Passport limbo: Vancouver man who applied in April still waiting, with a trip 2 weeks away

Update Aug 11: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada has confirmed to CityNews Matthew Ramadan’s passport application was processed on Aug. 9 and was printed on Aug. 11.

“The completed passport will be mailed as soon as possible and is expected to arrive in advance of the date of travel.”

Although the Canadian government has been tinkering with the passport application process in an attempt to speed it up, some people are still finding themselves stuck in limbo.

A Vancouver man who has been waiting months for his passport is getting concerned, now that it’s two weeks before he’s scheduled to fly out to the United Kingdom.

The federal government has brought in its new triage system and has made other efforts to speed up applications. But for Matthew Ramadan, it’s getting a bit close for comfort.

He put in his application on April 19 for this late August trip.

“It’s honestly so stressful. I have plenty of other stresses in my life above and beyond this,” he told CityNews. “I could honestly cry over this. It’s just been so very stressful. I did everything right. I applied for my passport four months before my trip, which I think is excessive.”

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He’s trying to get his travel documents in order to accompany his husband Danny Ramadan, a prominent writer and activist for LGBTQ+ refugees, on a book tour. The two are newly married and this is set to be the first time Matthew travels with Danny on a book tour.

To add even more frustration, it’s been suggested to Matthew that he might have to pay a premium to even get his passport.

“I tend to be very organized, I’m a very organized person,” Matthew said. “To then be told ‘You’re going to have wait in line for hours, you’re going to pay a rushed passport fee’ — because it’s now a rushed passport … It’s not a rush passport. I did everything on my end. You’re the one failing on your end.”

Related video (June 20):

Late last month, the federal government announced anyone who applied for a passport by mail more than 20 business days ago and has proof they are travelling within 20 business days will be able to ask that their application be transferred to a local Service Canada centre for processing.

Matthew says he’s tried going that route, but was not told when he might expect to receive his document.

He even followed up with his Member of Parliament, Hedy Fry. Her office emailed back, writing:

“Unfortunately there is not a lot more we can do if the transfer request has been made. We can follow up and ensure that the request is in and that it has been flagged for urgency, and we can follow up a few days before to ensure that the office is aware of the request if you have yet to receive a call by then.”

CityNews has contacted the federal government for comment.

Hey @HedyFry and @SeanFraserMP! My husband will miss my book tour in the UK if he didn’t get his passport. The only reason he needed a new one is because he took on my last name. is there anything we can do to help?

— Please find Danny on Insta or Threads (@TheDannyRamadan) August 9, 2022

There have been long lineups at the passport offices in Vancouver and Surrey in recent months, many queues beginning before dawn. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Surrey office was reporting a four-hour wait. Vancouver’s estimated wait time was three hours.

With files from Denise Wong, Claire Fenton, and The Canadian Press