CBC News that the backlogs aren’t related to the actual production of passports — a process that is shrouded in secrecy in order to prevent counterfeiting and fraud.
Service Canada says cameras aren’t permitted behind the counter in offices where passport applications are received or in the privately owned facilities where passports are made. It also declined an interview request from CBC News, but would not provide a reason why.
But the two agencies which oversee the bulk of the work provided information to help piece together the passport’s journey in Canada, from the moment you apply until you receive your new travel document.
Application stage
The first step involves filling out a form for a new child or adult passport, or a passport renewal form.
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Managers at passport offices and Service Canada centres have been “triaging” those who line up — sometimes for hours, only to be turned away — to make sure those with the most urgent travel get to the front of the queue. The agencies do not track how many clients are being turned away.
Travel within 2-45 business days:
Anyone planning to travel within 45 business days of application needs to visit one of the 35 passport offices across Canada and show proof of travel.
If you go this route, it can take up to two weeks, plus mailing time, to receive your new passport, though there are urgent and express pickup options available for those who are travelling sooner, for an added fee.
Travel after 45 business days:
Those with travel dates further away should instead go to one of the country’s 307 Service Canada centres equipped to handle passport documents, or mail in their application. On Wednesday, Social Development Minister Karina Gould said the government is planning to add passport processing at more Service Canada centres in the weeks ahead.
Given the current demand, it can take up to 13 weeks, plus mailing time, to receive your passport if you apply at a Service Canada centre or by mail. However, some Canadians have complained about waiting months in limbo, with no updates on their applications.
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It’s unclear when Canadians might be able to skip the line altogether and apply online. The government awarded IBM a contract to develop a digital application process in 2020. IRCC says a pilot project is ongoing.
Screening and security checks
Once an application is received, an officer analyzes the applicant’s eligibility for a passport, makes sure their personal information is complete, checks their photo and ensures that any documents provided are authentic.
If anything is missing, the client might be contacted to provide those details or documentation — or their documents might simply be sent back to them to start the application process again.
Service Canada says the most common errors on applications relate to information about:
- Past addresses.
- Past occupations.
- Guarantor and references.
- Identity documents.
