Passports with IRCC for over 4 months

Express Entry
1

I live in USA. I got letter for my express entry application to send passports on Oct 15th 2021. I responded and fedex tracking confirmed delivery to Ottawa office on Nov 4th 2022. I have still not got our passports back from IRCC after 4 months.

Timeline

  • Passports delivered on Nov 4th 2021
  • December: Helpline agent confirmed they received passports and it is sent to Etobicoke visa center office.
  • Jan: No updates on my webforms, emails, or hundreds of unanswered calls to helpline.
    -Feb: I receive email from IRCC to apply for PR from Permanent Residence Portal. Which is for people who live in Canada. I live in USA and never entered Canada.
    -March: No response.

Is there any proven method to get passports back from IRCC? I live in USA and having passports is really important.

Thanks in advance !!

2

In a similar boat, following for solutions/progress.

3

Did you get your passport back?

4

I didn’t yet.

5

We did in late March. It seems like the CPC Ottawa office had requested passports before the background check was really completed. We got to know this from one of the helpdesk agents we talked to on the phone. I suggest you call and talk to them. Try using an app like TextNow or Viber and get a phone number with Canada area code. Call the helpdesk as early as possible (8AM EST onwards). The later you will call the more difficult it is to get to an agent (took me 34 times of back to back calling to get to an agent).

Hope this helps.

6

How long did it take for you to get the passport back?

7

And thank you so much for the update, it is really helpful. We try calling helpline every week. Even when we connect, all they have to say is “Your application is in progress, no additional information to share”. But we will try to bring up this new information on our next call.

8

Hello did you get your passport back? any update here? what is the phone number i can call them at?

9

Not yet. It’s been almost 7 months and there’s still no update. You can try to reach them on +18882422100.

10

Hi, I am in the same boat now. Passports with ircc for 7 months now. How was your issue resolved?

Is there a way to get passports back?

11

I’m guessing that OP did get passports back eventually, but it sounds like once given you won’t get it back until IRCC is finished, however long that takes.