Service Canada’s Kelowna office doesn’t open until 8:30 a.m., but on Wednesday, the line of people needing service started much earlier.
“My husband was there. He was there at seven o’clock for the building to open at 8:30. He was the sixth person in line,” Kelowna resident Jessica Samuels said.
Samuels and her husband applied for their passports in April. To this day, the travel document has not been issued either.
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As a result, Samuels already had to reschedule a business trip.
“I had a trip planned in early June and I had to cancel it,” Samuels told Global News.
The two have booked a trip to Europe in September. And, on Wednesday, they went back to Service Canada in downtown Kelowna for an update on the status of their application.
While Samuels said he understands labor shortages and pent-up travel demand is causing delays, communication and ever-changing rules have been the biggest issue.
“That has been the most frustrating thing about the process,” he said.
“We were not allowed to apply in person, but then I found out from someone else that you could apply in person. They said email but don’t email twice, call but sit on the phone.”
Samuels said Wednesday’s visit to the passport office has been the most promising.
“The people at the reception were very helpful; they told me the status of my passport,” Samuels said. “You should receive it on time.”
Dawn Hutchinson of Prince George was also in line on Wednesday.
He drove to Kelowna on Tuesday so he could apply for his passport in person and expedite the process before traveling to the United States in August.
“We have a month before we have to be there, so I’m confident we’ll have it before then,” Hutchinson said.
Vernon resident Myles Johnson was also in line. He hopes to successfully renew his passport before a trip to Hawaii in October.
“We picked a date for a family trip,” he said. “And of course my original passport expired right during COVID and I thought ‘Why bother?’ And then I need to get one.”
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Service Canada has said that its staff are processing tens of thousands of applications and renewals each week.
According to information on its website, so far this year 757,207 applications have been received and 457,848 passports issued.
In an email to Global News, the government agency also said it has hired nearly 600 employees to help get things back on track, added processing centers across Canada and made improvements to its phone system.
Several days ago, Service Canada also implemented a triage system, meaning those with the most time-sensitive travel plans are processed first.
the Service Canada website provides more detailed information for anyone applying for a passport.
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