The federal government is reminding Canadians that winter holiday and March break travellers can now get passport services at over 300 Service Canada Centres across the country, and that includes North Battleford.
Since 2017, passport points of service have doubled from 151 to more than 300 by using Service Canada’s nationwide service delivery network. This expansion provides more access to passport services in rural and remote areas – no matter where Canadians live. Canadians have more options available when applying for or renewing five-year and 10-year passports and child passports, states a recent release from the Ministry of Families, Children and Social Development.
Officers at Service Canada Centres: review passport applications for completeness; validate original supporting documents and return them on-site to applicants; collect the service fee; and forward application packages for processing.
“The Government of Canada is making passport services more accessible for Canadians, who can apply for or renew a passport at over 300 Service Canada Centres. In the spirit of constantly improving service delivery to citizens, we are putting in place new measures to make life easier for Canadians,” says Jean-Yves Duclos, minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Ahmed Hussen, minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, says, “The Passport Program is one of Canada’s most valuable services that millions of Canadians rely on. As the minister responsible for the Passport Program, my department is committed to continuously improving front-line services, maintaining our excellent service standards and providing Canadians with more accessible options when applying for or renewing a passport.”
As of May 1, 2018, approximately 64.5 percent of Canadian adults held a valid Canadian passport.
In 2017–18, Canada issued more than 4.8 million passports, which translates into more than 19,000 passports issued daily.
The expansion of passport services means that more than 97 per cent of Canadians now have access to passport services within 100 km of their home.
For fiscal year 2017-18, Service Canada met passport service standards 99.66 percent of the time, with the target being 90 percent.
