IRCC processing times by program
As of November 11, 2026, IRCC's published times are about 7 months for Express Entry (Federal Skilled Worker), about 6 months for the Canadian Experience Class, about 18 months to sponsor a spouse abroad, about 12 months for citizenship and about 5 weeks for a visitor visa (middle figure across countries). Each counts from receipt of a complete application.
Showing 31 of 31 applications.
Applying from outside Canada? See the time for your countryCount from a date
eTA
OtherWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
PR Card (First Card)
OtherWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
Visitor Visa (Outside Canada)
OtherMiddle figure across countries. Look up yours below.
What this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC publishes this one country by country. The figure here is the middle one across all countries. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
IEC Working Holiday
WorkWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
Study Permit (Outside Canada)
StudyMiddle figure across countries. Look up yours below.
What this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC publishes this one country by country. The figure here is the middle one across all countries. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
PR Card Renewal
OtherWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
Study Permit Extension
StudyWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
Employer-Specific (Outside Canada)
WorkMiddle figure across countries. Look up yours below.
What this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC publishes this one country by country. The figure here is the middle one across all countries. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
Study Permit (Inside Canada)
StudyWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
Employer-Specific (Inside Canada)
WorkWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out. IRCC publishes one time for every work permit applied for from inside Canada: employer-specific, open and post-graduation.
Open Work Permit (Inside Canada)
WorkWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out. IRCC publishes one time for every work permit applied for from inside Canada: employer-specific, open and post-graduation.
Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
WorkWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out. IRCC publishes one time for every work permit applied for from inside Canada: employer-specific, open and post-graduation.
Work Permit Extension (Inside Canada)
WorkWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Express EntryWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month.
Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
Express EntryWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month.
Provincial Nominee Program (through Express Entry)
Express EntryWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month.
Visitor Record (Extend Your Stay)
OtherWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. IRCC updates this figure every week. Its tool says on the result page how the figure is worked out.
Quebec Skilled Workers (federal PR stage)
Other economic PRWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month.
Citizenship Grant
CitizenshipWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month.
Criminal Rehabilitation
OtherIRCC's page: "These applications can take over a year to process."
What this figure counts
This application is not in IRCC’s processing-times tool.
Provincial Nominee Program (outside Express Entry)
Other economic PRWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month.
Spouse/Partner (Outland)
FamilyWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month. This is the figure for applications outside Quebec.
Atlantic Immigration Program
Other economic PRWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month.
Spouse/Partner (Inland)
FamilyWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month. This is the figure for applications outside Quebec.
Parents & Grandparents
FamilyWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month. This is the figure for applications outside Quebec.
Citizenship Certificate (Proof of Citizenship)
CitizenshipWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month.
Dependent Children
FamilyWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month. This is the figure for applications outside Quebec.
Caregivers (permanent residence)
Other economic PRWhat this figure counts
From the day IRCC receives the complete application to the day it decides. It includes the time to give biometrics. This is IRCC’s projection, built from the applications waiting and how many it expects to finish. IRCC updates it every month.
Federal Skilled Trades (FST)
Express EntryIRCC's tool shows "Not enough data" for this program.
Temporary Resident Permit
OtherIRCC publishes no processing time for this permit.
What this figure counts
This application is not in IRCC’s processing-times tool.
Travel Document (PR)
OtherIRCC publishes no processing time for this document.
What this figure counts
This application is not in IRCC’s processing-times tool.
How to read a card
- The big number is the time IRCC publishes for a complete application, counted from the day IRCC receives it to the day it decides.
- A "~" means IRCC rounds the figure ("About 7 months"). A small number beside it points to the notes under the cards.
- The line at the bottom compares the figure with our previous check of IRCC's data.
Notes on the numbered figures: (1) IRCC publishes a rounded time. (2) IRCC publishes this time country by country; the card shows the middle figure across all countries (the median), and yours can be much longer, so use the country lookup below. (3) This application is not in IRCC's processing-times tool; the card shows what IRCC's own page says, or no number at all when IRCC publishes none. Family figures are for applications outside Quebec.
Read from IRCC’s feeds on November 11, 2026. IRCC's own update dates: permanent residence and citizenship October 9, 2026; visas, permits and PR cards November 4, 2026.
View official IRCC processing times on canada.ca (opens in a new tab)What changed since September 26, 2026
Each line is IRCC’s figure on the earlier date and on November 11, 2026. A change is a change in IRCC’s estimate, nothing more.
- Work Permit Extension (Inside Canada)was 107 days,now 120 days(longer)
- Employer-Specific (Outside Canada)was 6 weeks,now 8 weeks(longer)
- Study Permit (Outside Canada)was 5 weeks,now 6 weeks(longer)
- Study Permit Extensionwas 62 days,now 53 days(shorter)
- Citizenship Certificate (Proof of Citizenship)was 33 months,now 34 months(longer)
- PR Card (First Card)was 35 days,now 29 days(shorter)
- PR Card Renewalwas 38 days,now 46 days(longer)
- Visitor Record (Extend Your Stay)was 393 days,now 310 days(shorter)
A notice on IRCC’s processing times page
IRCC’s page says:
“We aren’t finalizing applications from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan at this time. Because of this, your processing time may be longer than the times shown below if the last country of residence on your application was one of these countries.”
IRCC: Check processing times (opens in a new tab)IRCC: the special measures behind this notice (opens in a new tab)
Processing times for your country
For a visa or permit applied for from outside Canada, IRCC publishes a time per country. Choose the country you apply from.
IRCC data, last updated November 4, 2026. Official IRCC source (opens in a new tab)
Count Your Wait
Pick your application and a date. A past date counts the days since IRCC received it. A date still to come shows where IRCC's published time would land. It does not see your file.
Only applications with one national IRCC figure are listed. For permits applied for from outside Canada, use the country lookup above.
A past date counts the days since then. A date still to come shows where the published time would land. Use the date on your acknowledgement of receipt or in your online account, not the day you mailed or started the forms.
Worked example
IRCC receives a complete spousal sponsorship from outside Canada on January 15, 2026. Its published time for that application is about 18 months. Counting forward gives July 9, 2027. If that date has passed, the file is past the published estimate. That is not the same as late, lost or refused.
What these numbers mean
Two ways of counting
For some applications IRCC shows how long it took to finish 80% of past applications. For many others, including most permanent residence programs, it shows a projection. The projection is built from how many applications are waiting and how many IRCC expects to finish each week or month.
When the clock starts
The time starts the day IRCC receives your complete application and ends when IRCC makes a decision. It includes the time to give your biometrics. An incomplete application can be returned, and the count starts again.
Past the published time
A published time is an estimate. Passing it does not mean something is wrong, and it does not give you a right to a decision by a date. IRCC's own pages explain how to check your status and when to contact it.
How IRCC puts it
- "Your processing time starts the day we receive your complete application and ends when we make a decision."
- "This processing time is how long we expect it will take us to process an application if we receive it today."
- "We calculate them by checking how long it took us to process 80% of that type of application in the past."
While you wait: IRCC’s own channels
These are the ways IRCC itself gives to follow a file. This site cannot see any application.
Check your status online
IRCC’s status page points to the right tracker or account for each kind of application.
IRCC: check your application status (opens in a new tab)Use the IRCC web form
The web form is the channel IRCC gives for questions about a file.
IRCC web form: questions about your application (opens in a new tab)Answer IRCC’s requests by their deadline
IRCC says it will contact you if it needs more information or documents. Its page also says: "Calling us won’t help your application get processed faster."
Next steps
Frequently asked questions
What does IRCC processing time mean?
It is the time IRCC publishes for a complete application, counted from the day IRCC receives it to the day an officer makes a decision, and it includes the time to give biometrics. For some applications it is how long IRCC took to finish 80% of past applications. For most permanent residence programs it is a projection built from how many applications are waiting.
How accurate are IRCC processing times?
They are estimates, not promises about any one file. A historical figure means the slowest 20% of past applications took longer, and a projection moves as the number of waiting applications changes. Many files take longer than the published time. For visas and permits applied for from outside Canada, the time varies by country, so the country lookup on this page is closer than the headline figure.
Why is IRCC taking so long?
Usually the file is queued, not stuck. Every application moves through a completeness check, biometrics, security and criminality screening, a medical review where one is needed, and an officer's decision. Volume surges, complex cases and incomplete applications stretch each stage, and an incomplete application that is returned starts the count again when it is sent back.
Check an application for missing documents before you send it
Is IRCC still processing applications?
Yes. IRCC keeps publishing times for the programs on this page, and these were checked against its data on November 11, 2026. Where IRCC pauses new intake, as it has for the Parents and Grandparents Program, it keeps processing the applications it already received. The newest figure for your application is always the one in IRCC's own tool, linked on this page.
How often does IRCC update processing times?
IRCC updates the times for visas, permits and PR cards every week, and the times for permanent residence and citizenship every month. This page is a snapshot: the date at the top says when it was last checked against IRCC's data. For today's figure, use IRCC's own tool, linked on this page.
What if my application is past the published time?
A published time is an estimate, not a deadline, and many files take longer. IRCC's own pages cover what to do: check your application status online first, and use the IRCC web form for questions about your file. A Member of Parliament's office can also make an enquiry to IRCC on your behalf.
Read deeper
The rule behind this tool: the law itself, and what it means.
These are IRCC's published processing times, copied from IRCC's data on the date shown. They are estimates for a complete application, not a promise about any one file. This tool counts dates and does not see your application. It is general information, not legal advice.
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Last checked against IRCC's data: November 11, 2026