Canada’s immigration department has shared its newest update on processing times. The update covers permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship applications.
This month’s report shows mixed results. Many temporary residence applications are now taking longer to process. At the same time, some family sponsorship categories are moving faster.
Among the biggest increases are:
- All study permit applications (regardless of location)
- Work permit applications from Pakistan (17-week increase in wait time)
- Super visa applications from the US (112-day jump in processing time)
Processing times for citizenship grants and proof of citizenship certificates have also increased. This may be due to more people applying for citizenship.
On the positive side, family sponsorship processing times have stayed the same or gone down. The biggest improvement is under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP).
This article compares processing times between January 15 and February 17, 2026.
Permanent Residence Applications
Processing times for permanent residence programs are mostly stable. However, some family sponsorship categories have improved.
Express Entry
There has been a small increase in wait times for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applications.
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 7 months | 6 months |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | 7 months | 7 months |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) | N/A | N/A |
Note: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) does not release processing time estimations for the FSTP due to insufficient data.
IRCC service standard: For all Express Entry programs, it is six months.
Total number of people waiting for a decision on their application:
- CEC: 34,200 (+8,800)
- FSWP: 43,000 (+8,400)
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Processing times for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applications remain the same as last month.
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| Through Express Entry (enhanced) | 7 months | 7 months |
| Non-Express Entry (base) | 13 months | 13 months |
Service standard: For Express Entry-aligned applications it is six months, for base applications it is 11 months.
Total number of people waiting for a decision on their application:
- Enhanced applications: 12,400 (+1,600)
- Base applications: 108,300 (+5,700)
Quebec Immigration
Processing times for Quebec’s skilled worker pathway have not changed.
| Stream | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) | 11 months | 11 months |
Service standard: Six months.
Total number of people waiting for a decision on their application: 26,400 (-300)
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
The Atlantic Immigration Program continues to face very long wait times.
| Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| 33 months | 33 months |
Service standard: 11 months.
Total number of people waiting for a decision on their application: 13,700 (+100)
Family Sponsorship
Family sponsorship categories show stable or shorter wait times. The largest drop is in the Parents and Grandparents Program for those planning to live outside Quebec.
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| Spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada | 21 months (intending to reside outside Quebec)
35 months (intending to reside in Quebec) |
21 months (intending to reside outside Quebec)
36 months (intending to reside in Quebec) |
| Spouse or common-law partner living outside Canada | 15 months (intending to reside outside Quebec)
35 months (intending to reside in Quebec) |
14 months (intending to reside outside Quebec)
35 months (intending to reside in Quebec) |
| Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) | 35 months (intending to reside outside Quebec)
47 months (intending to reside in Quebec) |
37 months (intending to reside outside Quebec)
48 months (intending to reside in Quebec) |
Service standard: IRCC only publishes service standards for the sponsorship of a spouse or common-law partner living outside Quebec, which sit at 12 months.
Total number of people waiting for a decision on their application:
- Partner living in Canada, intending to reside outside Quebec: 52,600 (+500)
- Partner living in Canada, intending to reside in Quebec: 12,100 (0)
- Partner living outside Canada, intending to reside outside Quebec: 47,300 (+400)
- Partner living outside Canada, intending to reside in Quebec: 19,100 (-200)
- PGP, intending to reside outside Quebec: 48,300 (-2,000)
- PGP, intending to reside in Quebec: 12,000 (-400)
Dependent Child Sponsorship
Within Canada
Processing times remain unchanged for dependent child sponsorship within Canada.
| Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| 19 months | 19 months |
Service standard: Unpublished.
Outside Canada
Nigeria-based applications have improved by one month.
| Applying From: | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| India | 16 months | 16 months |
| Nigeria | 19 months | 20 months |
Service standard: 12 months.
Temporary Residence Applications
Visitor Visas
India and the United States saw shorter wait times. Nigeria experienced the largest increase.
| Applying From: | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| Canada | 21 days | 17 days |
| India | 78 days | 99 days |
| Pakistan | 58 days | 57 days |
| Nigeria | 51 days | 36 days |
| United States | 25 days | 27 days |
Service standard: Only outside-Canada applications are published by IRCC, for which the standard is 14 days.
Work Permits
Work permit wait times from Pakistan increased sharply, rising by 17 weeks in just one month.
| Applying From: | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| Canada | 246 days | 220 days |
| India | 8 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Pakistan | 30 weeks | 13 weeks |
| Nigeria | 9 weeks | 11 weeks |
| United States | 10 weeks | 7 weeks |
Service standard: Within-Canada applications (initial and extensions) have a 120-day standard, while outside Canada applications have a 60-day standard. This excludes International Experience Canada (IEC) permits (56-day standard).
Study Permits
Study permit processing times increased for all listed countries.
| Applying From: | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| Canada | 8 weeks | 7 weeks |
| India | 4 weeks | 3 weeks |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Nigeria | 8 weeks | 6 weeks |
| United States | 7 weeks | 6 weeks |
Service standard: 120 days for applications submitted from within Canada and 60 days for outside-Canada applications.
Super Visas
Only Pakistan saw a decrease in super visa wait times. US processing times more than doubled.
| Applying From: | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| India | 213 days | 206 days |
| Pakistan | 124 days | 133 days |
| Nigeria | 46 days | 41 days |
| United States | 205 days | 93 days |
Service standard: 112 days.
Citizenship Applications
Both citizenship grants and proof of citizenship certificates are taking one month longer to process.
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | Processing Times As Of January 15, 2025 |
| Citizenship grant | 14 months | 13 months |
| Citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship) | 11 months | 10 months |
Service standards: Only citizenship grant service standards are published, which is set at 12 months.
Total number of people waiting for a decision on their application:
- Citizenship grant: 313,000 (+7,600)
- Citizenship certificate: 47,900 (+5,500)
Processing Times And Service Standards
Processing times and service standards are not the same.
Moreover, processing times show how long it may take to make a decision on an application submitted today. Online applications are counted from the time of submission. Paper applications are counted from when they arrive at the mailroom.
There are two types of processing times:
Historical: Based on how long it took to process 80% of similar applications in the past.
Forward looking: Based on future estimates that consider the current number of pending applications and how quickly officers are finalizing files.
Service standards are internal goals set by IRCC. They show how long the department aims to take to process 80% of applications. The remaining 20% may take longer due to complex cases.
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