Temporary Residence Wait Times Drop in New IRCC Update

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has released its latest temporary residence processing update, showing several changes between June 24 and July 2.

The clearest improvement came for work permit applicants applying from inside Canada. Processing times dropped by 15 days, falling from 144 days to 129 days. This is the lowest wait time reported for in-Canada work permit applicants so far this year.

Applicants from Nigeria also saw a shorter wait. Their processing time moved from nine weeks to eight weeks.

Other work permit timelines stayed the same. Applications from India remained at nine weeks, Pakistan at five weeks, the United States at four weeks, and the Philippines at eight weeks.

IRCC’s service standard for work permit applications made inside Canada, including extensions, is 120 days. For applications submitted from outside Canada, the service standard is 60 days.

Study Permit Timelines Move Higher

Study permit applicants did not see any processing time improvements in the latest update.

Applicants applying from inside Canada now face a seven-week wait, up from six weeks. Applicants from India also saw an increase, moving from four weeks to five weeks.

Processing times stayed unchanged for Pakistan at six weeks, Nigeria at five weeks, the United States at five weeks, and the Philippines at four weeks.

IRCC’s service standard for study permits is 120 days for applications made inside Canada and 60 days for applications made outside Canada.

Visitor Visa Results Are Mixed

Visitor visa processing times improved for applicants from Canada, India, and Pakistan.

In-Canada visitor visa processing fell from 42 days to 38 days. India-based applications dropped slightly from 22 days to 21 days. Pakistan saw a larger improvement, with wait times falling from 43 days to 38 days.

However, applicants from Nigeria and the United States saw slightly longer waits. Nigeria increased from 54 days to 56 days, while the United States rose from 31 days to 32 days. The Philippines remained unchanged at 17 days.

The service standard for visitor visas submitted outside Canada is 14 days. IRCC does not list a service standard for visitor visa applications made from inside Canada.

Super Visa Waits Drop for India, Rise for U.S.

Super visa processing times changed sharply for some countries.

Applicants from India saw a major improvement. Their wait time fell from 66 days to 50 days, a drop of just over two weeks.

Applicants from Nigeria also saw a small improvement, with wait times moving from 34 days to 32 days.

At the same time, U.S. applicants faced a longer wait. Processing times increased from 104 days to 123 days. The Philippines also rose from 42 days to 52 days, while Pakistan increased from 95 days to 102 days.

Super visa applications cannot be submitted from inside Canada. The service standard for super visas is 112 days.

What Processing Times Mean

IRCC publishes processing times to help applicants estimate how long their application may take. These timelines are only guides. They do not guarantee that an application will be finalized within the posted period.

The department uses two types of estimates. Historical estimates show how long IRCC has taken to process 80 per cent of past applications. Forward-looking estimates consider current application volumes and processing capacity.

Service standards are different. They are internal targets that show how quickly IRCC aims to process most applications under normal conditions. In many cases, IRCC aims to finalize about 80 per cent of applications within the service standard.

Some applications may move faster, while others may take longer because of backlogs, operational limits, or case-specific issues.

IRCC updates temporary residence processing times weekly. Permanent residence and citizenship timelines are updated monthly. Temporary residence service standards were last updated in 2018–2019.