Wait time drops for in-Canada work permit applications and extensions

The wait time for in-Canada work permit applications has dropped by nearly a full month.

Foreign nationals in Canada who submit an application for a new work permit or to extend their existing work permit can expect a processing time of 186 days, as of June 10, 2026, down from 212 days as of May 6, according to data released by Canada’s immigration department.

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The most recent June 2026 processing time is the lowest reported in 2026, based on available data.

The graph below depicts trend in wait time for in-Canada work permit extensions in 2026 from January to June:

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada uses two types of processing estimates, forward-looking and historical. The wait time for initial work permits and extensions is based on historical estimates, which considers how long it took for the department to finalize 80% of any given application type in the past.

Expected processing times remain well above the immigration department’s aspirational service standard: IRCC aims to process 80% of in-Canada’s work permit applications within four months.

Foreign nationals in Canada who apply to extend their work permits before expiry benefit from maintained status, which authorizes them to work under the conditions of their expired permit while their application is being processed, so long as they remain in Canada.

In April 2026, Canada extended the validity period of work permit support letters from six months to a year, so as to accommodate the extended processing times applicants had been facing.

Work permit support letters are issued to foreign nationals as documentation they can use to provide evidence of their maintained status to employers and to other government agencies.

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