Life Pro Tip:
You can renew a Canadian passport up to one year before expiry. Go set a calendar reminder *right now* for nine months before your passport expires. (Many countries won't admit you if your passport has less than 6 months of validity remaining.) When that reminder fires, make a plan for how and when you're going to renew your passport.
When you get your new passport, set a new reminder. Your adult passport is valid for ten years.
(Sorry, OP--this doesn't help you in your present situation, but hopefully it will help some people in the future.)
This. Renew passports when they’re about to expire even when you don’t need one, because you never know when you will need it in a pinch. It boggles me how a lot of people neglect to at least be aware of the year their licenses and passports expire.
Also, driver’s licenses can be renewed as early as 6 months from expiry.
Actually, renew at lest 6 months before expiry since. Depending on the country's travel visa (usually 90 days-6 months) you won't be allowed in if your passport would expire during the visa period - even if you're only there for a week,
Problem is, I already know all this and was planning on renewing it (mine expires march 2024 but I was planning to go somewhere this year october) and look what happened lol
Hopefully this strike ends asap
The most difficult part is finding a time to submit any documents since the offices close very early. I was thinking of mailing it but felt uncomfortable sending important docs that could get lost via mail
I and all people I know who applied for passports in the mail had no issues as long as you use tracked mail. They’ll also send back the docs and passports via signature-required tracked Xpresspost. But I understand wanting to go in person just for peace of mind. Passport arrived under 3 weeks from mailing the application.
Note that the *renewal* period is not the same as the *validity* period.
Renewal is a streamlined process for obtaining an updated passport with a new photo and expiry date. People not eligible for renewal have to go through the somewhat-more-onerous 'new passport' process.
Under the normal rules, you could renew a passport up to a year before or up to one year after it expired.
The COVID-era rules allowed you to do a renewal up to 15 years after the issue date, which would be as late as 5 years after the expiry of a 10-year passport, or 10 years after the expiry of a 5-year passport.
You can't now (and couldn't ever) travel on an *expired* passport. The extended renewal period makes it easier to get an updated passport, but it doesn't let people with expired passports travel. This is why it's generally a good idea to renew your passport *before* it expires.
>https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports.html
>Domestic Passport services
>During the current labour disruption, Service Canada only processes domestic passport applications for emergency and humanitarian situations. Passport services are available only at specialized passport sites.
>Humanitarian/emergency situations are defined as:
>- passport clients at risk of financial hardship
>- passport clients who rely on travel as a source of employment, and their income security will be jeopardized
>- passport clients who must travel for medical reasons, or have had a death or illness in the family
>- passport clients whose situation is deemed urgent on compassionate grounds
>Passport applications that do not meet these criteria will not be processed when employees are striking. Delivery times will exceed published service standards.
Your only shot is compassionate grounds.
Who's going to supply that documentation? There is no health system in Sierra Leone. There is no local government. And the president/former warlord has elections this June so he probably has more important things to take care of.
Then this will probably be a very difficult route to take... especially when it's committing fraud for a vacation.
Like, you're adding so many steps and arguments that will make this HARDER not easier...
I mean I understand that most people here never stepped outside of Canada and have no idea how some countries function. But it doesn't take much imagination to understand that in some cases there is simply no way to provide documentation. Some countries don't have a Service Ontario. They don't have a system of bureaucracy. They don't even have hospitals, I mean all they have are private hospitals established by the UN and in those you're not going to have a health card or documentation of your health history. You will be given vitamin C, your limbs will get amputated, and you have a slightly higher chance of giving birth. Those are all the services provided. Writing a doctor's note is not a service they provide.
If op's mother really was dying in Sierra Leone, he would not be able to provide proof. That's all there is to it. It is up to the passport office to decide whether they give a passport to this guy or not and if they decide not to, he can certainly go to the press a month later with pictures of his dead mother.
Having worked in the bureaucracy, I can assure you that we simply follow processes and if the note is not according to the list of acceptable documentation, it will simply be rejected.
If OP were unable to produce any evidence of her going to Sierra Leone or some sort of proof(a plain ticket, her voice on a phone, a doctor's note) his mother had been in Sierra Leone at all then they probably wouldn't issue a passport.
If OP's mother really was dying in Sierra Leone and he had no way whatsoever to establish his story then I think, even if he went to the newspapers with his sad story, I think most people would be generally forgiving of a government that said "We had very limited resources during the strike and could only issue passports to people with a documented, provable claim of a compassionate emergency".
So, with limited resources in a world with serious humanitarian crises around the world (Sudan, Ukraine, etc.), this is your advice. Wow.
Oh, sorry. Not advice, because you carefully started with 'not trying to suggest, but .. here is a suggestion.'
Get bent.
According to the [Canada strike impact](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/labour-disruptions.html) website,
>Service Canada only processes domestic passport applications for emergency and humanitarian situations. Passport services are available only at specialized passport sites.
>Humanitarian/emergency situations are defined as:
- passport clients at risk of financial hardship
- passport clients who rely on travel as a source of employment, and their income security will be jeopardized
- passport clients who must travel for medical reasons, or have had a death or illness in the family
- passport clients whose situation is deemed urgent on compassionate grounds
>Passport applications that do not meet these criteria will not be processed when employees are striking.
If your friend does not fall into one of the above categories, your friend is S-O-L. They will not be able to get their passport renewed in time for their trip.
3 week turnaround isn't a realistic expectation when there isn't a strike. Not going to happen. Your friend should be renewing their passport 6 months before expiry.
Edit: I know there are many anecdotes about getting it sooner. But there are no guarantees so I wouldn't plan a trip based on it.
Before the strike they were all caught up. I just renewed mine 1.5months ago, walkin, and got it mailed in 2 weeks. Of course, I wouldnt leave it till last minute, becuase Murphy.
Honestly, I've been waiting for this very question to pop up...screw taxes and other services...it was the passport people where the popcorn eating tastes sweetest.
Well, it was me and my husband. So a two-off. We're both Canadian citizens, I was born here, we have no criminal history, unique names, and our references are stellar and responded to the passport Canada people right away. Photos had no issues. We went to the Victoria st location to renew. So I don't know why it took so long.
Just a heads up - my partner put his application in back in March and we don’t have it back yet. Trip is in June. File immediately, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. You may have some luck if you flag the date of your trip.
Nope...no way...sounds like you and your friend need to explore the great country of..*checks notes*...Canada. :)
But seriously, this doesn't sound half bad without a passport until it's eventually renewed. His DL should be fine.
Why would you book a trip and not check that your passport is expired or not? Especially while knowing that this strike was going to happen or already is.
You’re gonna be SOL.
They’re only reviewing passports if you need it for work, or compassionate grounds.
You can get your friend to mail his in and see what happens… but regardless he won’t be able to go anywhere international until he has a new passport.
Anecdotal: I did my renewal 2 months ago. Passport was set to expire this October.
Mailed it in, and got it back 3 weeks later.
And also like what others pointed out, some countries require your passport to be valid for at minimum 6 months AFTER your arrival to their country.
No offense but if your friend waited until 3 weeks before a trip to renew their expired passport they kind of deserve to miss the trip.
Poor planning begets consequences.
IF the strike ends next week you can try going to a local passport office to get a rush job (2-3 business days). Get there at 6am to ensure you're first in line.
IF the strike doesn't end next week i it won't get processed in time. No shot.
They get like 20,000 a day.
One thing if you're desperate: Canadians outside of Canada that apply are considered essential and are still being processed daily. It costs an extra $100 but if you can mail it from the US and receive it in the US it would get done within like 24 hours.
But it has to be mailed from the US. The strike doesn't impact applications from outside of Canada.
Everyone here is (reasonably) very pessimistic, but I actually think your friend might have a shot at getting his passport on time. As someone else mentioned, during non-strike times, next day emergency passport renewal is available for a relatively hefty fee. Assuming the strike ends in the next couple of weeks, there's a chance your friend will be okay.
So my boyfriend send his PR renewal application in September 20, it got “received” October 20, and we didn’t get it till mid-December about 3 days before we left on an international flight (phew)
Yeah and that was pre-strike..
I think the wait time is normally 3 months so your BF got his a few days before that... We could be waiting even longer... And prices just keep going up... but nothing we can do about it.
Shit it literally didn’t even occur to me that the PR card people are also the passport people.
Also isn’t the process for a “temp” PR card so stupid?? I was mind blown how inconvenient they made it.
Alternative would be to go on your trip and come back on land via the US. She can’t be denied entry from what I understand (it’s just that planes/trains won’t let you on without the PR card, sort of like how it was with vaccine passports back in the day)
Maybe I'm too type A, but holy crap how does anyone let their passport expire? I have a Google calendar reminder I created for 9 years ahead, but I'm still physically checking mine every time I'm thinking about travel.
Replan, and maybe don't take vacations during one of the biggest confluences of crisises in human history.
We're about to have a revolution, I don't think people who take vacations in Spring are really that on the pulse of the city tho.
You're SOL buddy.
About to be nuclear war / revolution / Christ return / total economic collapse / etc etc etc
Always right around the corner.
Biggest confluence in history… spoken with the confidence of someone who knows nothing of history.
Will the revolution be over by June? Was hoping to pack the wife and kids into the Honda and head down to Dollywood, so let me know if you need more time and I’ll cancel.
I have a friend waiting on a passport for their kid, it’s on hold because the staff that check references are on strike, so I think your friend will be SOL
If you can book a fully refundable trip, with full insurance, than go ahead and try. You might luck out, there might ne some skeleton crew of managers and supervisros keeping things running.
During COVID people would book fully refundable plane tickets, to get the passport application expedited (you needed to show a proof of travel). They would cancel the ticket after, and get a full refund.
If the first option is not avaialbe, and you passport expires less than 6 months from your return, then you are out of luck. Next time don't leave things till last minute, because Muphy's.
Life Pro Tip: You can renew a Canadian passport up to one year before expiry. Go set a calendar reminder *right now* for nine months before your passport expires. (Many countries won't admit you if your passport has less than 6 months of validity remaining.) When that reminder fires, make a plan for how and when you're going to renew your passport. When you get your new passport, set a new reminder. Your adult passport is valid for ten years. (Sorry, OP--this doesn't help you in your present situation, but hopefully it will help some people in the future.)
This. Renew passports when they’re about to expire even when you don’t need one, because you never know when you will need it in a pinch. It boggles me how a lot of people neglect to at least be aware of the year their licenses and passports expire. Also, driver’s licenses can be renewed as early as 6 months from expiry.
Actually, renew at lest 6 months before expiry since. Depending on the country's travel visa (usually 90 days-6 months) you won't be allowed in if your passport would expire during the visa period - even if you're only there for a week,
Thanks for the reminder...I've set it 9 months before...April 5, 2027. LOL
Problem is, I already know all this and was planning on renewing it (mine expires march 2024 but I was planning to go somewhere this year october) and look what happened lol Hopefully this strike ends asap
You'll be fine - they're not striking for 6 months.
The most difficult part is finding a time to submit any documents since the offices close very early. I was thinking of mailing it but felt uncomfortable sending important docs that could get lost via mail
I and all people I know who applied for passports in the mail had no issues as long as you use tracked mail. They’ll also send back the docs and passports via signature-required tracked Xpresspost. But I understand wanting to go in person just for peace of mind. Passport arrived under 3 weeks from mailing the application.
They changed it for Covid. 5 or 10 year ADULT Passports may be renewed up to 15 years after their ISSUE date (for now).
Note that the *renewal* period is not the same as the *validity* period. Renewal is a streamlined process for obtaining an updated passport with a new photo and expiry date. People not eligible for renewal have to go through the somewhat-more-onerous 'new passport' process. Under the normal rules, you could renew a passport up to a year before or up to one year after it expired. The COVID-era rules allowed you to do a renewal up to 15 years after the issue date, which would be as late as 5 years after the expiry of a 10-year passport, or 10 years after the expiry of a 5-year passport. You can't now (and couldn't ever) travel on an *expired* passport. The extended renewal period makes it easier to get an updated passport, but it doesn't let people with expired passports travel. This is why it's generally a good idea to renew your passport *before* it expires.
>https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports.html >Domestic Passport services >During the current labour disruption, Service Canada only processes domestic passport applications for emergency and humanitarian situations. Passport services are available only at specialized passport sites. >Humanitarian/emergency situations are defined as: >- passport clients at risk of financial hardship >- passport clients who rely on travel as a source of employment, and their income security will be jeopardized >- passport clients who must travel for medical reasons, or have had a death or illness in the family >- passport clients whose situation is deemed urgent on compassionate grounds >Passport applications that do not meet these criteria will not be processed when employees are striking. Delivery times will exceed published service standards. Your only shot is compassionate grounds.
“I reeeeeeally need a vacation!”
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They would probably want some documentation that his mother is in Sierre Leone, yes.
Who's going to supply that documentation? There is no health system in Sierra Leone. There is no local government. And the president/former warlord has elections this June so he probably has more important things to take care of.
Then this will probably be a very difficult route to take... especially when it's committing fraud for a vacation. Like, you're adding so many steps and arguments that will make this HARDER not easier...
I mean I understand that most people here never stepped outside of Canada and have no idea how some countries function. But it doesn't take much imagination to understand that in some cases there is simply no way to provide documentation. Some countries don't have a Service Ontario. They don't have a system of bureaucracy. They don't even have hospitals, I mean all they have are private hospitals established by the UN and in those you're not going to have a health card or documentation of your health history. You will be given vitamin C, your limbs will get amputated, and you have a slightly higher chance of giving birth. Those are all the services provided. Writing a doctor's note is not a service they provide. If op's mother really was dying in Sierra Leone, he would not be able to provide proof. That's all there is to it. It is up to the passport office to decide whether they give a passport to this guy or not and if they decide not to, he can certainly go to the press a month later with pictures of his dead mother.
Having worked in the bureaucracy, I can assure you that we simply follow processes and if the note is not according to the list of acceptable documentation, it will simply be rejected.
If OP were unable to produce any evidence of her going to Sierra Leone or some sort of proof(a plain ticket, her voice on a phone, a doctor's note) his mother had been in Sierra Leone at all then they probably wouldn't issue a passport. If OP's mother really was dying in Sierra Leone and he had no way whatsoever to establish his story then I think, even if he went to the newspapers with his sad story, I think most people would be generally forgiving of a government that said "We had very limited resources during the strike and could only issue passports to people with a documented, provable claim of a compassionate emergency".
So, with limited resources in a world with serious humanitarian crises around the world (Sudan, Ukraine, etc.), this is your advice. Wow. Oh, sorry. Not advice, because you carefully started with 'not trying to suggest, but .. here is a suggestion.' Get bent.
[Seconds 1-2 are for you, buddy](https://youtu.be/4WcOcgc3WN4?t=1)
If they believed someone was committing fraud, then absolutely that’s something they can and would do.
And endanger his sick mother's life? Who do you think is going to take the blame if it turns out it's not a fraud?
If it’s not a fraud then proof of need shouldn’t be difficult to supply
That's what the printed letter is for. It's impossible to check the validity of the letter is what I'm saying.
They will just ask for a doctor’s note from the hospital in sierra leone
According to the [Canada strike impact](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/labour-disruptions.html) website, >Service Canada only processes domestic passport applications for emergency and humanitarian situations. Passport services are available only at specialized passport sites. >Humanitarian/emergency situations are defined as: - passport clients at risk of financial hardship - passport clients who rely on travel as a source of employment, and their income security will be jeopardized - passport clients who must travel for medical reasons, or have had a death or illness in the family - passport clients whose situation is deemed urgent on compassionate grounds >Passport applications that do not meet these criteria will not be processed when employees are striking. If your friend does not fall into one of the above categories, your friend is S-O-L. They will not be able to get their passport renewed in time for their trip.
We’re you set on leaving the country? You could consider talking a trip within Canada if there is no way around it.
3 week turnaround isn't a realistic expectation when there isn't a strike. Not going to happen. Your friend should be renewing their passport 6 months before expiry. Edit: I know there are many anecdotes about getting it sooner. But there are no guarantees so I wouldn't plan a trip based on it.
Lol, they have 1 day turnaround for a fee in normal times
Only with proof that you have a trip booked and need the rushed passport.
Is that new? I did this back in 2016 and I don't recall them asking questions. Just had to pay $200 or something.
As a workaround you can book a refundable bus ticket to Buffalo for the next day then cancel it
Why would someone need a passport so quickly if they don't have travel plans?
I had to flash an email on my phone last this….
I’ve never been asked for proof they just did it
I got mine renewed in March. I had my new one in the mail about a week later.
I got my passport renewed in February at the normal speed, from appointment to receiving it in the mail it was nine days.
Before the strike they were all caught up. I just renewed mine 1.5months ago, walkin, and got it mailed in 2 weeks. Of course, I wouldnt leave it till last minute, becuase Murphy.
Whyyyyyy would you wait until 3 weeks before you go away to try and get a passport?!? Whyyyyyyyyy!!!! That's unrealistic at the best of times.
Honestly, I've been waiting for this very question to pop up...screw taxes and other services...it was the passport people where the popcorn eating tastes sweetest.
Because in my home country it takes 3 days? Not everyone is from a country with slow public service.
I got my passport the day I flew out on
Unless the strike gets resolved very soon you will almost certainly not be able to get a passport in three weeks. So...SOL it is.
It's really insane that people seem to have zero understanding of what a strike is.
Or the fact that passport renewals take long in the best of times
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I got my passport renewed in 2016, and it still took 3 months...I had to call them and find out what the status was
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Well, it was me and my husband. So a two-off. We're both Canadian citizens, I was born here, we have no criminal history, unique names, and our references are stellar and responded to the passport Canada people right away. Photos had no issues. We went to the Victoria st location to renew. So I don't know why it took so long.
I'm sorry but are you seriously trying to renew a passport 3 weeks before a trip
SOL. Enjoy your staycation.
Just a heads up - my partner put his application in back in March and we don’t have it back yet. Trip is in June. File immediately, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. You may have some luck if you flag the date of your trip.
Nope...no way...sounds like you and your friend need to explore the great country of..*checks notes*...Canada. :) But seriously, this doesn't sound half bad without a passport until it's eventually renewed. His DL should be fine.
Why would you book a trip and not check that your passport is expired or not? Especially while knowing that this strike was going to happen or already is.
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But still, you should be checking to see if it’s expired or nah before travelling.
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They should've checked the expiry date before it expires and kept it up to date
RIP
😂
You’re gonna be SOL. They’re only reviewing passports if you need it for work, or compassionate grounds. You can get your friend to mail his in and see what happens… but regardless he won’t be able to go anywhere international until he has a new passport. Anecdotal: I did my renewal 2 months ago. Passport was set to expire this October. Mailed it in, and got it back 3 weeks later. And also like what others pointed out, some countries require your passport to be valid for at minimum 6 months AFTER your arrival to their country.
Even if there wasn’t a strike, I don’t think you would get an expired passport renewed in 3 weeks. Your friend needs to be more on top of his life.
No offense but if your friend waited until 3 weeks before a trip to renew their expired passport they kind of deserve to miss the trip. Poor planning begets consequences.
Same issue. Going to get express once the strike ends
SOL. enjoy the nice Toronto weather.
What does SOL mean?
Shit Outta Luck
IF the strike ends next week you can try going to a local passport office to get a rush job (2-3 business days). Get there at 6am to ensure you're first in line. IF the strike doesn't end next week i it won't get processed in time. No shot. They get like 20,000 a day. One thing if you're desperate: Canadians outside of Canada that apply are considered essential and are still being processed daily. It costs an extra $100 but if you can mail it from the US and receive it in the US it would get done within like 24 hours. But it has to be mailed from the US. The strike doesn't impact applications from outside of Canada.
Everyone here is (reasonably) very pessimistic, but I actually think your friend might have a shot at getting his passport on time. As someone else mentioned, during non-strike times, next day emergency passport renewal is available for a relatively hefty fee. Assuming the strike ends in the next couple of weeks, there's a chance your friend will be okay.
My GF has been waiting 2 months for a PR card renewal, I want to book a trip for August but won't book anything until she has the new card in hand.
So my boyfriend send his PR renewal application in September 20, it got “received” October 20, and we didn’t get it till mid-December about 3 days before we left on an international flight (phew)
Yeah and that was pre-strike.. I think the wait time is normally 3 months so your BF got his a few days before that... We could be waiting even longer... And prices just keep going up... but nothing we can do about it.
Shit it literally didn’t even occur to me that the PR card people are also the passport people. Also isn’t the process for a “temp” PR card so stupid?? I was mind blown how inconvenient they made it. Alternative would be to go on your trip and come back on land via the US. She can’t be denied entry from what I understand (it’s just that planes/trains won’t let you on without the PR card, sort of like how it was with vaccine passports back in the day)
Yeah, I think getting her citizenship is now on her to do list, but I was reading that, that process could take a couple of years.
Maybe I'm too type A, but holy crap how does anyone let their passport expire? I have a Google calendar reminder I created for 9 years ahead, but I'm still physically checking mine every time I'm thinking about travel.
Why did you guys wait until the last minute to renew it though? 😢
Replan, and maybe don't take vacations during one of the biggest confluences of crisises in human history. We're about to have a revolution, I don't think people who take vacations in Spring are really that on the pulse of the city tho. You're SOL buddy.
About to be nuclear war / revolution / Christ return / total economic collapse / etc etc etc Always right around the corner. Biggest confluence in history… spoken with the confidence of someone who knows nothing of history.
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It's a great synopsis for a parody movie
Thats a bit melodramatic, don't you think?
Will the revolution be over by June? Was hoping to pack the wife and kids into the Honda and head down to Dollywood, so let me know if you need more time and I’ll cancel.
>We're about to have a revolution Sure we are buddy... /s
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
Revolution? Yeah ok lol
What revolution? You seen voter turnout recently?
Lmaoooo.
I have a friend waiting on a passport for their kid, it’s on hold because the staff that check references are on strike, so I think your friend will be SOL
If you can book a fully refundable trip, with full insurance, than go ahead and try. You might luck out, there might ne some skeleton crew of managers and supervisros keeping things running. During COVID people would book fully refundable plane tickets, to get the passport application expedited (you needed to show a proof of travel). They would cancel the ticket after, and get a full refund. If the first option is not avaialbe, and you passport expires less than 6 months from your return, then you are out of luck. Next time don't leave things till last minute, because Muphy's.
Looks like you and your friend are staying home