The latest processing times published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) show shorter wait times for several application categories compared to one month ago.
Improvements are most noticeable in temporary residence streams, including work and study permits, as well as the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) for permanent residence.
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At the same time, dependent child sponsorship applications recorded the largest increase, with processing times rising by four months.
This article explains how IRCC processing times have changed since November 14, 2025, and outlines the number of applications currently in IRCC’s processing inventory where data is available.
Unless stated otherwise, processing times reflect IRCC’s estimate for a new application submitted on the date the information is reviewed.
Permanent Residence Applications
Express Entry
Application Type
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Current processing time: 7 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 7 months
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
Current processing time: 6 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 6 months
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
Processing time: Not available
IRCC has not published processing times for this program due to insufficient data.
There are approximately 21,700 applicants waiting for a decision under the CEC and about 27,600 applicants under the FSWP.
Service standard: Six months for all Express Entry programs.
Provincial Nominee Program
Applications submitted through Express Entry
Current processing time: 6 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 6 months
Applications submitted outside Express Entry
Current processing time: 16 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 16 months
Approximately 10,200 Express Entry aligned PNP applications and 98,500 non Express Entry PNP applications are currently in the processing queue.
Service standards: Six months for Express Entry aligned applications and eleven months for non Express Entry applications.
Quebec Immigration
Applicants under the Skilled Worker Selection Program continue to face processing times of nearly one year.
Current processing time: 11 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 11 months
There are approximately 27,200 applications awaiting processing, up from 26,400 in November.
Service standard: Six months.
Atlantic Immigration Program
Processing times under the Atlantic Immigration Program remain significantly longer than service standards.
Current processing time: 37 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 37 months
Approximately 13,400 applications are currently awaiting a decision.
Service standard: Eleven months.
Family Sponsorship
Processing times for family sponsorship applications either declined or remained unchanged overall, with the Parents and Grandparents Program showing the greatest improvement.
Spouse or common law partner living in Canada and intending to reside outside Quebec
Current processing time: 20 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 20 months
Spouse or common law partner living in Canada and intending to reside in Quebec
Current processing time: 36 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 37 months
Spouse or common law partner living outside Canada and intending to reside outside Quebec
Current processing time: 14 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 14 months
Spouse or common law partner living outside Canada and intending to reside in Quebec
Current processing time: 36 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 37 months
Parents and Grandparents Program intending to reside outside Quebec
Current processing time: 40 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 42 months
Parents and Grandparents Program intending to reside in Quebec
Current processing time: 49 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 50 months
Current number of applicants waiting for a decision:
Partner living in Canada and intending to reside outside Quebec: 50,600
Partner living in Canada and intending to reside in Quebec: 12,000
Partner living outside Canada and intending to reside outside Quebec: 45,700
Partner living outside Canada and intending to reside in Quebec: 19,400
Parents and Grandparents Program outside Quebec: 51,600
Parents and Grandparents Program in Quebec: 12,600
Service standard: Twelve months for sponsorship of a spouse or common law partner living outside Quebec. IRCC does not publish service standards for other family sponsorship categories.
Dependent Child Sponsorship
Applications submitted from within Canada
Dependent child sponsorship applications filed from within Canada experienced a four month increase in processing time.
IRCC does not publish a service standard for this application category.
Applications submitted from outside Canada
Processing times for dependent child sponsorship applications submitted from India increased by four months compared to November.
Applying from India
Current processing time: 12 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 8 months
Applying from Nigeria
Current processing time: 20 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 20 months
Comparable data for Pakistan and the United States is not available.
Service standard: Twelve months.
Temporary Residence Applications
Visitor Visas
Visitor visa processing times increased for India and Pakistan, while modest decreases were recorded for Canada and the United States.
Applying from Canada
Current processing time: 17 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 18 days
Applying from India
Current processing time: 117 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 103 days
Applying from Pakistan
Current processing time: 86 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 72 days
Applying from Nigeria
Current processing time: 27 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 27 days
Applying from the United States
Current processing time: 31 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 35 days
Service standard: Fourteen days for applications submitted outside Canada. IRCC does not assign a service standard to in Canada applications.
Work Permits
The United States was the only country that experienced an increase in work permit processing time. All other countries remained stable or saw improvements.
Applying from Canada
Current processing time: 218 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 227 days
Applying from India
Current processing time: 10 weeks
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 10 weeks
Applying from Pakistan
Current processing time: 5 weeks
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 6 weeks
Applying from Nigeria
Current processing time: 8 weeks
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 9 weeks
Applying from the United States
Current processing time: 7 weeks
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 4 weeks
IRCC continues to prioritize work permit applications for essential occupations, including healthcare and select agriculture and agri food roles.
Service standard: One hundred twenty days for applications submitted inside Canada and sixty days for applications submitted outside Canada. International Experience Canada permits have a service standard of fifty six days.
Study Permits
Processing times declined for all countries listed except India, which remained unchanged. The largest improvement was seen for applications submitted from within Canada.
Applying from Canada
Current processing time: 8 weeks
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 12 weeks
Applying from India
Current processing time: 4 weeks
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 4 weeks
Applying from Pakistan
Current processing time: 5 weeks
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 7 weeks
Applying from Nigeria
Current processing time: 5 weeks
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 8 weeks
Applying from the United States
Current processing time: 5 weeks
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 4 weeks
In Canada study permit processing times refer only to initial permits. Study permit extensions currently take one hundred forty days, which is forty two days faster than in November.
Service standard: One hundred twenty days for in Canada applications and sixty days for applications submitted outside Canada.
Super Visas
Processing times declined for all listed countries except India, which saw an increase of twenty days.
Applying from India
Current processing time: 182 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 169 days
Applying from Pakistan
Current processing time: 198 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 200 days
Applying from Nigeria
Current processing time: 46 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 50 days
Applying from the United States
Current processing time: 42 days
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 58 days
Service standard: One hundred twelve days.
Citizenship Applications
Citizenship grant
Current processing time: 13 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 13 months
Citizenship certificate or proof of citizenship
Current processing time: 9 months
Processing time as of November 14, 2025: 9 months
There are approximately 297,000 citizenship grant applications and 40,400 proof of citizenship applications currently awaiting processing.
Service standard: Twelve months for citizenship grant applications. IRCC does not publish service standards for proof of citizenship certificates.
Understanding IRCC Processing Times and Service Standards
Processing Times
IRCC processing times represent the estimated length of time required to finalize a newly submitted application.
Processing begins when IRCC receives the application and ends once a decision is made. For mailed applications, this is the delivery date to the IRCC mailroom. For online or in person submissions, it is the exact submission time.
Processing durations may vary depending on application complexity, verification requirements, and how quickly applicants respond to requests for additional information.
IRCC calculates processing times using historical processing data and current application inventories.
Historical processing times reflect how long it took IRCC to process eighty percent of applications in the past.
Forward looking processing times are based on the current number of applications awaiting processing and the number expected to be finalized each month.
Forward looking processing times apply only to select application categories, including Express Entry programs, the Provincial Nominee Program, the Quebec Skilled Worker Selection Program, family sponsorship programs, the Parents and Grandparents Program, and citizenship applications.
Service Standards
Service standards are IRCC internal targets for processing eighty percent of applications within a given category.
They recognize that approximately twenty percent of applications may take longer due to complexity or special circumstances.
Not all application types have defined service standards, and service standards are not updated as frequently as processing times.
