Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released the latest processing times for various types of immigration applications as of November.
The most notable change is the significant increase in processing times for applications under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), which have surged by almost 185% compared to just six weeks ago. In addition, there has been an increase in processing times for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applications, which have gone up by a month, as well as for certain visitor visa applications.
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In this article, we will review the changes in processing times for a variety of application types over the last month, including:
- Permanent residence applications for skilled workers
- Family sponsorship applications
- Temporary residence applications
- Citizenship applications
Please note that the processing times provided assume applicants submitted their applications on the day they checked the latest updates.
Permanent Residence Applications for Skilled Workers
Express Entry
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 7 months | 6 months |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | 6 months | 5 months |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) | N/A* | N/A* |
Note: Data for FSTP applications is unavailable due to insufficient data.
IRCC’s service standard for all Express Entry programs is six months.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Through Express Entry (enhanced) | 6 months | 7 months |
| Non-Express Entry (base) | 16 months | 19 months |
Service standards:
- For Express Entry-aligned applications, the standard is six months.
- For non-Express Entry applications, the standard is 11 months.
Quebec Immigration
| Stream | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) | 11 months | 11 months |
Quebec’s service standard for PSTQ applications is six months. Currently, around 26,400 applications are in the queue, up from 24,000 as of October 1.
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
| Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|
| 37 months | 13 months |
The processing time for AIP applications has increased by a staggering 24 months since October 1—by far the largest change in processing times across all categories.
The service standard for AIP applications is 11 months.
Family Sponsorship Applications
Spouse or Common-Law Partner
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse/Common-Law (inside Canada, outside Quebec) | 20 months | 24 months |
| Spouse/Common-Law (inside Canada, in Quebec) | 37 months | 37 months |
| Spouse/Common-Law (outside Canada, outside Quebec) | 14 months | 15 months |
| Spouse/Common-Law (outside Canada, in Quebec) | 37 months | 41 months |
Notably, the processing time for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) (for applications destined for Quebec) has increased by 16 months in just one and a half months.
IRCC has a service standard of 12 months for sponsoring a spouse or common-law partner outside Canada, but no service standards exist for other sponsorship categories.
Dependent Child Sponsorship
Within Canada
| Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|
| 13 months | 12 months |
Outside Canada
| Applying from | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| India | 8 months | 6 months |
| Nigeria | 20 months | 18 months |
The service standard for applications submitted from outside Canada is 12 months.
Temporary Residence Applications
Visitor Visas
| Applying from | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 18 days | 15 days |
| India | 103 days | 75 days |
| Pakistan | 72 days | 46 days |
| Nigeria | 27 days | 28 days |
| United States | 35 days | 23 days |
Processing times from Pakistan and India have seen the largest increases—26 extra days for Pakistan and 28 extra days for India.
Work Permits
| Applying from | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 227 days | 196 days |
| India | 10 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Pakistan | 6 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Nigeria | 9 weeks | 11 weeks |
| United States | 4 weeks | 3 weeks |
Applications for work permits from within Canada now take about a month longer to process compared to October 1.
The service standard for work permit applications within Canada is 120 days. For applications submitted outside Canada, the service standard is 60 days (with the exception of International Experience Canada (IEC) permits, which have a 56-day standard).
Study Permits
| Applying from | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 12 weeks | 7 weeks |
| India | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Nigeria | 8 weeks | 8 weeks |
| United States | 4 weeks | 10 weeks |
Only applications from the United States and Pakistan have seen reduced processing times, with U.S. applications decreasing by more than half.
The service standard for study permit applications from inside Canada is 120 days, and from outside Canada, it is 60 days.
Super Visas
| Applying from | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| India | 169 days | 153 days |
| Pakistan | 200 days | 151 days |
| Nigeria | 50 days | 52 days |
| United States | 58 days | 78 days |
Super visa processing times from Pakistan have increased by 49 days since October 1, while U.S. applications saw a 20-day reduction.
Citizenship Applications
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | Processing Time (October 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship Grant | 13 months | 13 months |
| Citizenship Certificate (Proof of Citizenship) | 9 months | 7 months |
The service standard for citizenship grant applications is 12 months. No service standard is provided for proof of citizenship applications.
About IRCC Processing Times
IRCC’s processing times are estimates based on historical trends and the current number of applications waiting to be reviewed. These times are updated regularly and represent the expected time it would take to make a decision if an applicant submitted their application on the day the data was checked.
IRCC’s processing times are not guaranteed, and multiple factors can influence processing times, including the complexity of an application, the completeness of the application, and unique circumstances.
The times are based on either historical processing data (for most categories) or forward-looking processing estimates (for categories such as CEC, FSWP, and PNP).
Service Standards
Service standards are IRCC’s internal performance targets for application processing. These are the timelines within which the department aims to finalize 80% of applications in a specific category. While processing times give a broader estimate, service standards are more specific and act as targets for IRCC performance.
For some categories, such as the spouse/common-law partner sponsorship (outside Canada), IRCC has set a service standard of 12 months. However, no service standards are set for all application types.
