‘Stuck in limbo’: Coquitlam mom left in dark on passport application for newborn

If you have a newborn child, the last thing you need is the uncertainty of passport limbo. But a Metro Vancouver mom is going through exactly that headache right now.

Sunny Wang of Coquitlam applied for her daughter’s passport in April through the mail-in option, but hasn’t heard back since. She went to a Service Canada office last month and tells CityNews she was told there was nothing that could be done — not even a status update on where the application stood.

“Essentially, they told us that because we mailed it in, there’s nothing they could do for us. There’s no tracking numbers, no file number. They don’t know where the passport application is,” she said.

She was given a phone number to call, but that didn’t get her anywhere.

“The phone number’s a dead number. When you call it, it automatically hangs up on you.”

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The other option is for Wang to line up at the passport office in Surrey, where appointments are almost impossible to come by and massive line-ups have been reported before dawn.

“Since I have a four-month-old, it is pretty much impossible for us to stand outside in line and wait, so we’re kind of stuck,” she explained.

“There is an online status check. And that one says, ‘we’ll reply back to you in 10 business days.’ So far, it’s been a month and I’ve heard back from no one. I don’t know where my [daughter’s] passport is, and we’re kind of stuck.”

Adding to the frustration, Wang sent her daughter’s original birth certificate as part of the application process.

“Given that they won’t tell me where the application status is, they essentially have an original copy of my daughter’s birth certificate … I don’t know if they lost it or not.”

She says without any updates, she doesn’t know if she should re-apply, adding there are also costs associated with this mess.

“Birth certificate costs, photo costs, mailing costs, mail tracking costs, it all adds up,” Wang said.

As a result of the situation, Wang and her family have been putting off booking any travel.

“We’re at the point where we’re not sure if we’ll ever be able to go this year, because we don’t know when a passport will come in. So without her passport, we’re too scared to book anything. So we’re kind of just stuck in limbo.”

This family is caught up in the federal government’s massive passport backlog, which has disrupted travel plans for thousands.

Wang says she understands the long wait, but wishes communication was better.

“If there was somewhere to contact where someone actually gets back to you, like they promised, I think that’s a different situation altogether. Because then you know at least we’re working on it. But in this case, it’s just an unknown. That just really sucks.”

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The feds have tried to partially address the ongoing passport issues through creating a triage system at passport offices. However, this isn’t directly linked to the situation Wang and her family is experiencing.

Last week, Employment and Social Development Canada said 76 per cent of Canadians applying for a passport receive it within 40 working days, and 94 per cent get it within 10 working days, if they successfully applied in-person at a specialized site.

You can check estimated passport wait times online.

With files from Claire Fenton