Devolin Column                                         

June 8, 2007

Passport Wait Times Decreasing

Recently, my staff and I completed another round of Passport Clinics, this time in Haliburton, Millbrook, Apsley, Woodville and Lindsay.

Turnout was steady, but we all noticed the crush we experienced during Passport Clinics in January has clearly dissipated.

For years, Passport Canada received about 14,000 passport applications each day. Turnaround was about 4 weeks for applications sent to Ottawa, and 10 days for applicants who visited regional offices (like Whitby).

Last fall, as we approached the date when the United States would require air travelers to have a passport, Passport Canada anticipated an increase in demand of about 20%. In preparation, they hired more staff and prepared for about 17,000 applications per day.

As it turns out, demand for passports in Canada increased even more dramatically – peaking at almost 25,000 in January – and this created a huge backlog.

As a result, wait times in Ottawa increased to 10 to 12 weeks, while regional offices had long lines and delivery slowed to 4 weeks.

At the same time, the ability of MP’s offices to expedite delivery of urgent requests was also severely strained. (Any of you who visited our office in the past 6 months can attest to this!)

After further hiring – and lots of overtime – it appears that the worst is behind us and we are on our way back to normal service.

Passport Canada can now process 20,000 applications each day, while inflow has slowed to 18,000. And Passport Canada continues to increase capacity so that the backlog will be cleared as quickly as possible.

For example, I heard in recent days from two parties who took their applications to Whitby and got their passports in less than 2 weeks.

You may have also heard that current U.S. law requires that, as of January 2008, everybody entering the United States – including those on foot or in an automobile - will require a passport.

That’s why I strongly advise anyone planning a winter getaway to apply for a passport as early as possible – because long lines may be coming back this fall if that American law goes into effect.