Policy that bars passport offices from helping disabled applicants under review
TORONTO — The federal government says it’s reviewing a policy that forbids staff in Canada’s passport offices from helping disabled applicants fill out their forms.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says it’s looking into revising the policy, which bars staff from filling out applications on someone else’s behalf for fear of potential forgery cases.
The policy applies nationwide, and IRCC currently says Canadians requiring help with their documents should have a friend or family member complete the paperwork.
In the past five weeks, two Canadians with disabilities filed formal complaints against the policy after being denied help at Service Canada offices in Ontario.