Author: Azadeh Haidari-Garmash, RCIC
As Canada consistently ranks as a preferred destination for immigrants, it is pivotal to comprehend the evolving processing times for diverse immigration applications.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the organization responsible for processing applications, routinely updates these timelines to mirror its current operational capacity and proficiency. This information is essential whether one is embarking on the journey to Canadian citizenship, renewing a Permanent Resident (PR) card, or applying for temporary residency.
It is critical to note that the quoted times apply to approximately 80% of applications, implying that individual experiences may vary. Several factors can impact these timelines, such as the comprehensiveness of the submitted documentation, the complexity of the individual case, or the necessity for additional security checks.
Here is an in-depth analysis for each category:
In conclusion, understanding these processing times, while acknowledging the potential for variability, is a vital step in navigating the Canadian immigration process.
Citizenship
CITIZENSHIP PROCESSING TIMES (MONTHLY UPDATES)
- Citizenship Grant: Currently requires 7 months to process, with no change from the last update.
- Citizenship Certificate: Processing time reduced to 3 months, a decrease of 1 month compared to the last update.
RENUNCIATION OF CITIZENSHIP
- Processing time remains at 16 months, with no change from the last month's update.
SEARCH OF CITIZENSHIP RECORDS
- Currently stands at 11 months, with no change from the previous update.
Permanent Resident (PR) Card
PERMANENT RESIDENT (PR) CARD UPDATES (WEEKLY)
- New PR Card: Processing time remains at 24 days, unchanged from the previous week's update.
- PR Card Renewal: Processing time has significantly decreased to 47 days, a reduction of 12 days from the last week.
Family Sponsorship
FAMILY SPONSORSHIP PROCESSING TIMES (MONTHLY UPDATES)
- Spouse/Common-Law Partner (Outside Canada, except Quebec): Remains steady at 10 months.
- Spouse/Common-Law Partner (Outside Canada, for Quebec): Unaltered at 36 months.
WITHIN CANADA SPONSORSHIP PROCESSING TIMES
- Spouse/Common-Law Partner (Inside Canada, except Quebec): Stable at 12 months.
- Spouse/Common-Law Partner (Inside Canada, for Quebec): Unchanged at 27 months.
PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS SPONSORSHIP PROCESSING TIMES
- Parents/Grandparents (except Quebec): Constant at 24 months.
- Parents/Grandparents (for Quebec): Remains at 48 months.
Economic Immigration
ECONOMIC IMMIGRATION (MONTHLY AND WEEKLY UPDATES)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC): Remains at 5 months.
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP): Unchanged at 5 months.
- Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry): Continues at 6 months.
- Provincial Nominee Program (without Express Entry): Extended to 13 months.
- Quebec Skilled Workers (QSW): Maintains at 11 months.
- Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP): Unchanged at 8 months.
- Federal Self-employed persons: Still at 48 months.
- Quebec Business Class: Lengthened to 71 months from 58 months in the previous update.
- Start-up Visa: Steady at 40 months.
Temporary Residency
TEMPORARY RESIDENCY PROCESSING TIMES (WEEKLY UPDATES)
- Visitor Visa (From Outside Canada)
- India: Unchanged at 114 days
- United States: Increased by 2 days to 27 days
- Nigeria: Decreased by 1 day to 173 days
- Pakistan: Increased by 1 day to 32 days
- Philippines: Increased by 1 day to 18 days
VISITOR VISA (INSIDE CANADA)
- Online: Remains at 18 days
- Visitor Extension: Increased by 10 days to 116 days
Super Visa
SUPER VISA
- India: Processing time is 129 days, reduced by 1 day since last week.
- United States: Processing time remains unchanged at 137 days.
- Nigeria: Processing time stands at 63 days with no change.
- Pakistan: Processing time is currently 133 days, a reduction of 15 days since the last update.
- Philippines: Processing time is now 86 days, a decrease of 20 days compared to the previous week.
STUDY PERMIT (FROM OUTSIDE CANADA)
- India: Processing time remains steady at 3 weeks.
- United States: Processing time remains unchanged at 14 weeks.
- Nigeria: Processing time is steady at 9 weeks.
- Pakistan: Processing time has increased to 11 weeks, a drop of 2 weeks compared to November update.
- Philippines: Processing time continues to be 4 weeks.
Study permit
STUDY PERMIT FROM INSIDE CANADA
- Processing time reduced by 1 week to 13 weeks since last week.
STUDY PERMIT EXTENSION
- Processing time reduced by 5 days to 158 days.
WORK PERMIT (OUTSIDE CANADA)
- India: Processing time down by 4 weeks to 19 weeks from last week’s update.
- United States: Processing time remained unchanged at 14 weeks.
- Nigeria: Processing time remained unchanged at 24 weeks.
- Pakistan: Processing time reduced by 3 weeks to 15 weeks since last weekly update.
- Philippines: Processing time reduced by 1 week to 4 weeks as compared to previous update.
WORK PERMIT FROM INSIDE CANADA INCLUDING EXTENSION
- Up to 171 days, an increase of 2 days from last week.
Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program (SAWP) Programs
SEASONAL AGRICULTURE WORKER PROGRAM (SAWP)
- Processing time: 8 days
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE CANADA
- Processing time: 6 weeks
ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION (ETA)
- Processing time: Immediate at 5 minutes
IMPORTANT REMINDER
- For the most accurate and up-to-date information, always check the official IRCC website.
Aiming to keep you thoroughly informed and your immigration plans firmly on track, this guide offers key details on the processing times for various immigration applications in Canada. However, bear in mind that these are average times, and the processing period for your specific application may vary.
For those wondering about the timeline for citizenship application processing, the duration remains undisclosed at this time. For the processing of Permanent Residency (PR) cards, it generally takes around 24 days for new PR cards and approximately 47 days for PR card renewals.
For individuals seeking information on spousal sponsorship processing from outside Canada, it typically takes about 10 months on average.
Wondering how often the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) processing times are updated? You can expect monthly updates for citizenship, family sponsorship, and economic immigration applications. For temporary residency and PR cards, updates are conducted on a more frequent weekly basis.
In conclusion, it is essential to take these processing times into account when planning your immigration to Canada. However, remember that these durations are averages and your specific case may take more or less time.
