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Canadian Passport in person timeline

Manny2

Star Member
Oct 13, 2023
150
135
My advice to anyone applying for passport (fresh or renewal), stay away from Service Canada with no passport office, except you have no choice of going to a Passport Office and can wait for one month or more to receive your passport. If you do have a choice, please apply directly at the passport office, it's faster and seamless. Service Canada with no passport office will normally receive your application and forward it to a passport office for processing - the delays in-between transit contribute to the processing times (the reason they tell you 20 business days or more). I understand that not everyone can access passport office due to their locations, but like I said, if you have a choice, passport office will be your sure bet. But then again, you could be lucky to receive it sooner if you apply at Service Canada, but not guaranteed
After the lady informed me that it would take 4 weeks to receive my passport and asked if I wanted to proceed, I should've left at that point.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,276
8,887
My advice to anyone applying for passport (fresh or renewal), stay away from Service Canada with no passport office, except you have no choice of going to a Passport Office and can wait for one month or more to receive your passport. If you do have a choice, please apply directly at the passport office, it's faster and seamless. Service Canada with no passport office will normally receive your application and forward it to a passport office for processing - the delays in-between transit contribute to the processing times (the reason they tell you 20 business days or more). I understand that not everyone can access passport office due to their locations, but like I said, if you have a choice, passport office will be your sure bet. But then again, you could be lucky to receive it sooner if you apply at Service Canada, but not guaranteed
So true. Service Canada does NOT process your passport. They'll help you fill out the form and then they basically just send it to the passport office.

Nothing wrong with that if you're not in a rush, and no complaints about the service (if you know what it is you're getting). But they are most emphatically not the same thing.
 

WhiteMocha

Hero Member
Mar 16, 2021
338
151
Category........
CEC
NOC Code......
4011
Job Offer........
Yes
AOR Received.
15-05-2021
LANDED..........
14-12-2018
We have applied passport from a Passport Office on March 13. I got received my passport only yesterday, and my wife, which we have applied together at the same time, system still shows "We are processing..." for her. They supposed to ship our passports March 27 the latest, that's what the office told us
 

Solid_Rock

Star Member
Jan 13, 2024
111
51
Canada
Category........
Other
I just spent 2 hours on hold to service canada (passport line ), only to get told they can't help me and forwarded me to another line for another 30 minutes, then I hung up.
Call this number: 800-567-6868. If you are lucky, you will wait for 1hr to speak to someone. If you have about 400+ calls ahead of you, consider 2hrs.

Follow the options, the tricky part, which you could miss while listening to the options, is when they ask you to press 2 to speak to an agent to check the status of your application. You have to listen to this part carefully, as it is not an option on its own, but hidden within another option.
 
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smithy2024

Star Member
Jan 2, 2024
53
25
Call this number: 800-567-6868. If you are lucky, you will wait for 1hr to speak to someone. If you have about 400+ calls ahead of you, consider 2hrs.

Follow the options, the tricky part, which you could miss while listening to the options, is when they ask you to press 2 to speak to an agent to check the status of your application. You have to listen to this part carefully, as it is not an option on its own, but hidden within another option.
You are totally right, when I rang yesterday I had 452 people in front of me, took me 2 hours to get through. Then they said they couldn't help me because of it being a new passport application and that they'd put me on hold for someone who could. Waited another half an hour before giving up lol. Did your status online change at all?
 

Solid_Rock

Star Member
Jan 13, 2024
111
51
Canada
Category........
Other
We have applied passport from a Passport Office on March 13. I got received my passport only yesterday, and my wife, which we have applied together at the same time, system still shows "We are processing..." for her. They supposed to ship our passports March 27 the latest, that's what the office told us
You have no issues, except you have to wait to receive hers. You can call them as well.. IRCC don't follow any pattern, they do as they wish, and I personally think they are very unserious government entity.
 

Solid_Rock

Star Member
Jan 13, 2024
111
51
Canada
Category........
Other
You are totally right, when I rang yesterday I had 452 people in front of me, took me 2 hours to get through. Then they said they couldn't help me because of it being a new passport application and that they'd put me on hold for someone who could. Waited another half an hour before giving up lol. Did your status online change at all?
I don't even check that anymore, it is useless. The last time I called, the agent was still directing me to check the status online after telling them it doesn't show anything :D
 
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Solid_Rock

Star Member
Jan 13, 2024
111
51
Canada
Category........
Other
I applied in person at North York on March 7. And I am still getting the messege "We have received your application and are now processing it".

Am I elegible for the partil refund?

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/fees/passport-travel-document-refunds.html
What are their processing times at the North York office? Is it the regular Service Canada or passport office? If they process your application within the number of days, you are not eligible because they don't count the days to mail your passport to you.
 

brca

Newbie
Apr 5, 2024
3
0
What are their processing times at the North York office? Is it the regular Service Canada or passport office? If they process your application within the number of days, you are not eligible because they don't count the days to mail your passport to you.
Thank you. They said 10 business days(on March 21). Regulars SC.
 

Solid_Rock

Star Member
Jan 13, 2024
111
51
Canada
Category........
Other
Thank you. They said 10 business days(on March 21). Regulars SC.
There are quite a few Service Canada in North York. If you didn't apply at the passport office, it will take approximately one month (20 business days) to receive it.

If however you are eligible for a refund because they didn't meet their service standards, it will automatically be sent to the payment card you supplied when submitting your application.
 

arun_canpr

Star Member
Apr 27, 2019
165
43
I applied for my family(2 adults and 1 kid) at Service Canada Markham on Mar 19. My wife got a verification call couple of days later and her passport was mailed on Mar 28, received on April 2nd. Mine and my kids are still pending... Expected mail out date is Apr 18. I have a travel in May 1st week - I understand I have time, but is it worth visiting any passport office now to request for expediting?