Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently shared its updated processing times for immigration and citizenship applications. The monthly update was released on November 5, followed by the latest weekly update on November 13.
Keeping up with IRCC’s processing times is vital for anyone navigating their immigration journey, especially with the growing backlogs in Canada’s immigration system.
Staying updated on these timelines helps applicants make well-informed decisions and better plan their next steps.
To ensure transparency and provide clarity, IRCC frequently updates its processing times. Monthly updates cover categories like citizenship, family sponsorship, and economic immigration, while weekly updates focus on temporary residency, PR cards, and business immigration.
Here are the latest processing times for key application categories, such as citizenship, permanent resident (PR) cards, family sponsorship, economic immigration, and temporary residency.
Citizenship Processing Times (Monthly Updates)
- Citizenship Grant: Processing time is now 7 months, an increase of 1 month since the last update.
- Citizenship Certificate: Processing remains steady at 4 months with no changes.
- Renunciation of Citizenship: The timeline is 16 months, unchanged from the previous update.
- Search of Citizenship Records: Processing has improved to 11 months, a decrease of 1 month compared to the last update.
Currently, IRCC is issuing acknowledgment of receipt (AOR) letters for citizenship applications submitted during the week of October 28, 2024.
Permanent Resident (PR) Card Processing Times (Weekly Updates)
- New PR Card: Processing time remains 25 days since the last weekly update.
- PR Card Renewal: Processing time has improved to 54 days, a reduction of 5 days compared to last month’s update.
Family Sponsorship Processing Times (Monthly Updates)
- Spouse/Common-Law Partner (Outside Canada, excluding Quebec): Processing time remains steady at 10 months.
- Spouse/Common-Law Partner (Outside Canada for Quebec): Processing now takes 36 months, an increase of 1 month from the previous update.
- Spouse/Common-Law Partner (Inside Canada, excluding Quebec): Processing time has improved to 12 months, a decrease of 1 month compared to the last update.
- Spouse/Common-Law Partner (Inside Canada for Quebec): Processing time remains unchanged at 27 months.
- Parents/Grandparents (excluding Quebec): Processing continues at 24 months with no changes.
- Parents/Grandparents (for Quebec): Processing remains at 48 months, with no updates from the previous report.
Economic Immigration Processing Times (Monthly and Weekly Updates)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC): Processing time remains at 5 months, unchanged.
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP): Processing time stays at 5 months, with no updates.
- Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry): Processing continues at 6 months, unchanged.
- Provincial Nominee Program (Non-Express Entry): Processing time has increased to 13 months, up by 1 month from the previous update.
- Quebec Skilled Workers (QSW): Processing time has risen to 11 months, an increase of 2 months compared to the last update.
- Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP): Processing now takes 8 months, an increase of 1 month since the last update.
- Federal Self-employed Persons: Processing remains unchanged at 48 months.
- Quebec Business Class: Processing time has increased significantly to 58 months, up 9 months from the previous update.
- Start-up Visa: Processing continues at 40 months, with no changes since the last update.
Temporary Residency Processing Times (Updated Weekly)
Visitor Visa (Application from Outside Canada)
Processing times differ by country, as outlined below:
- India: 113 days, down by 1 day from last month’s update
- United States: 23 days, shortened by 3 days since last month
- Nigeria: 175 days, unchanged from the previous update
- Pakistan: 29 days, up by 2 days compared to last month
- Philippines: 18 days, reduced by 1 day from the last update
Visitor Visa (Applications from Within Canada)
- Online Applications: 23 days, a decrease of 1 day from last month’s update
- Visitor Extension (Visitor Record): 146 days, shortened by 6 days since last month’s update
Super Visa (Processing Times Vary by Country)
- India: 121 days, an increase of 3 days since last month’s update
- United States: 113 days, reduced by 24 days from last month
- Nigeria: 54 days, up by 3 days compared to last month’s update
- Pakistan: 125 days, shortened by 6 days since last month’s update
- Philippines: 114 days, increased by 4 days since the previous update
Study Permit (Application from Outside Canada)
- India: 8 weeks, unchanged since last month’s update
- United States: 15 weeks, an increase of 1 week from last month’s update
- Nigeria: 10 weeks, unchanged from the previous update
- Pakistan: 14 weeks, up by 2 weeks since last month’s update
- Philippines: 6 weeks, unchanged from the last update
- Study Permit (Inside Canada): 15 weeks, decreased by 1 week from last month’s update
- Study Permit Extension: 155 days, an increase of 18 days compared to the previous update
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Work Permit (Application from Outside Canada)
Processing times differ by country:
- India: 27 weeks, reduced by 1 week since last month’s update
- United States: 11 weeks, increased by 1 week from last month
- Nigeria: 24 weeks, unchanged
- Pakistan: 18 weeks, decreased by 1 week compared to the previous update
- Philippines: 6 weeks, reduced by 2 weeks since last month
Work Permit (Inside Canada): 168 days, an increase of 14 days from last month’s update.
Other Temporary Residency Categories
- Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program (SAWP): 8 days, a significant decrease of 201 days since last month’s update
- International Experience Canada: 5 weeks, unchanged
- Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): 5 minutes, with no change
FAQs
- How long does it take to process a citizenship application?
Processing takes 6 months. - What is the processing time for a new PR card?
It takes 25 days. - How long does it take to renew a PR card?
PR card renewal takes 54 days. - What’s the processing time for spousal sponsorship from outside Canada?
It takes 10 months. - How long does it take to get a study permit from Nigeria?
Processing time is 10 weeks. - How often are IRCC processing times updated?
Processing times are updated monthly for citizenship, family sponsorship, and economic immigration, and weekly for temporary residency and PR cards.
For the most current information, visit the official IRCC website to stay up to date with your immigration process.
