Temporary residence wait times fall in latest IRCC processing update
On July 2, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published updated processing times for various temporary residence applications, with good news for work permit applicants.
Work permit processing times continued to ease for in-Canada applicants, falling by another 15 days to their lowest level this year; applicants from Nigeria also saw a one-week improvement.
Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation
Wait times for super visa submissions from India also improved significantly, falling by just over two weeks.
By contrast, wait times climbed most notably for the following categories:
- Study permits: one-week increase for submissions from within Canada and India; and
- Super visas: nearly three weeks for U.S. applicants; 10 days for submissions from the Philippines; one week for Pakistan-based applications.
In this article, we compare how various temporary residence processing times have changed from June 24 to July 2.
Work permits
Work permit wait times continue to improve for applicants in Canada and Nigeria, falling by 15 days and one week, respectively.
| Applying from: | Current (July 2) | Previous (June 24) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 129 days | 144 days |
| India | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Pakistan | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Nigeria | 8 weeks | 9 weeks |
| United States | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Philippines | 8 weeks | 8 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 applying from within Canada and India. No declines were reported by IRCC.
| Applying from: | Current (July 2) | Previous (June 24) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 7 weeks | 6 weeks |
| India | 5 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Pakistan | 6 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Nigeria | 5 weeks | 5 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
Visitor visa processing times shortened for applications from Canada, India, and Pakistan, while applicants applying from Nigeria and the United States faced slightly longer waits.
| Applying from: | Current (July 2) | Previous (June 24) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 38 days | 42 days |
| India | 21 days | 22 days |
| Pakistan | 38 days | 43 days |
| Nigeria | 56 days | 54 days |
| United States | 32 days | 31 days |
| Philippines | 17 days | 17 days |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions: N/A
- Outside Canada submissions: 14 days
Super visas
Super visa processing times shifted most notably for India and the U.S., decreasing by just over two weeks for Indian applicants and increasing by almost three weeks for U.S. applicants.
| *Applying from: | Current (July 2) | Previous (June 24) |
|---|---|---|
| India | 50 days | 66 days |
| Pakistan | 102 days | 95 days |
| Nigeria | 32 days | 34 days |
| United States | 123 days | 104 days |
| Philippines | 52 days | 42 days |
Service standard: 112 days
*Super visa applications cannot be submitted from within Canada.
Processing times versus service standards
IRCC publishes processing times to help applicants understand how long it may take to process their application, whether they are applying for immigration, temporary residence, or citizenship.
These timelines are provided for guidance only and do not guarantee that an application will be finalized within the stated time frame.
The department’s processing estimates are divided into two categories:
- Historical estimates: based on past performance, showing how long IRCC has generally taken to finalize 80% of applications; and
- Forward-looking estimates: based on current application volumes and the department’s processing capacity.
Service standards serve a different purpose. They are internal benchmarks that set out how quickly IRCC aims to process certain application types under normal conditions. Typically, IRCC seeks to finalize about 80% of applications within the relevant service standard.
In practice, some applications may be processed more quickly, while others may exceed the service standard. Delays can result from backlogs, operational constraints, or factors unique to a particular application.
Temporary residence processing times are updated every week, while permanent residence and citizenship processing times are updated monthly. Service standards are reviewed less frequently—for example, service standards for temporary residence applications were last updated in 2018–2019.
