The department of home affairs has announced six additional service centres in Canada to expand passport services for South Africans, beyond those in Ottawa and Toronto.
This follows appeals from South Africans in Canada frustrated by a “catastrophic” passport renewal system that required in-person visits to the consulate in Toronto.
They said this often involved travelling thousands of kilometres across Canada at substantial cost. The new system was introduced late last year.
Thulani Mavuso, department of home affairs spokesperson and deputy director-general for operations, said the new service centres will be located in:
- Edmonton (Alberta province);
- Vancouver (British Columbia);
- Regina (Saskatchewan);
- Winnipeg (Manitoba);
- Montreal (Quebec); and
- Halifax (Nova Scotia).
“This expansion is a deliberate and proportionate intervention aimed at addressing the concerns relating to distance, cost of travel and accessibility,” Mavuso said.
The department acknowledges that Canada is geographically vast and that reliance on service centres located in Toronto and Ottawa has, in certain instances, imposed logistical and financial constraints on citizens residing in other provinces
— Thulani Mavuso, home affairs spokesperson and DDG for operations
“The additional service points will significantly reduce the need for long-distance travel to Toronto and Ottawa, thereby alleviating the financial burden associated with flights and accommodation previously incurred by applicants.
“The concerns raised by South Africans in Canada have been duly noted and have directly informed this intervention.
“The department acknowledges that Canada is geographically vast and that reliance on service centres located in Toronto and Ottawa has, in certain instances, imposed logistical and financial constraints on citizens residing in other provinces.
“The department remains committed to ensuring that its service delivery model is responsive to the needs of all South Africans, irrespective of their location.”
A total of 1,915 South African citizens in Canada signed a petition asking the department for a mail-in option for renewing passports. The petition noted that the average distance to Toronto for signatories was 2,303km and the estimated cost per person of doing so was 1,850 Canadian dollars (about R22,000).
“At present, South Africans in Canada are forced into a single-point system: one VFS Global centre in Toronto. No alternatives. No regional access. No mail-in option. No mobile consular services. No digital pathway. In a country the size of Canada, this is not policy. It is neglect,” said Clinton Emslie, CEO of ICL Immigration Inc, in a media statement
This is not just about passports. It is about how a government treats its citizens when they are no longer within its borders. It is about whether constitutional rights extend beyond geography or whether they quietly expire the moment a citizen leaves the country
— Clinton Emslie, ICL Immigration Inc CEO
“Families are spending thousands of dollars just to renew a passport. Others cannot afford to. Passports are expiring. Travel is being cancelled. Immigration status in Canada is being placed at risk. People are losing opportunities, stability, and in some cases their ability to remain compliant with foreign legal systems. This is not just inconvenient. It is structurally unfair.”
Emslie said procedural fairness required that decisions affecting citizens be reasonable, accessible and proportionate, but none of these standards were being met. He said no consideration had been given to the geographic and economic realities of the South African diaspora in Canada.
“The removal of prior workable systems, such as mail-in renewals, without replacement alternatives, shows a concerning lack of foresight,” he said. The lack of response by the department of home affairs to the petition was also a cause of frustration.
“This is not just about passports. It is about how a government treats its citizens when they are no longer within its borders. It is about whether constitutional rights extend beyond geography or whether they quietly expire the moment a citizen leaves the country.”
At the end of last year, home affairs minister Leon Schreiber launched 25 service centres around the world, including in Ottawa and Toronto, to offer passport application and renewal services as well as birth certificate applications pending the finalisation of digital solutions.
Mavuso said the department continues to make rapid progress towards introducing digital application channels for all citizens, as demonstrated by the recent launch of 110 bank branches where Smart ID applications are processed digitally.
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