New IRCC wait times: Visitor visas speed up for some, work permits drag on
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has updated its processing times for temporary resident applications, including study permits, work permits, and visitor visas.
The immigration department's latest processing times update shows several key trends: visitor visas are mostly steady (with some notable improvements), while work permits have generally slowed and become more volatile.
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The biggest positive shift is India’s visitor visa timeline dropping from 99 to 83 days, while submissions from Nigeria and within-Canada saw a slight increase in wait time.
The sharpest slowdowns were concentrated on work permits (and super visa applications), with US-based super visa submissions seeing processing times double in just two weeks.
Study permits, on the other hand, were the most stable application type overall—suggesting minor softening, rather than a major shift in application processing.
This article compares temporary resident processing times from January 14 (the date of the last IRCC processing times update) to today’s wait times.
Visitor visas
The greatest reduction in processing times came for applicants from India, who can now receive visitor visas 16 days faster than previously.
| Applying from | Current processing time | Processing times as of January 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 21 days | 17 days |
| India | 83 days | 99 days |
| Pakistan | 56 days | 57 days |
| Nigeria | 40 days | 36 days |
| United States | 25 days | 27 days |
Service standards for visitor visas are 14 days for applications made outside of Canada. No service standard is published for applications made from within Canada.
Work permits
While largely stable (with some minor upticks), work permit applicants from Pakistan and the United States saw notable increases in wait times:
| Applying from | Current processing time | Processing times as of January 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 241 days | 220 days |
| India | 8 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Pakistan | 20 weeks | 13 weeks |
| Nigeria | 9 weeks | 11 weeks |
| United States | 10 weeks | 7 weeks |
Service standards are 120 days for applications submitted within Canada (both initial permits and extensions). For applications submitted outside Canada, the standard is 60 days, except for International Experience Canada (IEC) permits, which have a 56-day standard.
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Study permit
Study permits remained the most stable of all temporary resident categories, with only slight increases of one week for applicants from select countries.
| Applying from | Current processing time | Processing times as of January 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| India | 4 weeks | 3 weeks |
| Pakistan | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Nigeria | 7 weeks | 6 weeks |
| United States | 7 weeks | 6 weeks |
Service standards are 120 days for applications submitted inside Canada (both initial permits and extensions), and 60 days for applications submitted from outside Canada.
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Super visa
While some super visa applicants saw moderate reductions in processing times, by far the biggest change was for applications made from the United States, which saw a two-fold increase in processing times, possibly due to an influx of applications.
| Applying from | Current processing time | Processing times as of January 14 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 214 days | 206 days |
| Pakistan | 126 days | 133 days |
| Nigeria | 38 days | 41 days |
| United States | 187 days | 93 days |
Service standards for super visa applications are 112 days. These applications can only be made outside of Canada.
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Understanding processing times and service standards
IRCC processing times are estimates for new applications submitted today, showing how long it may take to get a final decision.
Processing starts when IRCC receives an application (arrival in the mail room for paper applications, submission timestamp for online/in-person applications) and ends when a decision is issued. Timelines can vary based on factors like case complexity, how easy the information is to review, and how quickly applicants respond to requests.
Processing estimates are based on historical performance and current inventory. These estimates come in two forms:
- Historical processing times, which show how long IRCC took to finalize 80% of cases and are updated weekly; and
- Forward-looking times, which predict future timelines using current inventory and expected monthly finalizations.
Forward-looking times apply only to the following application types:
- Canadian Experience Class;
- Federal Skilled Worker Program;
- Provincial Nominee Program (base and enhanced);
- Quebec Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ);
- Spouse or Common-Law Partner (living within and outside Canada);
- Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP);
- Citizenship grants; and
- Citizenship certificates.
Service standards are IRCC’s internal targets to finalize about 80% of applications within a set timeframe. Some cases (about 20%) take longer due to complexity, and not all application types have service standards; unlike processing times, they aren’t updated regularly.
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