IRCC Wait Times Drop for PR and Citizenship Applicants

Canadian immigration applicants in several categories are seeing shorter wait times, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s July 7 processing update.

The latest figures show processing times fell by one to two months for many permanent residence and family sponsorship applicants. Citizenship grant applications also improved, dropping to a four-month low.

However, not every category moved in the same direction. Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program applications and spousal sponsorship applications outside Quebec both increased by one month.

Economic Immigration Sees Mixed Results

Canadian Experience Class applicants saw their estimated processing time fall from seven months to six months. This brings the category in line with IRCC’s six-month service standard for Express Entry applications.

The Federal Skilled Worker Program remained unchanged at seven months. IRCC does not publish processing times for the Federal Skilled Trades Program because it says there is not enough data.

Inventories continued to rise for some Express Entry streams. Canadian Experience Class inventory reached 61,500 applications, up by 600. Federal Skilled Worker Program inventory rose to 55,800, an increase of 3,800.

PNP Timelines Move in Different Directions

Provincial Nominee Program results were split. Enhanced PNP applications, which are linked to Express Entry, increased from six months to seven months. Base PNP applications improved from 13 months to 12 months.

Enhanced PNP inventory fell to 12,100 applications, down by 1,900. Base PNP inventory also dropped, reaching 103,800 applications, a decrease of 6,400.

Quebec and Atlantic Programs

Quebec Business Class applications improved slightly, falling from 76 months to 75 months. The Skilled Worker Selection Program stayed at 11 months. Quebec Skilled Worker inventory fell by 2,600 to 22,200, while Quebec Business Class inventory remained unchanged at 3,700.

The Atlantic Immigration Program stayed at 26 months, well above its 11-month service standard. Its inventory fell by 600 applications to 12,300.

The Start-up Visa and Federal Self-Employed Persons Program remained at more than 10 years. Start-up Visa inventory rose by 900 to 47,500 applications, while the self-employed program fell slightly to 8,000.

Family Sponsorship Waits Change

Parents and Grandparents Program timelines improved both inside and outside Quebec. Outside Quebec, PGP processing dropped from 32 months to 30 months. In Quebec, it fell from 67 months to 65 months.

Spousal sponsorship outside Quebec increased. Inland spousal applications rose from 26 months to 27 months, while overseas spousal applications rose from 16 months to 17 months.

Quebec spousal sponsorship timelines stayed unchanged at 32 months for inland applicants and 33 months for overseas applicants.

Citizenship Grant Applications Improve

Citizenship grant processing fell from 13 months to 12 months, bringing it in line with IRCC’s service standard. Renunciation of citizenship stayed at seven months, while searches of citizenship records remained at 17 months.

IRCC’s citizenship grant inventory now stands at 326,200 applications, down by 200.

Processing Times Are Estimates

IRCC processing times are estimates, not guarantees. Actual timelines can vary based on file complexity, missing documents, requests for more information, and the department’s workload.

Processing times show how long applications may take, while service standards show IRCC’s internal targets. In general, IRCC aims to process about 80 per cent of applications within the listed service standard.