Temporary residence applicants see wait times increase
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated its temporary residence processing estimates on August 5, revealing longer waits across most application categories.
Of the increases seen in IRCC’s latest wait time refresher, the most notable include
- A 14-week surge in work permit processing for applications from Pakistan;
- A one-week increase in study permit processing for applications from Nigeria and the Philippines; and
- A four-week rise for super visa applications from the Philippines.
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Reductions in processing times were comparatively minor, with the sharpest being an 11-day drop for super visa applications submitted from Pakistan.
This article covers how processing time estimates for new temporary residence applications shifted between July 28 and August 5.
The Canadian government is expected to provide its next temporary residence processing time update on or around August 12, 2026.
Work permits
Work permit processing times climbed dramatically for Pakistan, increasing by more than three months, while Canada posted a slight decrease.
| Applying from: | Current (August 5) | Previous (July 28) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 119 days | 120 days |
| India | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Pakistan | 25 weeks | 11 weeks |
| Nigeria | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| United States | 3 weeks | 3 weeks |
| Philippines | 6 weeks | 6 weeks |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days
Study permits
Applicants from Nigeria and the Philippines saw study permit wait times extended by one week, while processing times remained unchanged for all other featured countries.
| Applying from: | Current (August 5) | Previous (July 28) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| India | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| Nigeria | 7 weeks | 6 weeks |
| United States | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Philippines | 5 weeks | 4 weeks |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days
Visitor visas
All featured countries recorded minor changes in visitor visa processing times, led by a five-day increase for India and a five-day decrease for the U.S.
| Applying from: | Current (August 5) | Previous (July 28) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 21 days | 24 days |
| India | 27 days | 22 days |
| Pakistan | 48 days | 43 days |
| Nigeria | 68 days | 64 days |
| United States | 21 days | 26 days |
| Philippines | 16 days | 17 days |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions: N/A
- Outside Canada submissions: 14 days
Super visas
Pakistan was the only featured country to see super visa processing times decline, while all others recorded increases—most notably the Philippines, where the wait grew by nearly a month.
| *Applying from: | Current (August 5) | Previous (July 28) |
|---|---|---|
| India | 56 days | 52 days |
| Pakistan | 185 days | 196 days |
| Nigeria | 43 days | 41 days |
| United States | 126 days | 124 days |
| Philippines | 100 days | 73 days |
Service standard: 112 days
*Super visa applications can only be submitted from outside Canada.
Understanding processing times and service standards
Processing times and service standards are two separate measures used by IRCC.
Processing times give applicants an estimate of how long the department may take to finalize a new application. They are meant only as a general guide and do not represent a guaranteed completion date or a maximum wait time.
The department calculates processing times in two ways:
- Historical estimates: based on how long IRCC took to finalize 80% of applications completed in the past; and
- Forward-looking estimates: based on the number of files currently awaiting processing and the resources available to handle them.
Service standards, on the other hand, are performance benchmarks rather than estimates. They identify the time frame within which IRCC aims to complete a particular category of application under normal conditions, generally in 80% of cases.
A specific file may take more or less time than either measure suggests. Case complexity, application backlogs, operational resources, additional document requests, and further assessment requirements can all affect processing.
IRCC updates temporary residence processing times weekly, while estimates for permanent residence and citizenship applications are generally revised monthly. Service standards are reviewed far less frequently. For example, the standards for temporary residence applications were last updated in 2018–2019.
IRCC processed more than 1.2 million temporary residence applications in the first five months of 2026. More than 404,000 remained pending as of May 31.
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