Canadian Immigration Expands Its Simplified Renewal Process for Passports

COVID-19 travel restrictions have been slowly easing and more individuals, may it be Canadian or foreign nationals are looking to travel abroad. In connection t this, the demand for both renewal and application has started to increase. As a response, the Canadian government continues to modernize and improve its services to cater to the changing needs of both Canadians and travelers.

March 31, 2022 – All Canadians, may they be in Canada or abroad, can now use the simplified process to renew their expired passports provided that it was issued within the last 15 years. Also, this new simplified process is available to all individuals who lost their passports, stolen or even damaged. In the previous simplified renewal process, passports that expired longer than a year were lost, or were damaged were not available.

In addition to this, through the simplified renewal process, applicants no longer need to have a guarantor or even provide their original documents such as proof of citizenship or photo identification. Applicants only need 2 photos and 2 references along with their completed form and applicable fees. This latest change helped to renew the process a lot easier while maintaining the highest level of program integrity.