IRCC processing times in 2026

IRCC revises its permanent residence, family sponsorship, citizenship grant and proof of citizenship figures about once a month and its PR card, visitor, permit extension and other citizenship figures every week, so check the live IRCC processing-times tool on canada.ca for your exact application type and country before you plan around any of them.

Snapshot dated: October 2026 (IRCC figures last updated 9 October 2026 for permanent residence, family sponsorship and citizenship, 21 October 2026 for the PR card, the visitor record and the other historical figures, and 17 October 2026 for the study and work permit extension estimates). Figures read from IRCC's data feeds on 22 October 2026. The figures below are planning estimates for orientation only. For the current time on your specific application and country, use the live IRCC processing-times tool on canada.ca, which remains the authoritative source.

What changed in IRCC processing times in October 2026?

IRCC's weekly update of historical figures on 21 October 2026 changed four published figures: two fell and two rose. In detail, the PR card renewal time rose from 38 to 40 days; the first PR card time fell from 33 to 30 days; the work permit extension historical figure rose from 118 to 121 days; the visitor record time fell from 357 to 341 days (IRCC, 21 October 2026).

IRCC's weekly update of forward-looking estimates on 17 October 2026 changed one published figure, and it fell. In detail, the work permit extension forward-looking estimate fell from 13 to 12 weeks (IRCC, 17 October 2026).

IRCC's monthly update of forward-looking estimates on 9 October 2026 changed one published figure, and it rose. In detail, the proof of citizenship time rose from 33 to 34 months (IRCC, 9 October 2026).

Latest change to each line. Figures read from IRCC's data feeds on 22 October 2026. IRCC last updated its monthly figures on 9 October 2026 and its weekly figures on 21 October 2026 and 17 October 2026. Each line is compared only with its own earlier figures from the same IRCC feed.

IRCC's data feeds hold only the current figures, so this log is rebuilt from the figures this page has published since 10 August 2026, and each IRCC update since 5 October 2026 is recorded when it appears. The first versions of this page, before 10 August 2026, showed illustrative figures and are not part of the log. A change dated 22 September 2026 can combine more than one weekly movement, because no weekly update was captured between 9 and 22 September.

What are the current IRCC processing times in 2026?

The Canadian Experience Class takes 6 months and the Federal Skilled Worker Program 7 months (IRCC, 9 October 2026), while extending a visitor stay on a visitor record takes 341 days and a work permit extension 121 days (IRCC, 21 October 2026). The table below gives one labelled row per application type, each with its IRCC update date. Treat every figure as an approximate planning estimate rather than a deadline. These times move constantly and depend heavily on your country and the specific stream, from Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs to a study permit or visitor visa. Before you rely on any timeline, confirm it against the live IRCC processing-times tool.

Published wait vs service standard: every figure below is a processing time IRCC publishes, either its forward-looking estimate for an application made today or its historical figure for most past applications; a service standard is only IRCC's target, such as the 12 months it aims for on spousal sponsorship from outside Canada against a published 18 months.

How have IRCC processing times changed month by month?

Since IRCC's 10 August 2026 figures, the Federal Skilled Worker Program time rose from 6 to 7 months, the inland spousal sponsorship time fell from 27 to 26 months and the first PR card time fell from 41 to 30 days (IRCC, 10 August 2026 to 21 October 2026). The table below shows IRCC's figure for each main line at the end of every month, so you can see whether your line is moving up or down.

IRCC's published figure for each line at the end of each month: the last update IRCC made in that month, repeated in a month when IRCC did not move the line. Not recorded means the line was not yet in the log that month. History before 5 October 2026 is rebuilt from the figures this page published since 10 August 2026. Its first versions showed a single PR card figure for first cards and renewals, so August appears on the first-card line only. Source: IRCC data feeds, read 22 October 2026.

Canada PR processing times: Express Entry, CEC and PNP

The Canada PR processing time depends on the program you apply under, and runs from 6 to 13 months at the federal stage on IRCC's figures last updated 9 October 2026. IRCC publishes 7 months for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, 6 months for the Canadian Experience Class and 7 months for a provincial nominee application filed through Express Entry, each measured from a complete application after an Invitation to Apply rather than from the day you created a profile (IRCC, 9 October 2026). A base (non-Express Entry) provincial nomination runs 13 months at the federal stage.

For when the AOR clock starts and what the acknowledgement of receipt does and does not confirm, see our full guide. These figures cover only the processing stage; for the stage-by-stage PR process timeline behind these numbers, from profile to landing, see our full Express Entry timeline. The province's own nomination processing sits on top of the federal figure and varies by stream, so a PNP route is realistically the federal time plus the provincial time, not 7 months in total. Alberta is a good illustration: see the current AAIP processing time by stream, then add the federal stage on top to get a realistic end-to-end figure. Your Comprehensive Ranking System score and NOC TEER category decide when you are invited, but they do not change the processing time once your permanent residence application is in the queue.

What is the protected person PR processing time?

IRCC's processing time for permanent residence for a protected person in Canada, outside Quebec, is about 13 months on its forward-looking estimate updated 9 October 2026. For a permanent residence application on humanitarian and compassionate grounds outside Quebec, IRCC's figure on the same update is more than 10 years. The protected person figure covers only the permanent residence application, which comes after the Immigration and Refugee Board has approved the refugee claim.

Family sponsorship processing times

IRCC publishes 26 months for an inland (in-Canada) spousal sponsorship outside Quebec and 18 months for an outland one, making outland the faster route by eight months (IRCC, 9 October 2026). Both figures cover the whole package: approving you as the sponsor and processing your partner's permanent residence together.

IRCC's 12-month service standard for overseas spousal files is the target it aims at rather than the current wait, which is why the two numbers differ so widely; our dedicated guide to the spousal sponsorship processing time breaks the stages down further. Parents and grandparents applications already in the queue run 28 months, though that programme has been paused to new sponsors since July 2026. A spousal open work permit filed from inside Canada is processed as a work permit extension, at 121 days on IRCC's national figure of 21 October 2026 and 12 weeks on its forward-looking estimate for an application received today (17 October 2026).

Citizenship and PR card processing times

IRCC publishes 12 months for a citizenship grant, from a complete application through to the ceremony, and 30 days for a first permanent resident card against 40 days for a PR card renewal (IRCC, 9 October 2026 and 21 October 2026). The two card figures are published separately and are not identical.

Three other citizenship lines are much slower than the grant. A proof of citizenship (citizenship certificate) application runs 34 months, with about 130,700 people waiting, a search of citizenship records 19 months, and renouncing citizenship 4 months. Our stage-by-stage guide to the citizenship processing time sets out what happens in each block of months. Do not confuse the PR card wait with the residency obligation, which is a separate test of days in Canada rather than one of the IRCC processing times.

Study, work and visitor processing times

For applications made from inside Canada, IRCC publishes national figures of 56 days to extend a study permit, 121 days to extend a work permit, 12 days for a visitor visa, and 341 days to extend your stay as a visitor on a visitor record (IRCC, 21 October 2026). Those are IRCC's historical figures, how long it took to process most complete applications in the past. For an extension filed today, IRCC's forward-looking estimate is 8 weeks for a study permit and 12 weeks for a work permit (IRCC, 17 October 2026). An eTA is usually approved in about 5 minutes, and International Experience Canada runs 6 weeks after you accept an invitation.

Applications made from outside Canada carry no national figure at all: they vary so much by visa office that IRCC publishes them per country instead, which is why a study permit or visitor visa timeline shifts with where you apply. The LMIA is an ESDC timeline rather than an IRCC one; see our LMIA processing time guide for the figures by stream. If you are extending status, apply well before your current permit expires so you keep maintained status while you wait. Biometrics, and the medical exam where one is required, sit outside the published figures, so give yourself room for those steps as well.

How does IRCC calculate processing times?

IRCC publishes two kinds of processing-time figure and says which one each line shows. A forward-looking estimate is how long IRCC expects an application received today to take, worked out from how many applications it has in its inventory, how many people process that type of application and how many applications it expects to receive, and for lines that need biometrics it includes the time to give them. A historical figure is how long it took IRCC to process most complete applications of that type in the past, which IRCC describes as 80% of them (IRCC processing-times tool, read 12 October 2026). Permanent residence, family sponsorship, the citizenship grant and proof of citizenship use the forward-looking estimate, the PR card, visitor record, visitor visa from inside Canada and other citizenship lines use the historical figure, and study and work permit extensions carry both. For a few lines IRCC instead shows its service standard, a target it aims to meet and not a measured time, when it is processing applications faster than that standard. Either way, the figure is an estimate. Because it is recalculated as new data comes in, the number you see at submission can change while you wait, and your own file can finish faster or slower than the posted figure. This is the key reason an IRCC processing time is a planning guide rather than a guaranteed deadline for your specific application.

Why do processing times vary so much?

IRCC processing times vary because four things move at once: how many applications are in the queue against that year's admission target, how complete and complex each file is, which office and country is responsible for it, and whether background, security or medical checks add steps.

• Application volumes and admission targets: Canada's annual Immigration Levels Plan sets how many people are admitted in each category, so demand above that ceiling lengthens the queue for everyone in the line.
• File completeness and complexity: an incomplete or complex application takes longer than a clean one, and a request from IRCC for more information can add weeks or months to your file alone.
• Processing office and country: the same permit shows very different times depending on the responsible visa office and local demand, which is why a study permit or work permit timeline shifts so much by where you apply.
• Extra steps: biometrics, background checks, security screening and the immigration medical exam each sit outside the headline figure and can extend your timeline beyond it.

Can a consultant make processing faster?

No one can make IRCC process faster, and any consultant who promises a guaranteed timeline is not being straight with you. What a licensed RCIC genuinely does is remove the avoidable delays: the missing documents, the errors and the requests for more information that quietly add weeks or months to a file. Working under a licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497), our team builds a complete and accurate application so it moves through the queue without self-inflicted hold-ups. The underlying processing time, though, is set by IRCC, and we never guarantee timelines or outcomes.

How to read the live IRCC tool

IRCC's processing-times tool on canada.ca asks you to select your application type and, where it matters, your country, then returns the current published estimate for that exact combination. Four habits make the number it gives you more useful.

• Pick the exact stream: you should select the precise application type rather than the nearest one, because closely related lines such as the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Worker Program carry different published times.
• Set the country: you must select your country or visa office wherever the tool prompts for it, since the same permit varies widely by location and the national figure will not apply to you.
• Re-check before decisions: you should look the figure up again before booking travel, resigning a job or signing a lease, because IRCC recalculates it as new data comes in.
• Read it as an estimate: the number is either IRCC's forward-looking estimate for an application received today or its historical figure for how long most past applications took, and it is not a promise about yours, so your file can finish either side of it.

The tool tells you the current estimate for a line, but it does not track your own file. To follow your application status, sign in to your IRCC secure account or use the IRCC tracker, where it is available for your application type, to see the stages your file has reached.

What to do if you are past the posted processing time

Being a little past the published figure is common and is not, on its own, a sign that anything has gone wrong: the posted number is an estimate and not a deadline, so some applicants in every line wait longer than it. Once you are clearly beyond it, there are measured steps worth taking, in order.

• Re-check the live tool first: you should confirm the current figure for your line before doing anything else, because the estimate may have moved since you applied and you may not in fact be past it.
• Confirm IRCC has everything: you need to check your account and your email for an unanswered request for more information, because an outstanding request will stall a file indefinitely.
• Submit a case-specific enquiry: you can file one through the IRCC webform once you are genuinely past the posted time for your application type, and it is the normal first formal step.
• Order your GCMS notes: you request these when you want to see what an officer has actually recorded on your file rather than guessing at the delay.
• Watch for a procedural fairness letter: this carries a hard deadline to respond, and you should answer it well before the last day because a missed deadline usually means a refusal.

How Wild Mountain Immigration helps you plan around IRCC processing times

A licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497) uses realistic, current published timelines to plan your case, sequencing steps such as language tests, an educational credential assessment (ECA), a provincial nomination and your Express Entry profile so nothing expires at the wrong moment. We also build a complete application that avoids the delays incomplete files cause, and you can start with our free Canada PR eligibility check or CRS calculator. We work entirely online and never guarantee timelines or outcomes. If we can help, a consultation with a licensed RCIC is free. Because IRCC processing times change every month, we confirm the live processing-times tool on canada.ca against your exact application type and country before we quote you a single figure, and we tell you plainly when the timeline for your route makes a plan unrealistic.