Canada Sees Lower Wait Times for Several Temporary Visas

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has reported lower processing times for several temporary residence applications in its latest update, released September 2.

The changes offer some relief for applicants from countries including India, Pakistan and the Philippines, although processing times increased for some applications.

Work Permit Times Move in Different Directions

Work permit processing times fell for applicants in Canada and Pakistan. Applications submitted from Canada dropped from 115 days to 113 days, reaching a new low for 2026. For applicants in Pakistan, the estimate decreased from eight weeks to seven.

However, wait times increased for applicants in India and the Philippines. India’s estimate rose from nine to 10 weeks, while the Philippines saw a larger increase, from five to seven weeks.

Applicants from Nigeria and the United States saw no change, with estimates remaining at nine weeks and two weeks respectively.

IRCC’s service standard is 120 days for initial and extension applications made from inside Canada and 60 days for applications submitted from outside the country.

Study Permit Waits Improve in India

Study permit applicants in India saw one of the biggest improvements in the latest update. The estimated wait fell from seven weeks to five weeks.

Applicants in Canada, however, saw their estimated processing time increase from seven to eight weeks. This marks the highest wait time for in-Canada applications in at least three months.

Processing times remained unchanged for applicants from Pakistan, Nigeria, the United States and the Philippines at seven, nine, five and four weeks respectively.

The service standard remains 120 days for applications made inside Canada and 60 days for applications submitted from outside Canada.

Visitor Visa Changes Remain Small

Visitor visa processing times changed only slightly across the countries listed by IRCC.

The estimate for applicants in India dropped from 32 days to 31 days, while Pakistan increased from 77 to 78 days. Nigeria also saw an increase, from 78 to 80 days.

Applicants in Canada and the United States saw waits fall by one day, to 11 and 20 days respectively. The Philippines dropped from 20 to 18 days.

The service standard for applications submitted outside Canada is 14 days.

Super Visa Times Fall Sharply

Super visa applicants saw more significant improvements. Pakistan’s estimated wait fell by 23 days, from 162 to 139 days. The Philippines saw an 11-day decrease, from 104 to 93 days.

Wait times also declined for Nigeria and the United States. Nigeria dropped from 55 to 52 days, while the United States fell from 123 to 116 days.

India was the only listed country where the wait increased, rising from 61 to 66 days.

Super visa applications can only be submitted from outside Canada, and the service standard is 112 days.

Processing Estimates Are Not Guarantees

IRCC stresses that processing times are estimates rather than firm deadlines. Actual wait times can vary depending on application complexity, the number of applications in the system, processing capacity, additional document requests and further checks.

IRCC updates temporary residence estimates weekly. The next update is expected around September 9, 2026.

The department processed 1,566,455 temporary residence applications during the first six months of 2026. More than 401,000 applications were still awaiting a final decision at the end of June.