News Briefing

First September update shows lower processing times for temporary residence applicants

Sep 2, 2026News Briefingwww.cicnews.com

IRCC’s September 2, 2026 update shows mixed changes to temporary‑residence processing times, with notable reductions for some countries and modest increases for others.

Work permits

Country Current (Sept 2) Previous (Aug 26)
Canada (in‑Canada) 113 days 115 days
India 10 weeks 9 weeks
Pakistan 7 weeks 8 weeks
Nigeria 9 weeks 9 weeks
United States 2 weeks 2 weeks
Philippines 7 weeks 5 weeks

Declines: Pakistan (‑1 week) and in‑Canada submissions (new 2026 low).
Increases: Philippines (+2 weeks) and India (+1 week).

Service standards

  • In‑Canada submissions (initial & extensions): 120 days
  • Outside‑Canada submissions: 60 days

Study permits

Country Current (Sept 2) Previous (Aug 26)
Canada (in‑Canada) 8 weeks 7 weeks
India 5 weeks 7 weeks
Pakistan 7 weeks 7 weeks
Nigeria 9 weeks 9 weeks
United States 5 weeks 5 weeks
Philippines 4 weeks 4 weeks

Decline: India (‑2 weeks).
Increase: In‑Canada applicants (+1 week), the highest in at least three months.

Service standards

  • In‑Canada submissions (initial & extensions): 120 days
  • Outside‑Canada submissions: 60 days

Visitor visas

Country Current (Sept 2) Previous (Aug 26)
Canada 11 days 12 days
India 31 days 32 days
Pakistan 78 days 77 days
Nigeria 80 days 78 days
United States 20 days 21 days
Philippines 18 days 20 days

Changes range from –2 to +2 days.

Service standard: 14 days for outside‑Canada submissions (no standard for in‑Canada).

Super visas

Country Current (Sept 2) Previous (Aug 26)
India 66 days 61 days
Pakistan 139 days 162 days
Nigeria 52 days 55 days
United States 116 days 123 days
Philippines 93 days 104 days

Declines: Pakistan (‑23 days) and Philippines (‑11 days). All other listed countries also saw reductions except India, which increased by 5 days.

Service standard: 112 days (applications must be submitted from outside Canada).

Processing times vs. service standards

  • Processing times are estimates of how long a newly submitted application may take, based on historical data (time to complete 80 % of past cases) or forward‑looking calculations (current inventory and processing capacity). They are not guarantees.
  • Service standards are performance targets indicating how quickly IRCC aims to finalize 80 % of applications under normal conditions.

Actual times can be shorter or longer than either measure, depending on case complexity, document requests, inventory levels, and available resources.

Overall volume

IRCC reported processing 1,566,455 temporary‑residence applications in the first six months of 2026, with over 401,000 still pending a final decision at the end of June.

The next update to temporary‑residence processing times is expected around September 9, 2026.