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Canadian Passport - Mail-In Application Timelines

$Navi$

Star Member
Jan 7, 2022
185
111
I was on call with a service agent and I was told that once the transfer request is made, the Ottawa office basically just sits & waits for the local office to decide if the application will be processed or not, so we essentially miss out on days of work, last time I called them they said both parties keep working on the file in parallel and now they told me only 1 party can work at one time. Also, what that means is that basically till its 24-48 hours left in urgent application my application is just dead with nobody working on the file :(
Sorry to hear that, it sucks. I hope you get your passport asap and passport offices start working seriously.
 

spetroun

Star Member
Mar 20, 2013
96
11
I completed 14 weeks today, entering 15th week tomorrow and I am currently on a call with the agent and she is saying she will send an email to the officer, by officer she means her supervisor and her supervisor will analyze and decide if she is supposed to get in touch with office, she is also saying that if I requested for local office, the supervisor will probably ignore my email and will not send it to the office asking for updates.
I was told that an email will be sent to the officer in Mississauga to action it because it has been over 15 weeks and not even touched.
Now I am concerned that it the officer is the supervisor as per your feedback and nothing will be done in a weeks time.
I will call in a weeks time again and see if something had changed in the application processing status.
 

sayedsameer84

Star Member
Oct 26, 2016
71
30
Hi All, I'll be applying for passport for my family (2 adults + 2 kids) by mail soon. A couple of basic questions -
(1) Can all four applications be sent in the same envelope?
(2) Do we need to print all pages of the passport application , or only the 1st 3-4 pages wherein we fill the details?
 

$Navi$

Star Member
Jan 7, 2022
185
111
I was told that an email will be sent to the officer in Mississauga to action it because it has been over 15 weeks and not even touched.
Now I am concerned that the officer is the supervisor as per your feedback and nothing will be done in a week.
I will call in a week again and see if something had changed in the application processing status.
Mine past 15 weeks too and they didn't even bother to touch it until then. When I called to know the status they make notes and it moved to production a few days ago, which is after 16 weeks and no one knows how long it's gonna be in production as the agent said it takes at least a couple of weeks before it mail-out but honestly, I don't trust their words anymore. As they say, it can take this long, which means it can take forever.‍ I wonder the government is not even talking about it, well-taking action is beyond thinking.
 
Last edited:

$Navi$

Star Member
Jan 7, 2022
185
111
Hi All, I'll be applying for passport for my family (2 adults + 2 kids) by mail soon. A couple of basic questions -
(1) Can all four applications be sent in the same envelope?
(2) Do we need to print all pages of the passport application or only the 1st 3-4 pages wherein we fill the details?
As much as I know, it's fine to send them in one envelope as long as you attach the supporting documents with each application individually.
You don't need all the pages. Just 1st 3 pages are the application form, the rest are instructions for your personal use. They don't need them.
 
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Komalpreet07

Newbie
Jul 11, 2022
3
1
Application received- April 25
Cc charged- may 13
Travel date- oct 10
It’s been 15 weeks and called 9201 number on July 27 and my application is still under review. I requested them for the transfer as I need another 6 weeks to apply for visa . I was being told that I’m gonna get a call until today from Mississauga location to come and pick up the passport but never got any. I called them again today and she’s saying they don’t know how long the transfer is going to take . Everytime you call them they have different answers . Now they want me to go to the passport office in person to request them to expedite the application . Don’t know what to do ??
 

Bains87

Hero Member
Sep 4, 2014
462
143
Application received- April 25
Cc charged- may 13
Travel date- oct 10
It’s been 15 weeks and called 9201 number on July 27 and my application is still under review. I requested them for the transfer as I need another 6 weeks to apply for visa . I was being told that I’m gonna get a call until today from Mississauga location to come and pick up the passport but never got any. I called them again today and she’s saying they don’t know how long the transfer is going to take . Everytime you call them they have different answers . Now they want me to go to the passport office in person to request them to expedite the application . Don’t know what to do ??
What date did you put for the passport transfer request? I am in similar boat, I have asked them to transfer request to local office and put the date of need as 12th August considering I need a visa for India travel which will take ~2 weeks with 2 weeks as buffer if things go bad, however I plan to line up with a new application if I don't receive a call before 10th, I would recommend the same for you as well.
 

Komalpreet07

Newbie
Jul 11, 2022
3
1
What date did you put for the passport transfer request? I am in similar boat, I have asked them to transfer request to local office and put the date of need as 12th August considering I need a visa for India travel which will take ~2 weeks with 2 weeks as buffer if things go bad, however I plan to line up with a new application if I don't receive a call before 10th, I would recommend the same for you as well.
What date did you put for the passport transfer request? I am in similar boat, I have asked them to transfer request to local office and put the date of need as 12th August considering I need a visa for India travel which will take ~2 weeks with 2 weeks as buffer if things go bad, however I plan to line up with a new application if I don't receive a call before 10th, I would recommend the same for you as well.
I told them the same date too . Should I wait until august 10 for the call ??
 

wabbitwabbit

Member
May 14, 2019
17
23

Bains87

Hero Member
Sep 4, 2014
462
143
Just saw this and they seem to have a new process for those who mailed in the application more than 20 business days ago and will be travelling within the next 20 business days.....


https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/07/minister-gould-announces-changes-to-transfer-requests-and-process.html


Has anyone tried this in-person transfer request at Service Canada?
This is just a transfer request option, which doesn't mean anything, this is just for people who cannot get through the call, also this guarantees nothing. I would rather have them working on something substantial like clearing applications that are due past 13 weeks as a start
 
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Bains87

Hero Member
Sep 4, 2014
462
143
I told them the same date too . Should I wait until august 10 for the call ??
Wait till that time otherwise they will send you back, is what was told to me, honestly i don't want to stand in line and then after 8 hours being sent back, i would rather be sure so that atleast they will hear me out
 

wabbitwabbit

Member
May 14, 2019
17
23
This is just a transfer request option, which doesn't mean anything, this is just for people who cannot get through the call, also this guarantees nothing. I would rather have them working on something substantial like clearing applications that are due past 13 weeks as a start
Oh really?.....I thought this is something new because they posted this last Friday July 29, 2022......just a few days ago..... of course, we all hope that they will clear the backlog asap......especially for those past 13 weeks......

Statement
July 29, 2022 Gatineau, Québec Employment and Social Development Canada

“The recent increase in passport demand combined with the longer processing times have resulted in a growing number of Canadians requiring their passport applications be transferred to local passport offices for processing in order to get them in time to travel. This has been stressful for Canadians and a challenging way for them to get their documents.

“To help make this process easier for Canadians, Service Canada has implemented a new process. As of now, 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 Centres to make a transfer request, in order to ensure their application is processed in time for their travel.

Previously, Canadians could only request transfers in person at one of 35 specialized passport sites (Service Canada Centre – Passport Services), or by contacting the call centre. This change gives Canadians an additional service option to make these requests.

“Depending on the date of travel, the application will either be expedited and the passport will be mailed to the client before the date required, or the file will be transferred to an office for printing and pickup.

“This change aims to reduce the number of urgent file transfers processed by passport offices and to minimize the burden on local printing facilities at those sites. It will speed up the processing of passport applications when the service standard has not been met and a file transfer has been requested as a result. We should also see a further reduction of lineups associated with urgent requests at passport offices. A proof of travel or need will be required.


https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/07/minister-gould-announces-changes-to-transfer-requests-and-process.html
 

Invincible84

Champion Member
Jun 20, 2016
1,027
463
Ontario
Category........
CEC
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
2171
App. Filed.......
06-02-2020
AOR Received.
04-03-2020
Thank you so much for sharing the valuable info. Do they need travel proof for transfer? I called them yesterday and the agent said it's in production and can take 2 more weeks before mailing out. I'm so confused if I should request a transfer or just wait for 2-3 weeks. BTW I applied on April 7th at a service Canada location.
yes they will need travel proof!