QUEBEC, QC, June 21, 2023 /CNW/ - Service Canada staff continue to work hard to improve services to Canadians by introducing new measures to improve passport service delivery.
Today, Service Canada has expanded the 10-day passport service to the Service Canada Centres in Gaspé, Lac-Mégantic, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and Saint-Georges bringing the total to 20 locations across the country that have been announced since last fall.
These 20 locations across the country offer 10-day passport service, where Canadians can apply for a passport and pick it up in 10 business days or receive it by mail (mail time not included). Canadians who need their passport in less than 10 business days need to visit a passport office that offers express or urgent pick-up service. Regular Service Canada Centres are meeting their service standards of 20 business days.
Effective immediately, there are 7 Service Canada Centres in Quebec where Canadians can apply for and pick up their passport in 10 business days:
The expansion of the 10-day passport service helps make passport services more accessible to all Canadians, with an end goal of providing the service within 50 km of the applicant's home.
Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, has announced that Service Canada is delivering nearly all passports within the 10- and 20-day targets respectively, with approximately 98% issued within service standards regardless of intake method. Additionally, since March 21, 2023, Canadians have been able to get real-time updates, 24 hours a day, on the processing of their applications through the online Passport Application Status Checker. There have been over 702,000 visits on the online status checker website. To have access to this tool, Canadians must include an email address on their application.
Quotes
"Service Canada is committed to constantly improving service quality, accessibility, and timeliness. We will continue to expand across the country the network of Service Canada Centres that offer 10-day passport pickup service, bringing service closer to home for all Canadians. We will continue to take important steps to modernize the passport system and provide the service Canadians deserve."
– Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould
Quick Facts
- In the 2022–23 fiscal year, Service Canada issued 3.35 million passports.
- For the 2023–24 fiscal year, between 4.3 and 4.9 million passports are forecast to be issued.
- Since the launch on August 15, 2022, Service Canada Centres offering 10-day passport service have processed over 103,000 passport applications.
- There are 20 Service Canada Centres now offering the 10-day passport service across the country:
- Barrie, Ontario
- Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
- Dryden, Ontario
- Fort McMurray, Alberta
- Gaspé, Quebec
- Kingston, Ontario
- Lac-Mégantic, Quebec
- Lethbridge, Alberta
- Moncton, New Brunswick
- Prince George, British Columbia
- Red Deer, Alberta
- Rimouski, Quebec
- Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
- Saint-Georges, Quebec
- Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
- Sherbrooke, Quebec
- Sudbury, Ontario
- Timmins, Ontario
- Trois-Rivières, Quebec
- Whitehorse, Yukon
- The service standard for in-person application and pickup at specialized passport offices is 10 business days. For mail-in applications and applications submitted at regular Service Canada Centres, the service standard is 20 business days. The performance target for application processing is for 90% of complete applications to be processed within these service standards.
- Passport Program statistics are published online, and all data is updated weekly.
Associated Links
Passport offices are prepared for the summer season, with new 10-day sites opened this spring
Passport application status checker
Canadian passports and travel documents
Find a Service Canada Office
Welcome to the eServiceCanada Appointment Booking Tool
Passport Program statistics
Service Canada (Passport Canada) on Facebook
Canadian Passport Program on Twitter
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For media enquiries, please contact: Philippe-Alexandre Langlois, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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