Here's what passport renewal lines look like across Canada (VIDEOS)
If you’re looking to renew your passport, you may have to camp outside a Service Canada passport office.
Passport renewal wait times have skyrocketed since COVID-19 public health restrictions have eased, and Canadians are sharing videos of the insane wait times.
“5:30 am. Our 2nd day at the [Passport Canada] Vancouver office. Dozens of people have been camping overnight and waiting for days for urgent passports,” one person tweeted Friday morning.
530am. Our 2nd day at the @PassportCan Vancouver office. Dozens of people have been camping overnight and waiting for days for urgent passports. No efforts to solve this ongoing issue from @ServiceCanada_E @CityofVancouver @VancouverSun pic.twitter.com/04n7yhwPRk
— :::artejc::: (@artejaco) April 29, 2022
And these lines have been the norm for the past month. This video from April 25 shows the crazy early morning lineup outside a passport office in Mississauga. A person in line told Daily Hive that when they got there at 6 am, about 100 people were already in line, and people were showing up as early as 3 am.
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According to Service Canada, from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, it issued 363,000 passports. However, this number has spiked to 1,273,000 passports issued from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.
“Service Canada recognizes that an increase in demand for passport services has resulted in lineups and longer wait times for service, and we understand the concern this may cause for clients,” Employment and Social Development Canada spokesperson Mila Roy told Daily Hive in an email.
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The federal government says it acknowledges that during the height of the pandemic, planning to renew passports was not top of mind for Canadians, but this decrease in passport applications results in the “higher-than-normal” surge now.
In Edmonton, TikTok user @my_name_is_charity shared a video of a line snaking around the Canada Place building.
“It’s still a zoo!!” the caption reads. “If you can’t get an app online wait there early, like 6 am.”
@my_name_is_charity #canadaplace #passport #yeg ♬ original sound – Mr. Wired Up
Someone in Vancouver took it into their own hands to organize the passport lineup with signs showing where people should fall in line if they need a passport within 24 hours or 48 hours.
@adriannapater Literally how hard is it to be clear, concise and provide proper signage of where one has line up. Had to come in at 2 am to orngaize the lines my damn self so that we could ACTUALLY be served. #governmentincompetence #passportcanada #passportcanada🇨🇦 #passportrenewal #justintrudeausucks #justintrudeauhastogo #bcpassport #mypassportphoto #downwiththegoverment #thegovernmentsuckshere #powertothepeople #withthepeople #absolutlyfuming #endthebacklog #backlog ♬ Spongebob Tomfoolery – Dante9k Remix – David Snell
Another person jokes about thinking they would make it to their 10 am tee time while showing the looping line.
@buildrecruitmentTrying to renew your passport in Canada be like….♬ Miami, My Amy – Keith Whitley
And others documented their six-hour wait times.
“Thank God I peed before coming here,” one TikToker joked.
@stacements I actually did really like that art piece tho. ❤️ #passportcanada #innermonologue #ottawa #nunavut #introvertinthewild #wombland ♬ Quirky – Oleg Kirilkov
@beezeema Passport Canada 🇨🇦 #canadianpassport#canadaservices #dropin#longeait#vancouver #canada #lineup#frustration #bookahead#5GForMe #MakeItCinematic #ThisisHowWeRoll ♬ Oh Canada 001-JP – The Ehs
For more specific information on wait times and how Service Canada has made it easier to renew passports, click here.
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