Processing times ease for temporary residence applicants

On June 3, Canada’s immigration department updated its processing time estimates for various temporary residence applications, with changes evident across several categories.

The latest figures released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) show that wait times have remained broadly stable, with several improvements and only a few increases.

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The most notable changes since May 26 are as follows:

This article will examine how temporary residence processing times have changed from May 26 (the date of the prior update) to June 3.

Work permit wait times have either decreased or remained the same, with India and the U.S. both seeing a decline of one week.

Processing times for study permits have, for the most part, remained the same for all countries features—except for India, which saw a one-week increase.

Visitor visa submissions from within Canada saw a modest increase in processing time, while Pakistan-based applications continue to experience a light decline in wait time.

Super visas (for parents or grandparents)

Nearly all countries featured (except the Philippines) saw an improvement in super visa processing times—with U.S. submissions declining most notably, by 10 days.

*Super visa applications cannot be submitted from within Canada.

Understanding processing times and service standards

IRCC’s processing times give applicants a general indication of how long it may take for immigration, temporary residence, and citizenship applications to be processed.

Processing times are estimates only, and do not guarantee the exact time an application will be finalized. The actual processing time may vary depending on the complexity of the application, whether the submission is complete, and whether IRCC needs to request additional documents, information, or clarification from the applicant.

IRCC provides two types of processing estimates:

Service standards are separate from processing times. They are internal benchmarks that indicate how quickly IRCC aims to process certain types of applications in normal operating conditions. Generally, IRCC aims to finalize around 80% of applications within the applicable service standard.

In practice, some applications may be completed sooner than the service standard, while others may take longer. Delays can occur because of application backlogs, operational challenges, or factors specific to an individual file.

Processing times are updated on a regular basis, either weekly or monthly depending on the application type. Service standards are reviewed much less frequently—for example, IRCC’s service standards for temporary residence applications were last updated in 2018–2019.