On August 10, Canada’s immigration department updated its wait time estimates for several permanent residence (PR) and citizenship application categories.
The latest update shows shorter waits for some applicants, including those applying through the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) under Express Entry and the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP).
However, not every category saw an improvement. The base Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) was the only category among the main economic programs to see its wait increase, even though the number of applications in its queue fell.
The latest figures cover economic immigration, family sponsorship and citizenship applications. They can be compared with the figures released on July 7.
PR: Economic Immigration
Wait times for most economic immigration programs changed little between July and August. The main changes were seen in the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the base PNP.
Express Entry
Applicants under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and FSWP now have the same estimated wait.
| Application Type | Current (August 10) | Previous (July 7) |
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 6 months | 6 months |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | 6 months | 7 months |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) | N/A* | N/A* |
NOTE: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) does not publish processing times for FSTP applications, citing “not enough data.”
IRCC service standard: Six months across all Express Entry programs.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
- CEC: 59,700 (-1,800).
- FSWP: 52,400 (-3,400).
The FSWP saw the biggest change among the three Express Entry programs with a published estimate. Its wait fell from seven months in July to six months in August.
At the same time, the number of CEC applications awaiting assessment fell by 1,800. The FSWP inventory also dropped by 3,400 applications.
Provincial Nominee Program
The base PNP saw a different trend. Although IRCC reduced the number of applications in this queue, the estimated wait increased by one month.
Enhanced PNP applicants did not see a change.
| Application Type | Current (August 10) | Previous (July 7) |
| Through Express Entry (enhanced) | 7 months | 7 months |
| Non-Express Entry (base) | 13 months | 12 months |
Service standard: Six months for enhanced PNP applications; 11 months for base PNP applications.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
- Enhanced applications: 11,800 (-300).
- Base applications: 102,400 (-1,400).
The base PNP queue remains much larger than the enhanced PNP inventory. More than 102,000 base PNP applications were waiting for assessment as of August 10.
Quebec Immigration
Quebec immigration programs showed no change in their estimated waits.
The Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) remained at 11 months. The Quebec Business Class (QBC) continued to show an estimated wait of more than six years.
| Application Type | Current (August 10) | Previous (July 7) |
| Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) | 11 months | 11 months |
| Quebec Business Class (QBC) | 75 months | 75 months |
Service standard: Six months for PSTQ applicants; unpublished for QBC applications.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
- PSTQ: 21,200 (-1,000).
- QBC: 3,700 (unchanged).
Although IRCC completed work on 1,000 PSTQ applications since July 7, the estimated wait stayed at 11 months.
Atlantic Immigration Program
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) also showed no change in its estimated wait.
The number of applications in the AIP inventory fell by 200 compared with the previous month.]
| Current (August 10) | Previous (July 7) |
| 26 months | 26 months |
Service standard: 11 months.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment: 12,100 (-200).
The AIP wait remains well above its service standard of 11 months.
Other Economic Programs
Some economic programs continue to have very long waits.
The Start-up Visa (SUV) and Federal Self-Employed Persons Program both continue to show waits of more than 10 years.
| Application Type | Current (August 10) | Previous (July 7) |
| Start-up Visa (SUV) | 10+ years | 10+ years |
| Federal Self-Employed Persons Program | 10+ years | 10+ years |
Service standards are not available for the above programs.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
- SUV: 47,600 (+100).
- Federal Self-Employed Persons Program: 8,000 (unchanged).
The SUV inventory increased slightly, while the number of applications under the Federal Self-Employed Persons Program remained unchanged.
PR: Family Sponsorship
Family sponsorship applicants saw fewer changes in August.
Spousal sponsorship waits stayed the same both inside and outside Quebec. The main improvement came for parents and grandparents, whose estimated wait fell by one month.
Outside Quebec
Most family sponsorship categories outside Quebec remained stable.
| Application Type | Current (August 10) | Previous (July 7) |
| Spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada | 27 months | 27 months |
| Spouse or common-law partner living outside Canada | 17 months | 17 months |
| Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) | 29 months | 30 months |
Service standard: 12 months for sponsorship of a spouse/common-law partner outside Quebec; IRCC does not publish standards for other application types.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
- Partner living in Canada: 56,800 (-100).
- Partner living outside Canada: 58,000 (+3,900).
- Parents and Grandparents: 39,000 (-1,400).
The PGP saw the largest improvement among these categories, with its estimated wait falling from 30 months to 29 months.
However, the inventory for partners living outside Canada increased by 3,900 applications. The number of applications for parents and grandparents fell by 1,400.
Within Quebec
Family sponsorship applicants planning to settle in Quebec also saw stable waits in most categories.
The PGP was again the only category to see a change, with its wait falling by one month.
| Application Type | Current (August 10) | Previous (July 7) |
| Spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada | 32 months | 32 months |
| Spouse or common-law partner living outside Canada | 33 months | 33 months |
| Parents and Grandparents Program | 64 months | 65 months |
IRCC does not provide published service standards for those intending to settle within Quebec.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
- Partner living in Canada: 14,000 (+300).
- Partner living outside Canada: 19,000 (+400).
- Parents and Grandparents: 10,400 (-100).
Citizenship
Citizenship applicants saw little change in August.
The estimated wait for a citizenship grant remained at 12 months. The main change was seen in citizenship renunciation, where the wait fell by three months compared with July.
| Application Type | Current (August 10) | Previous (July 7) |
| Citizenship grant | 12 months | 12 months |
| Renunciation of citizenship | 4 months | 7 months |
| Search of citizenship records | 17 months | 17 months |
Service standard (grants): 12 months.
IRCC had 328,200 citizenship grant applications in its inventory as of August 10. This was 2,000 more applications than the department reported on July 7.
The wait for proof of Canadian citizenship certificates has also changed significantly. A separate update showed that this category had reached a wait of 25 months by August 10.
Wait Times And Service Standards Are Different
Wait time estimates and service standards provide different types of information.
Moreover, wait times are estimates that show how long an application may take to be completed. They are not fixed deadlines, and they do not guarantee that an application will receive a decision within the stated period.
The actual time can vary from one application to another. Factors such as the complexity of an application, missing information, or requests for extra documents can affect how long a file takes.
IRCC uses two types of estimates:
- Historical estimates: based on how long it took IRCC to finalize 80% of similar applications in the past; and
- Forward-looking estimates: calculated using the department’s current application inventory and projected processing capacity.
On the other hand, service standards work differently. They are targets set by IRCC for certain application categories and show the period in which the department aims to complete applications under normal conditions.
In general, IRCC aims to complete about 80% of applications covered by a service standard within the stated period.
The two measures are also updated at different times. Wait time estimates are generally updated monthly for permanent residence and citizenship applications and weekly for temporary residence applications.
Service standards can stay unchanged for several years. For example, the service standards for Express Entry programs were last revised in 2019.
The August update therefore gives applicants a clearer view of how current queues compare with earlier figures. While some categories, such as FSWP and PGP, saw shorter waits, several other programs continue to face long queues.
CWRVisa, a Canadian immigration leader, promises excellence and tailored pathways for your Canadian journey. Get in touch with us at CWRVisa.ca.