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    • Passport lineups and frustration sprout 'freelance line standers'

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    If you need a passport but do not want to wake up before dawn or cannot take a day off work to stand in long, winding queues at a Service Canada Office, hiring a 鈥渇reelance line stander鈥 may be an option for you.

    In recent days, advertisements for 鈥渇reelance line standers鈥 have started appearing on online classifieds website . For anywhere from $17 to $50 per hour, you can hire someone to stand line at a Service Canada office and get a text or call when they鈥檙e nearing the front of the line.

    鈥淲hy wait in long, tired lineups when I can do it for you? $100 flat rate 鈥 covers first two hours, $25 thereafter,鈥 one online advertisement for service in downtown Toronto reads.

    Right now, the warns applicants it is 鈥渆xperiencing very high call volumes right now.鈥 While appointments can be booked online, some applicants tell 愛污传媒 they can鈥檛 get an appointment until June.

    The government of Canada is blaming the difficulty getting an appointment and the long lines on high demand and a renewed interest in travel. From April 1 2021 to March 31 2022 Employment and Social Development Canada, which oversees Service Canada, said it has issued 1,273,000 passports, 250 per cent more than in the same period the year before.

    Toronto student M.D. Sakib has recently started offering his line standing service to people seeking a passport. He describes his service as a 鈥渨in-win.鈥 For $17 an hour, he will wait in line and contact you when he鈥檚 close to the front.

    鈥淎s soon as I get to the line, I send a picture and that basically starts the hourly rate,鈥 Sakib told CTV National News. 鈥淔rom there we go until we meet and I give up my position.鈥

    Sakib put his advertisement on Kijiji this week after lining up outside a Toronto passport office at 3:30 a.m. so a family member could get a passport.

    鈥淚鈥檓 a student with a bit of free time, so I offer this service for people who don鈥檛 have the time,鈥 he said. 鈥 Time is money and the lineup for passport or Service Canada is insane.鈥

    愛污传媒 spoke to multiple people with posts on Kijiji who described the new 鈥渋ndustry鈥 as lucrative and in high demand. One man, who did not want to be named, told 愛污传媒 he charges $50 an hour and has made multiple trips to the passport office on other people鈥檚 behalf in the last few weeks.

    鈥淚 saw an article, then I searched Kijiji. Then I thought, if others are doing it why can鈥檛 I give it a try,鈥 another line stander wrote to 愛污传媒 in an email.

    The government is encouraging Canadians to apply early for passports and not to finalize a trip until their passport has been received. Travel experts fear the resurgence of travel means the long lines at both passport offices and airports won鈥檛 ease anytime soon.

    In a statement, Employment and Social Development Canada offered this guidance to travelers:

    • To avoid long lines, Canadians with no imminent travel can apply by visiting any of over 300 Service Canada Centres.
    • Anyone requiring a passport within the next 3-25 business days must apply in person at one of the 35 specialized passport sites and have proof of travel or need.
    • Anyone who requires a Passport within two business days must visit the nearest specialized passport site (Service Canada Centre 鈥 Passport Service) offering urgent pickup service. Proof of travel or need is required in these cases.

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