Service Canada continues to introduce a variety of new measures to improve passport service delivery and decrease wait times for Canadians as it works through unprecedented demands. The triage system introduced this summer in 17 of our 35 passport offices has made a significant impact in reducing lineups and redirecting Canadians to the appropriate means to access service. The average wait time at call centres has also improved, going from a peak of 108 minutes in April to 28 minutes last week.

Today, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, Marc Serré and Member of Parliament for Sudbury, Viviane Lapointe, announced the designation of the Sudbury Service Canada Centre as an additional passport pick-up location offering 10 day service. In addition, three other Service Canada Centres across the country have been designated as passport pick-up locations, including:

• Kingston, Ontario (Kingston Service Canada Centre
• Lethbridge, Alberta (Lethbridge Service Canada Centre)
• Sherbrooke, Québec. (Sherbrooke Service Canada Centre)

In addition to the existing passport offices offering pick-up service, Canadians with proof of travel can now both apply and request in-person pick-up of their passport at a total of eight Service Canada Centres. Unlike the regular Service Canada Centres, these eight locations offer 10-day service, which means that Canadians can apply for a passport in one of those locations and the passport will be available in 10 business days, either by mail or in person pick-up. If Canadians need their passport in less than 10 business days, they will need to visit a passport office that offers Express or Urgent pick-up service.

The expansion of pick-up sites will allow many Canadians who need to pick up passports to do so closer to their homes. Service Canada is fully committed to providing passport services within 50km of the home of Canadians. Also, more scheduled outreach sites that will provide certain passport services will be added in the coming weeks across the country.

Quotes

"The expansion of passport services at Sudbury’s Service Canada Centre is a game changer for residents in the Greater Sudbury - Nickel Belt area. The expansion of passport services will greatly decrease wait times in the region, improve accessibility and streamline the process for passport applications. Thank you to the Service Canada staff who have dedicated their time to finding solutions for residents in the north. "

Marc Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, MP for Nickel Belt

“Today is an incredibly exciting day for our community, and the north. The expansion of passport services at Service Canada is critical for our region. Not only will the expansion of services significantly improve accessibility of passport delivery, but it will also lead to a decrease in wait times."

Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury

Quick Facts 

• Since April 1, 2022, Service Canada has issued 912,236 passports.
• For the week of August 22 to 28, 2022, Service Canada has issued 54,667 passports.
• Started in the week of June 20, triage measures were implemented in 17 passport offices across the country.
• On July 25, Service Canada expanded the passport pick-up service to 5 additional passport offices: Brampton, Whitby, Pointe-Claire, Calgary Sundance and Richmond.
• On July 29, Service Canada announced that Canadians who provided a duly completed application by mail more than 20 business days ago, and are travelling within the next 20 business days, can visit any of over 300 Service Canada Centers to make a transfer request to ensure their application is processed in time for their travel.
• On August 17, Service Canada announced that Canadians with proof of travel can apply for and pick up their passport at Service Canada Centres in Trois-Rivières, Sault Ste. Marie, Charlottetown and Red Deer.

Associated Links

Canadian passports and travel documents

Find a Service Canada Office

Welcome to the eServiceCanada Appointment Booking Tool

Passport program statistics

Improving passport processing

Canadian passport program on Twitter

Contacts

Mohammad Hussain
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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