Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesperson Natalie Deschenes said the RCMP is aware that a sudden demand for passports may result in more people getting their hands on fraudulent or forged documents.

“With all the changes, it is possible that we will see an increase in illegal activities when it comes to passports,” she said. “But it’s too early to see any kind of trend developing just yet.”

Passport Canada received an extra 8,000 applications daily in January.

A spokesperson with the Canadian Border Services Agency said Canadian officials are always on the lookout for fraudulent documents.

“Our border officers are trained in identifying false documents and passports,” spokesperson Derek Mellon said. “We work with various G8 countries to look at abusive passports.”

Mellon said he could not elaborate on what CBSA workers watch for to identify fraudulent passports, citing security reasons.

He also wouldn't discuss the number of false documents the CBSA comes across in an average month, or whether border security agents had seen a spike in the number seen since the U.S. announcement.

More than 677,000 passport applications were filed in the final two months of 2006. Passport Canada increased its processing rates while attempting to maintain the same levels of security and background investigation.

“We knew this was coming and we had taken steps to increase production,” Passport Canada spokesperson Francine Charbonneau said. “A lot of people in the public were probably hoping that the deadline would continue to be moved and a lot of them were taken by surprise.”

Charbonneau said Passport Canada normally receives about 13,000 applications per day. Throughout January, a deluge of more than 21,000 applications arrived every day – a 51 per cent increase in daily flow. Those numbers have remained consistent into February.

Passport push boosts jobs

Passport Canada hired more than 200 front-line and clerical workers to help deal with the spike in applications after the U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security announced the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requiring air travellers within North America to carry valid passports.

Current passport security features A look inside the security features of the Canadian passport. Requires FlashPlayer

Another 300 new front-line workers are preparing to take up positions in Passport Canada offices across the country once they’ve completed sufficient security and job training. Charbonneau said the 300 new employees would likely be on the job within the next two months.

Charbonneau said they aren’t rushing new employees through training just to get more people working in the offices.

“It takes time to train new employees for Passport Canada,” she said. “A passport is something you can’t rush. You can’t just throw anyone in there – there are a lot of security concerns.”

The new staff has raised Passport Canada’s processing capacity by 53 per cent, and can now handle more than 20,000 applications per day.

“A lot of people have held off until the last minute,” she said.

Passport Canada’s two printing plants in Mississauga, Ont. and Gatineau, Que. have been running 24 hours since late November to respond to the overwhelming demand for the tiny ID books – the first time the presses haven’t stopped.

Long wait times

In January 2006, Passport Canada received 302,481 applications from Canadians seeking passports. This January, there were 447,886 applications.

Pick up an application at passport offices, online, or at post offices like this one on Sparks St. in Ottawa.

Still, nearly three months after the announcement, passport hopefuls still face a long wait.

Normally it takes about 10 days for Passport Canada to process an application received in person, and about 20 days if the application comes through the mail or a receiving agent. Anyone hoping to secure a passport can expect up to an extra 60-day wait on top of regular processing times. Sending in an application via mail means a two month wait.

Still, Charbonneau said the reason for the delays is that Passport Canada will not sacrifice security simply to meet a high demand for applications.

“The security of the passport is number one,” she said. “We’re not cutting any corners. Everything has to remain the same.”

Related Links Canada Border Service Agency's WHTI Information Site Passport Canada U.S. State Department's Travel Advisories