Canada has created a new site where people can now check the status of their passport application with a few clicks online.
Karina Gould, the federal minister of Families, Children and Social Development, announced on Tuesday the launch of a new online Passport Application Status Checker.
Service Canada worked with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Shared Services Canada and Canadian Digital Service to develop this new tool.
“We continue to work hard to modernize and improve our services to Canadians. The Passport Application Status Checker is a new, easy-to-use tool that allows Canadians to check the status of their passport applications online, 24 hours a day. Providing Canadians with a convenient option to obtain timely information about their passport application is one of several ways we are improving the client experience for passport applicants,” Gould said in a statement.
The government’s service delivery standard is 10 days to process in-person passport applications received at specialized passport offices and 20 days for applications submitted by mail or dropped off at a Service Canada Centre.
“Because of additional staffing, increased overtime and improved efficiency, Service Canada is delivering most passports by its 10- and 20-day targets, achieving a 96% and 98% rate for complete applications, respectively,” Employment and Social Development Canada said in a news release.
On Aug. 15, 2022, the government launched a 10-day passport pick-up service at 13 Service Canada Centres across the country. Service Canada is exploring adding this service to other centres across the country.
The government says Service Canada is prepared for upcoming seasonal peaks and renewal applications to begin for the first set of passports with 10-year validity, which were issued in July 2013.
In January, the government said its passport backlog was virtually eliminated following an overwhelming demand for the documents after travel restrictions were eased amid improving conditions in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, the government announced it can “officially say the backlog has been completely eliminated.”
Since Apr. 1, 2022, Service Canada has issued more than three million passports. For 2023 to 2024, the government expects to process between 4.3 to 4.9 million passports.
