Performance update: 10-day passport service at the Comox Valley Service Canada Centre

From: Employment and Social Development Canada

News release

December 8, 2023             Courtenay, British Columbia             Employment and Social Development Canada

Improving passport service quality, accessibility and timeliness remain top priorities for Service Canada. That is why Service Canada expanded the 10-day passport service to the Comox Valley Service Canada Centre in Courtenay. Since August 23, 2023, Canadians can apply for their passport on-site and have it ready within 10 business days (not including mailing time). This location continues to offer other services, such as Employment Insurance, pensions and Social Insurance Numbers. As of December 7, 2023, the Comox Valley Service Canada Centre has processed over 2,600 passport applications.

With the holiday season upon us, Canadians in northern and central Vancouver Island can take advantage of other Service Canada Centres that offer 20-day passport service, including locations in Campbell River, Port Alberni, Nanaimo and Duncan. If they need their passport in less than 10 business days, they must visit a passport office that offers express or urgent pick-up service, for an extra fee, such as the Victoria Passport Office in the Bay Centre. For more details, Canadians are encouraged to visit the Find a Service Canada Office webpage.

Since April 1, 2023, nearly all passports have been processed within the 10- and 20-business day targets respectively, with approximately 96% of passports issued within service standards regardless of intake method. Also, Canadians have been using the Passport Application Status Checker for real-time updates on their applications since the launch in March. To date, more than 1.6 million Canadians have used it to receive the status of their application in real time.

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Quotes

Quote

“Service Canada is modernizing the passport program to better serve Canadians. By extending the 10-day passport service to an additional office in Courtenay, we are streamlining the process and bringing faster, more convenient services closer to the people living in the North part of Vancouver Island.”  

– Minister of Citizens’ Services, Terry Beech

Quick facts

  • In the 2022–23 fiscal year, Service Canada issued 3.35 million passports. 

  • As of December 3, 2023, since April 1, 2023, Service Canada has issued 2,813,331 passports.

  • For the 2023–24 fiscal year, between 4.5 and 4.7 million passports are forecast to be issued. 

  • The service standard for in-person application and pickup at specialized passport offices and Service Canada Centres offering 10-day passport service is 10 business days. For mail-in applications and applications submitted at regular Service Canada Centres, the service standard is 20 business days. The performance target for application processing is for 90% of complete applications to be processed within these service standards. 

  • There are 21 Service Canada Centres offering 10-day passport service across the country: 

  • Passport program statistics are published online, and all data is updated monthly

Associated links

Contacts

For media enquiries, please contact:

Erik Nosaluk 
Director of Communications 
Office of the Minister of Citizens’ Services, Terry Beech 
erik.nosaluk@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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