What to know
- Canada’s Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced that passport renewals will be guaranteed within 30 days starting April 1, or applicants will automatically receive a refund.
- The 30-day processing commitment, overseen by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, was originally promised for March 2025 but was delayed until this year.
- If a renewal takes longer than 30 days, applicants will receive a refund without needing to take any additional action.
- The announcement, which comes ahead of passport fee increases on March 31, sparked mixed reactions online, with some praising the move and others criticizing the timeline as too long.
A federal official says Canadians will be guaranteed their passport renewals within the first 30 days following application, or they’re entitled to a refund.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab made the announcement in an X post on Tuesday evening, revealing that renewals will be processed within 30 days beginning next month.
Officials initially pledged to instate this guarantee in March 2025, but the decision was pushed into the new year.
If a passport renewal exceeds 30 days, a refund will be issued automatically to the applicant, with no action required.
This decision comes alongside the passport cost increases, being implemented on March 31.
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Reaction
Many social media users are reacting to Diab’s announcement.
“Thats what true ownership is, thank you Minister [Diab],” said one X user.
“Great initiative,” said another X user.
While some users were hesitant by the decision.
“You don’t get credit for fixing a problem your government created,” said one X user.
Another X user believed a month was a long time.
“Anyone else who meant it would have made it 10 business days, period,” they said.
The new 30-day guarantee begins April 1.
