Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released updated temporary residence wait time estimates, showing increases across several application categories.
The September 16 update highlights the following changes:
- Work permits: One-week increase for applicants in the United States.
- Study permits: One-week increase for applicants in Canada and Nigeria.
- Super visas: Increases of more than seven weeks for applicants in the United States and over three weeks for those in the Philippines.
However, some applicants experienced shorter waits. Super visa applicants in Pakistan saw the largest decrease, with estimates falling by more than five weeks.
The latest figures compare estimates published on September 16 with those released on September 9. The department is expected to publish its next update around September 23, 2026.
Work Permit
Work permit wait times increased by one week for applicants in the United States after remaining unchanged for more than a month. Meanwhile, estimates for applicants in Canada continued to decline.
| Applying From | Current (September 16) | Previous (September 9) |
| Canada | 109 days | 110 days |
| India | 10 weeks | 10 weeks |
| Pakistan | 8 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Nigeria | 10 weeks | 10 weeks |
| United States | 3 weeks | 2 weeks |
| Philippines | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
Service Standard:
- Applications submitted within Canada, including initial applications and extensions: 120 days
- Applications submitted outside Canada: 60 days
Study Permit
Study permit wait times increased by one week for applicants applying from within Canada and Nigeria. The estimates for the other featured countries remained unchanged.
| Applying From | Current (September 16) | Previous (September 9) |
| Canada | 8 weeks | 7 weeks |
| India | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| Nigeria | 10 weeks | 9 weeks |
| United States | 6 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Philippines | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
Service Standard:
- Applications submitted within Canada, including initial applications and extensions: 120 days
- Applications submitted outside Canada: 60 days
Visitor Visa
Visitor visa estimates showed only minor changes across the featured countries. Increases ranged from two to three days, while decreases did not exceed two days.
| Applying From | Current (September 16) | Previous (September 9) |
| Canada | 11 days | 11 days |
| India | 29 days | 31 days |
| Pakistan | 75 days | 73 days |
| Nigeria | 87 days | 84 days |
| United States | 16 days | 18 days |
| Philippines | 21 days | 19 days |
Service Standard:
- Applications submitted within Canada: Not applicable
- Applications submitted outside Canada: 14 days
Super Visa
Super visa estimates increased for every featured country except Pakistan. Applicants in the United States experienced the largest increase, while those in Pakistan saw a substantial decrease.
| Applying From | Current (September 16) | Previous (September 9) |
| India | 70 days | 69 days |
| Pakistan | 95 days | 132 days |
| Nigeria | 46 days | 44 days |
| United States | 116 days | 66 days |
| Philippines | 90 days | 64 days |
Service Standard: 112 days
Super visa applications can only be submitted from outside Canada.
Understanding Wait Time Estimates and Service Standards
IRCC’s wait time estimates indicate how long a newly submitted application could take to receive a final decision. They are not deadlines, guarantees, or maximum waiting periods.
The department calculates estimates using historical information about completed applications or forward-looking assessments based on pending applications and available resources.
Service standards are different. They represent departmental targets for completing applications under normal circumstances, generally within the stated period in 80% of cases.
Actual waiting periods may vary depending on application complexity, the number of pending applications, available resources, additional document requests, and security checks.
IRCC updates temporary residence estimates weekly, while permanent residence and citizenship estimates are generally updated monthly. Service standards are revised less frequently, with temporary residence standards last updated in 2018 – 2019.
During the first seven months of 2026, IRCC reported finalizing 1,832,065 applications. As of July 31, more than 394,000 applications were still awaiting a final decision.
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