Changes to Irish passport applications from Canada

The move aims to reduce delays which applicants have been experiencing in recent months.

In a statement, the Embassy says the processing of applications which have either wrong or missing information has been “a significant factor” in these delays. Among the errors are:

• Applications without essential supporting documentation,
• Incorrectly certified identity details
• Unwitnessed or invalidly witnessed parental consents, in the case of minors
• A large number of incorrect payment details and other errors and omissions.

“Each of these errors required time-consuming follow-up work by our passport office team’s limited resources,” a statement by the Embassy read.

“We regret that this follow-up work in turn caused long processing delays for applicants, including for applicants who had correctly submitted their applications.”

The statement explains that any Irish passport applications deemed to be incorrect or incomplete will be returned to the applicant by post, and any errors in the application will be flagged.

“This will enable us to use our limited resources to process all correctly submitted applications more speedily,” the statement continued.

They advise that the requirements for Irish passports are listed in full on their website.

Waiting times for Irish passport applications from Canada

The Embassy says Irish passport applications from Canada which are complete and correct will be processed in around 20 working days.

Those which are incorrectly submitted will be returned to the applicant.

“The Embassy hopes that these new arrangements will enable us to deliver a more efficient service to Irish passport applicants.

“We are grateful for your understanding as the new arrangements are put in place, and we apologize for any short term inconvenience,” they added.

The statement also advised readers not to make or confirm any travel arrangements before receiving a valid Irish passport.

Where to next?

• Construction and engineering jobs – Moving2Canada Recruitment is now called Outpost Recruitment
• Where to buy travel insurance for Canada (note: this is mandatory to get a working holiday visa in Canada)
• Learn how to rewrite your CV, and discover the resume format in Canada
• Case-specific help in our Working Holiday Visa in Canada forum