Canada releases updated wait times for work permit applicants
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released updated data showing the estimated processing times for various temporary residence applications as of August 26.
The most significant changes in IRCC’s latest update included:
- Work permits: One-week improvement for Pakistan and the Philippines;
- Study permits: Two-week increase for India; and
- Super visas: Two-week decrease for Pakistan and the U.S.
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This article examines how processing time estimates for newly submitted temporary residence applications changed between August 19 and August 26.
IRCC is expected to publish its next temporary residence processing times update on or around September 2, 2026.
Work permits
Applicants in Pakistan and the Philippines saw a one-week improvement in work permit wait times, with the Philippines reaching its shortest wait in at least three months.
| Applying from: | Current (August 26) | Previous (August 19) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 115 days | 117 days |
| India | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Pakistan | 8 weeks | 7 weeks |
| Nigeria | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
| United States | 2 weeks | 2 weeks |
| Philippines | 5 weeks | 6 weeks |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days
Study permits
India was the only featured country to see a change in study permit wait time, rising by two weeks after two consecutive months with no movement.
| Applying from: | Current (August 26) | Previous (August 19) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| India | 7 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| Nigeria | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
| United States | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Philippines | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days
Visitor visas
Applicants in the Philippines saw a modestly shorter visitor visa wait time, while all other featured countries recorded either no change or marginal increases of 1–2 days.
| Applying from: | Current (August 26) | Previous (August 19) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 12 days | 12 days |
| India | 32 days | 31 days |
| Pakistan | 77 days | 75 days |
| Nigeria | 78 days | 76 days |
| United States | 21 days | 21 days |
| Philippines | 20 days | 21 days |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions: N/A
- Outside Canada submissions: 14 days
Super visas
Super visa wait times shortened considerably for applicants based in Pakistan and the U.S., declining by no less than two weeks in each.
| *Applying from: | Current (August 26) | Previous (August 19) |
|---|---|---|
| India | 61 days | 56 days |
| Pakistan | 162 days | 176 days |
| Nigeria | 55 days | 53 days |
| United States | 123 days | 138 days |
| Philippines | 104 days | 107 days |
Service standard: 112 days
*Super visa applications can only be submitted from outside Canada
Processing times versus service standards
Processing times and service standards serve different purposes within IRCC’s application system.
Processing times give an indication of how long it may take the department to finalize a newly submitted temporary residence, permanent residence, or citizenship application.
They are not fixed timelines and should not be interpreted as a deadline, guarantee, or maximum wait.
The immigration department uses two types of processing estimates:
- Historical estimates: based on how long it took the department to finalize 80% of applications completed in the past; and
- Forward-looking estimates: based on the volume of applications currently awaiting processing and the resources available to handle them.
By contrast, service standards are performance targets established by IRCC for how quickly the department aims to finalize a particular application type under normal operating conditions, in 80% of cases.
Actual processing can differ from these published figures. The complexity of an application, inventory pressures, processing capacity, requests for additional information, and further checks can all affect how long a decision takes.
Temporary residence processing estimates are updated weekly, while estimates for permanent residence and citizenship are typically updated monthly. Service standards are revised much less often, with temporary residence standards last updated in 2018–2019.
IRCC finalized 1,566,455 temporary residence applications over the first six months of 2026. More than 401,000 remained in the inventory at the end of June.
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