Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) department released revised processing estimates for temporary‑residence applications on 19 August 2026. The new figures show longer wait times in most categories, with a few notable reductions—most prominently a five‑week cut for work‑permit applications filed from Pakistan.
Work permits (new vs previous estimates)
| Country (application origin) | Current (19 Aug) | Previous (12 Aug) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 117 days | 119 days |
| India | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Nigeria | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
| United States | 2 weeks | 2 weeks |
| Philippines | 6 weeks | 6 weeks |
Service standards – 120 days for in‑Canada submissions (initial and extensions); 60 days for submissions from outside Canada.
Study permits
| Country | Current (19 Aug) | Previous (12 Aug) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| India | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| Nigeria | 9 weeks | 8 weeks |
| United States | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Philippines | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
Service standards – same as for work permits (120 days in‑Canada, 60 days outside).
Visitor visas
| Country | Current (19 Aug) | Previous (12 Aug) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 12 days | 15 days |
| India | 31 days | 30 days |
| Pakistan | 75 days | 61 days |
| Nigeria | 76 days | 72 days |
| United States | 21 days | 21 days |
| Philippines | 21 days | 18 days |
Service standard – 14 days for applications submitted from outside Canada (no standard for in‑Canada submissions).
Super visas (U.S. and other countries)
| Country | Current (19 Aug) | Previous (12 Aug) |
|---|---|---|
| India | 56 days | 56 days |
| Pakistan | 176 days | 180 days |
| Nigeria | 53 days | 52 days |
| United States | 138 days | 123 days |
| Philippines | 107 days | 105 days |
Note: Super‑visa applications cannot be filed from outside Canada.
Service standard: 112 days.
Processing times vs. service standards
- Processing times are statistical estimates indicating how long IRCC has historically needed to complete 80 % of applications (historical estimate) or how long it expects to take given current backlogs and resources (forward‑looking estimate). They are not guarantees or deadlines.
- Service standards are performance targets that IRCC aims to meet for 80 % of cases under normal operating conditions. Individual cases may be faster or slower depending on complexity, additional evidence requests, or security checks.
Processing estimates for temporary residence are refreshed weekly, whereas permanent‑residence and citizenship estimates are updated roughly monthly. Service standards are revised far less frequently; the most recent temporary‑residence standards date from 2018‑2019.
Recent processing volume
- IRCC processed 1,566,455 temporary‑residence applications in the first six months of 2026.
- Over 401,000 applications remained pending at the end of June 2026.
The next set of temporary‑residence processing estimates is expected around 26 August 2026.
Source article: www.cicnews.com
