Wait times rise for temporary residence applicants
Updated temporary residence processing estimates published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on September 16 show wait times are largely on the rise.
The most significant increases seen in IRCC’s latest update include:
- Work permits: 1 week for U.S. applicants;
- Study permits: 1 week for in-Canada, Nigeria-based applicants; and
- Super visas: 7+ weeks for U.S. applicants, 3.7+ weeks for Philippines-based applicants.
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Several wait times also decreased, with the most substantial drop affecting super visa applicants in Pakistan, whose processing time fell by more than five weeks.
This article examines the total week-over-week changes in IRCC’s temporary residence processing time estimates, comparing the September 16 figures with those published on September 9.
The department is expected to publish its next update on or around September 23, 2026.
Work permits
Work permit wait times increased by one week for U.S. nationals after holding steady for over a month, and continued to decline for in-Canada applicants.
| Applying from: | Current (September 16) | Previous (September 9) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 109 days | 110 days |
| India | 10 weeks | 10 weeks |
| Pakistan | 8 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Nigeria | 10 weeks | 10 weeks |
| United States | 3 weeks | 2 weeks |
| Philippines | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days
Study permits
Study permit processing times increased by one week for applicants from within Canada and Nigeria, while all other featured countries saw no movement.
| Applying from: | Current (September 16) | Previous (September 9) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 8 weeks | 7 weeks |
| India | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| Nigeria | 10 weeks | 9 weeks |
| United States | 6 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Philippines | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days
Visitor visas
Visitor visa processing times saw minimal movement across the board, with increases of 2–3 days and declines of no more than 2 days.
| Applying from: | Current (September 16) | Previous (September 9) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 11 days | 11 days |
| India | 29 days | 31 days |
| Pakistan | 75 days | 73 days |
| Nigeria | 87 days | 84 days |
| United States | 16 days | 18 days |
| Philippines | 21 days | 19 days |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions: N/A
- Outside Canada submissions: 14 days
Super visas
Super visa wait times rose in every country but Pakistan, which saw a decline of more than a month. The U.S. posted the steepest climb, at over seven weeks.
| *Applying from: | Current (September 16) | Previous (September 9) |
|---|---|---|
| India | 70 days | 69 days |
| Pakistan | 95 days | 132 days |
| Nigeria | 46 days | 44 days |
| United States | 116 days | 66 days |
| Philippines | 90 days | 64 days |
Service standard: 112 days
*Super visa applications can only be submitted from outside Canada.
Understanding IRCC’s processing times and service standards
IRCC’s processing times and service standards measure different aspects of application processing.
Processing times provide an estimate of how long a newly submitted application could take to finalize. They are not fixed timelines and should not be interpreted as deadlines, guarantees, or maximum processing periods.
Depending on the type of application, IRCC calculates these estimates using one of two approaches:
- Historical estimates, based on the time it took the department to finalize 80% of previously completed applications; or
- Forward-looking estimates, which take into account the number of applications currently in inventory and the resources available to process them.
Service standards, by contrast, are departmental performance targets. They represent the period within which IRCC aims to process a particular application type under normal circumstances, generally in 80% of cases.
Individual applications may take more or less time than either measure suggests. Processing can be affected by factors including application complexity, inventory volumes, available processing capacity, requests for further documentation, and additional checks or assessments.
IRCC updates temporary residence processing time estimates weekly, while permanent residence and citizenship estimates are generally refreshed once a month. Service standards are updated less often, with temporary residence standards last revised in 2018–2019.
During the first seven months of 2026, the immigration department reported having processed 1,832,065 applications. As of July 31, more than 394,000 applications were still awaiting finalization.
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