News release June 6, 2023, 11:30 a.m.—Winnipeg—Canada is a destination of choice for people looking to visit, do business or reunite with family and friends. That’s why we are committed to improving our immigration programs and services by making them more efficient and equitable for people around the world. The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees...

News release June 21, 2023 Gatineau, Quebec              Employment and Social Development Canada Passport delivery has returned to pre-pandemic processing times, there are no backlogs, and Service Canada is exceeding its delivery standard for most applications. While there was a minor impact on passport processing during the public service labour disruption...

Daniel Otis | CTVNews.ca Writer – May 1, 2023 Passport services are set to resume following the end of the federal public service strike, the federal government has announced. “While the labour disruption has had impacts on passport services, we are in a strong position to recover quickly, address any new backlogs or delays, and ensure...

Josh Pringle CTV News Ottawa Digital Multi-Skilled Journalist, Published April 21, 2023 10:56 a.m. EDT The president of the Treasury Board says she’s confident a deal will be reached at the bargaining table, as 155,000 public service workers spend a third day on the picket line. The Public Service Alliance of Canada launched a Canada-wide strike...

CBC News · Posted: Apr 13, 2023 Job action could affect many departments and agencies without notice Nearly 124,000 employees under the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) entered a legal strike position Wednesday and about 35,000 more joined them Friday. Even when factoring in that tens of thousands of those workers are deemed essential, and can’t strike, the union said more than...

The Canadian Press, Posted Mar 21, 2023 Families Minister Karina Gould announced Tuesday the federal government has now “completely eliminated” the backlog of passport applications that caused major delays — and major political strife — last year. She also announced Ottawa is launching a new digital tool that will allow Canadians to check the status...

Rebecca Zandbergen · CBC News · Posted: Jun 28, 2022 There are 9,365 Canadian passports with XXX listed in the given-name field, IRCC says Safa Khan didn’t think her Canadian passport would prove to be such a hassle when she first moved from Delhi to London, Ont., nearly 10 years ago. Khan received her Canadian passport earlier this year...

Hayatullah Amanat  Updated Jan. 11, 2023 7:43 a.m. EST Published Jan. 10, 2023 9:05 p.m. EST A report from U.K.-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners reveals that for the fifth year running Japan has the world’s most powerful passport, with Canada also near the top of the list. The report, based on data from...

Megan Devlin | Jan 9 2023 The Canadian federal government is still dealing with a substantial backlog of mail-in passport applications after a surge in demand and slim staffing led to massive delays last year. There’s currently a backlog of nearly 40,000 mail-in passport applications that still need attention, according to a spokesperson for Employment...

Kenneth Chan  Dec 31 2022 With surging cases of COVID-19 in China, the Government of Canada announced Saturday afternoon travellers by aircraft from China will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter the country. The policy applies to all air passengers who are two years of age and...

Marie-Danielle Smith  The Canadian Press – Posted August 17, 2022 The federal government is adding new passport service locations across Canada as a backlog in processing applications continues. Social Development Minister Karina Gould announced Wednesday that people can now apply for and pick up passports at Service Canada centres in Red Deer, Alta., Sault Ste...

Spencer Van Dyk – CTV News parliamentary bureau writer, producer – Aug 15, 2022 Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould is discouraging people from making fake travel plans just to skip the line of those waiting for passports. Gould said she’s heard anecdotally that some people may be booking imminent travel in...

Statement July 25, 2022 Gatineau, Québec “Service Canada staff are working hard to provide passports to Canadians as quickly as possible. At the same time, staff are doing everything they can to give Canadians a better service experience as they go through the passport process.“To help improve that service experience, today we have expanded passport pick-up...

By Nicholas Keung Immigration Reporter  Fri., July 15, 2022 Ottawa has failed to issue passports within the required timeline to almost 300,000 Canadians in the first year of a new fee-remission policy brought in by immigration officials to ensure service standards are met. According to the Service Fees Act, when an individual pays for a government...

Purpose scope and focus of the evaluation The evaluation of the Passport Program was conducted in fulfilment of requirements of the Treasury Board 2016 Policy on Results, as well as commitments in various Treasury Board Submissions. Led by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the evaluation was conducted in collaboration with Employment and Social Development...

Christopher Nardi  Publishing date:  Jul 15, 2022 The 2020 report said the ‘single greatest improvement’ to the passport program would be an online portal to submit applications. That has not been created OTTAWA – An internal evaluation of Canada’s passport service was warning even before the pandemic that processes were using the “least efficient” delivery...

Sofia Misenheimer  MTL Blog, Staff Writer  July 12, 2022 New measures from the federal government could improve wait times for people looking to get a passport in Canada. High demand for several months has resulted in processing backlogs that have seen Quebecers waiting for days and, in some cases, camping outside of Service Canada offices to get new...

Article author: Isabelle Docto  Jun 27 2022, 5:38 pm Canadians who want a romantic getaway to Paris will need to pay a fee starting next year. The European Union (EU) announced the launch date for its new visa waiver system called the European Travel Information Authorization System (ETIAS) last week. It was created to track visitors from the 63 countries...

Ukraine immigration measures: Financial assistance The federal government is offering financial assistance to help newly arrived Ukrainian families who are in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET). The assistance is a one-time, non-taxable benefit. It’s to take care of your basic needs while you get settled in Canada. Apply online   Who...

By Simon Little & John Hua  Global News  Posted May 25, 2022 Backlogs and bottlenecks in passport processing through Service Canada appear to be causing problems for clients seeking other core services through the facilities, such as death benefits or employment insurance. Lower Mainland resident Kim Boechler told Global News she waited more than 13 hours cumulatively over...

Brooklyn Neustaeter  CTVNews.ca Writer   Published May 13, 2022 1:52 p.m. EDT Many Canadians are reporting lengthy delays and wait times at passport offices as the federal government works to process almost a million more applications over the past year. After issuing only 363,000 passports between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, Employment and Social Development...

CTVNews.ca  Staff / Published May 5, 202 As eager Canadians look to travel following two years of pandemic restrictions, long wait times for renewed passports may be hampering some vacation plans. Many Canadians are reporting lengthy delays at passport offices as the federal government works to process thousands more applications over the past year. A resurging...

Dave Charbonneau CTV News Ottawa May 3, 2022 When the federal government loosened COVID-19 restrictions for international travel, Canadians rushed to the passport office, causing massive backlogs. Months later, those backlogs are still happening. Tesh Naidoo owns Sooter’s Photography, right beside the passport office. “It’s been pretty busy,” says Naidoo. “There’s a lot of work...

Helena Hanson The feds warn that not all countries accept the neutral gender identifier. Since 2019, Canadians have been able to identify as gender “X” on their passports. However, the feds continue to warn that doing so could make travelling overseas more complicated. Several years ago, the federal government made it possible for individuals who do not...

Michael Lee – Published April 21, 2022  A resurging interest in travel has seen the number of Canadian passports issued over the past year more than triple, in some cases resulting in longer wait times, the latest figures from the federal government show. In a statement, a spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada, which oversees...

By Declan Finucane | Published April 5, 2022 The huge lineups at the Mississauga Service Canada Centre (Passports) location at Central Parkway Mall, on Burnhamthorpe Rd. E., wrap around the entire mall and come after the Canadian government lifted COVID-19 air travel restrictions on April 1. If you know anything about Central Parkway Mall the photo...

Ben Cousins CTVNews.ca Writer Published Wednesday, March 23, 2022 Canadians anxious for international travel are facing some lengthy wait times for passports due to a surge in applications. According to Employment and Social Development Canada, processing time for a passport is five business days for those applying in person and 17 business days for those...