PR and Citizenship Applicants Face Longer Canadian Wait Times

Canada’s immigration department has updated processing times for permanent residence and citizenship applications, with several programs showing longer waits in early September.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released the new estimates on September 3. Three categories recorded increases of one month: the Federal Skilled Worker Program under Express Entry, spousal sponsorship outside Canada and outside Quebec, and the article’s reported search of citizenship records category.

At the same time, processing became one month faster for the Parents and Grandparents Program outside Quebec and for spousal sponsorship inside Canada, outside Quebec.

Express Entry changes

Federal Skilled Worker Program applications now carry an estimated processing time of seven months, up from six months on August 10. The inventory also increased by 1,400 applications to 53,800.

The Canadian Experience Class remained at six months, even after IRCC processed 800 applications from its inventory. The department does not currently publish a Federal Skilled Trades Program estimate because it says there is “not enough data.”

Provincial Nominee Program timelines stayed unchanged. Enhanced applications through Express Entry remain at seven months, while base PNP applications remain at 13 months.

For Express Entry, IRCC’s published service standard remains six months, meaning the seven-month FSWP estimate now sits above that target.

Quebec and other economic programs

Quebec’s Skilled Worker Selection Program remains at 11 months, while Quebec Business Class applications continue to face an estimated 75-month processing time.

The Atlantic Immigration Program also stayed unchanged at 26 months for the fourth consecutive month. That remains well above its 11-month service standard.

Applicants under the Start-Up Visa Program and Federal Self-Employed Persons Program continue to face waits of more than 10 years.

Family sponsorship timelines shift

Outside Quebec, in-Canada spousal sponsorship dropped from 27 months to 26 months. Out-of-Canada spousal sponsorship moved in the opposite direction, rising from 17 months to 18 months.

The Parents and Grandparents Program outside Quebec improved from 29 months to 28 months.

Within Quebec, spousal sponsorship timelines did not change. Applications for partners living inside Canada remain at 32 months, while those for partners outside Canada remain at 33 months. Parent and grandparent sponsorship fell from 64 months to 63 months.

Citizenship timelines mostly stable

Citizenship grant applications remain at 12 months, matching IRCC’s published service standard. Citizenship renunciation remains at four months.

The source article says searches of citizenship records increased by one month, although its comparison table lists 18 months for both September 3 and August 10.

IRCC reported 327,100 citizenship grant applications in inventory, down 1,100 from August.

What the estimates mean

IRCC says processing times are estimates rather than guarantees. Some are based on how long it took to complete 80 per cent of comparable past applications, while others reflect current inventories and expected processing capacity.

Application completeness, complexity and requests for more documents can also affect timelines. Service standards are different: they are targets IRCC sets for processing applications under normal conditions.

Many permanent residence applicants may qualify for a Bridging Open Work Permit if they apply before their permit expires. A spouse or common-law partner may also qualify for an open work permit.