Ontario families left wondering if passports will arrive in time for booked trips

Service Canada said it’s hired 600 new employees and opened more counters at more than 300 passport offices to try and deal with the backlog of people waiting for their passports to be processed.

The delays have led to long line-ups outside passport offices, but it’s also created frustration and confusion for anyone who sent their birth certificates and other documents in the mail to get their passports.

"Now you cannot get a hold of anyone. You get a recorded message that says all the lines are busy and then they hang up on you," said Barbara Brooks of Toronto, who applied for a passport for her son Reid.

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Brooks said when she applied in March for her son’s passport, she was following the government guidelines to mail in her documents.

Her son’s trip to Iceland to celebrate his graduation is in a few weeks and she said she has still not received his passport.

“I can't do anything because they have the original documents so I can't go anywhere to wait in line, I just have to wait and hope that it comes in the mail,” Brooks said.

Caroline Morissette of Toronto is in a similar situation.

She’s trying to get two passports for her young daughters for a trip to visit her family in Portugal scheduled for June 9, 2022.

Morissette also applied in March and was told the passports should be delivered before they were scheduled to leave on their trip.

“I expected a reasonable turnaround and at the time they were saying about 20 business days, well now it’s been over eight weeks and they tell me they have no record of them even being on file,” Morissette said.

Morissette explained she doesn’t know what she will do if the passports don’t arrive as her documents are currently with Service Canada and she can’t take them to a government office to try and expedite her passport application.

“I'm just so anxious, I don't know what to do or how to get my documents back or how to get my children to go on this flight with me," said Morissette.

Service Canada said 75 per cent of those applying by mail will get their passport within 40 working days. At least 96 per cent of those applying in person will get them within 10 working days of submitting an application at a specialized site.

Anyone needing a passport within two days must visit a specialized site and bring proof of travel and pay extra fees for faster service.

CTV News Toronto reached out to Service Canada on behalf of Brooks and Morissette and they were able to expedite their passport applications.

Brooks was relieved to know her son’s passport is now in the mail and said “I feel like knowing it's on the way I can finally prepare for my trip and get excited about the trip and it feels like now it's actually going to happen.”

Morissette's passports for her daughters were fast tracked and she picked them up in time for her Friday flight and said “I now have the passports in hand and I am very grateful”

If you need a new passport, you should really consider getting one that is valid for 10 years. The backlog is likely to be around for awhile as more than four million Canadians are expected to apply for new passports over the next two years.