Canada Temporary Residence Wait Times Rise in IRCC Update

Canada’s temporary residence processing times mostly moved higher in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s latest update, with some of the largest increases affecting super visa applicants.

The September 16 figures show longer waits for several work permit, study permit and super visa applicants compared with estimates published on September 9. Visitor visa times changed only slightly.

Work permit waits edge higher

Work permit processing for applicants in the United States rose to three weeks from two weeks.

Applicants applying from inside Canada saw a small improvement, with the estimate falling to 109 days from 110 days. Processing times stayed at 10 weeks for India, 8 weeks for Pakistan, 10 weeks for Nigeria and 7 weeks for the Philippines.

IRCC’s work permit service standard is 120 days in Canada and 60 days outside Canada.

Study permit times increase in two locations

Study permit estimates rose by one week for applicants in Canada and Nigeria.

For in-Canada applicants, the wait increased to eight weeks from seven. Nigeria’s estimate climbed to 10 weeks from nine.

There was no change elsewhere. India remained at five weeks, Pakistan at seven weeks, the United States at six weeks and the Philippines at five weeks.

Study permit service standards are 120 days in Canada and 60 days outside Canada.

Visitor visa changes remain limited

Visitor visa processing times showed small week-over-week movement.

India’s estimate dropped to 29 days from 31, while the United States fell to 16 days from 18. Canada remained unchanged at 11 days.

Waits increased in Pakistan to 75 days from 73, Nigeria to 87 days from 84 and the Philippines to 21 days from 19.

IRCC lists a 14-day service standard for visitor visa applications submitted outside Canada.

Super visa waits show sharpest shifts

Super visa processing times rose in every listed country except Pakistan.

The United States recorded the largest increase, jumping to 116 days from 66 days. The Philippines rose to 90 days from 64, while India increased to 70 days from 69 and Nigeria to 46 days from 44.

Pakistan moved in the opposite direction. Its estimate fell to 95 days from 132 days, a drop of more than five weeks.

The service standard for super visa applications is 112 days. These applications can only be submitted from outside Canada.

Processing times are estimates

IRCC says processing times are estimates of how long a new application may take. They are not deadlines or guaranteed completion dates.

Service standards are different. They are performance targets showing how quickly the department aims to process applications under normal conditions, in 80 per cent of cases.

Actual timelines can vary because of application complexity, case volumes, available processing capacity, requests for more documents and additional checks.

IRCC updates temporary residence processing estimates weekly. The department reported processing 1,832,065 applications in the first seven months of 2026, while more than 394,000 applications were currently awaiting final decisions as of July 31.

IRCC expects its next weekly update around September 23, 2026.