IRCC processing times in 2026
IRCC processing times are the government's estimates of how long an application takes, from permanent residence and spousal sponsorship to study permits and citizenship. On IRCC's figures last updated 3 September 2026, the Federal Skilled Worker Program runs 7 months and the Canadian Experience Class 6, spousal sponsorship 26 months inland and 18 outland, a citizenship grant 12 months, and on its weekly update of 9 September a first PR card 37 days against 38 for a renewal. This page sets out the current figure for every major line, explains how each one is calculated and why they vary, and keeps a clearly dated reference table you can check against the live tool on canada.ca.
IRCC revises these figures roughly once a month, 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.
Key takeaways
IRCC processing times are the government's estimates of how long an application takes, and they vary widely by line and country. On IRCC's figures last updated 3 September 2026, the Federal Skilled Worker Program is 7 months, the Canadian Experience Class 6 months, spousal sponsorship 26 months inland and 18 months outland outside Quebec, parents and grandparents 28 months, and a citizenship grant 12 months, while study, work and visitor applications from outside Canada vary by visa office. IRCC bases most estimates on how long recently completed applications took, so they are backward-looking and change monthly. The live IRCC processing-times tool on canada.ca is the only authoritative source.
- What they are: IRCC processing times are published estimates of how long a decision takes, not guarantees or deadlines, and they differ by application type and by country.
- Permanent residence, September 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 filed through Express Entry.
- Family and citizenship, September 2026: spousal sponsorship runs 26 months inland and 18 months outland outside Quebec, parents and grandparents 28 months, and a citizenship grant 12 months.
- How they are calculated: IRCC derives most of these figures from how long recently completed applications of the same type took, so each number looks backward at decided cases rather than forward at yours.
- What moves them: application volumes, annual admission targets, how complete your file is, which office processes it and whether extra background or medical checks are needed all push a timeline up or down.
- Where to check: the live IRCC processing-times tool on canada.ca is the only authoritative source, and the table below is a dated snapshot of it.
Snapshot dated:September 2026 (IRCC figures last updated 3 September 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 are the current IRCC processing times in 2026?
IRCC processing times are the estimated number of months Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada takes to finish an application, and the table below is a clearly dated reference across the major immigration lines. 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.
| Application line | Time published by IRCC | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (Express Entry) | 7 months | From invitation to a decision; complete files only |
| Canadian Experience Class (Express Entry) | 6 months | Online via Express Entry |
| Provincial Nominee Program, via Express Entry | 7 months | Federal stage only; the province processes the nomination first |
| Provincial Nominee Program, base (paper) | 13 months | Federal stage only, for a nomination outside Express Entry |
| Spousal sponsorship, inland | 26 months | In-Canada application, outside Quebec |
| Spousal sponsorship, outland | 18 months | Application from abroad, outside Quebec; the faster of the two routes |
| Parents and grandparents | 28 months | Outside Quebec; sponsorship intake is separate from processing |
| Citizenship (grant) | 12 months | From a complete application to the ceremony |
| Proof of citizenship (certificate) | 33 months | A separate, much slower line from a citizenship grant |
| PR card, renewal of an existing card | 38 days | To the card being issued; mail time is on top |
| PR card, first card | 37 days | IRCC publishes this separately from a renewal |
| Work permit extension in Canada (incl. spousal open work permit) | 110 days | National figure; the SOWP is processed as an in-Canada work permit |
| Study permit extension in Canada | 64 days | National figure; apply before your current permit expires |
| Visitor visa applied for from inside Canada | 11 days | National figure; from outside Canada it varies by country |
| Visitor record (extend your stay as a visitor) | 403 days | National figure; you keep maintained status while it is processed |
| International Experience Canada (IEC) | 6 weeks | After you accept an invitation and apply |
| eTA | 5 minutes | Most are approved automatically; some take days |
| Study permit from outside Canada | Published per country, not nationally | Strongly affected by the responsible visa office |
| Visitor visa (TRV) from outside Canada | Published per country, not nationally | Very country-dependent |
| Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) | Published per country of application | An in-Canada PGWP follows the work permit extension line |
Always check the live tool
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 3 September 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, 3 September 2026). A base, paper 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.
Family sponsorship processing times
IRCC publishes 26 months for an inland (in-Canada) spousal sponsorship outside Quebec and 18 months for an outlandone, making outland the faster route by eight months (IRCC, 3 September 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 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 110 dayson IRCC's national figure of 2 September 2026.
Citizenship and PR card processing times
IRCC publishes 12 months for a citizenship grant, from a complete application through to the ceremony, and 37 days for a first permanent resident card against 38 days for a PR card renewal (IRCC, 2 and 3 September 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 33 months, with about 136,000 people waiting, a search of citizenship records 18 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 64 days to extend a study permit, 110 days to extend a work permit, 11 days for a visitor visa, and 403 days to extend your stay as a visitor on a visitor record (IRCC, 9 September 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?
The published figures are calculated mostly from how long it took to finish a large share of recently completed applications of that type. In other words, the posted number looks backward at cases that have already been decided, rather than forward at your file. For some programs IRCC instead shows a service standard, a target it aims to meet. Either way, the figure is an estimate. Because it is recalculated as new completions come in, the number you see at submission can change while you wait, and your own file can finish faster or slower than the average. 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.
Completeness is the part you control
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 completions are counted.
- Read it as an average: the number describes recently completed applications, 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 average of completed cases, so roughly half of applicants in that line wait longer. 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. 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.
Frequently asked questions
What are the current IRCC processing times?
On IRCC's figures last updated 3 September 2026, the Federal Skilled Worker Program is 7 months from invitation, the Canadian Experience Class 6 months, a provincial nominee via Express Entry 7 months and a base paper nomination 13 months, spousal sponsorship 26 months inland and 18 months outland outside Quebec, parents and grandparents 28 months, and a citizenship grant 12 months. On IRCC's weekly update of 9 September 2026, a first permanent resident card is 37 days and a renewal 38 days. Study and visitor applications made from outside Canada carry no national figure and are published per country. IRCC updates these monthly, so we check its live processing-times tool on canada.ca before quoting any client a timeline.
How does IRCC calculate processing times?
For most lines, IRCC publishes a time based on how long it took to finish a large share of recently completed applications of that type, so the figure is backward-looking rather than a promise about your file. For some programs it shows a service standard instead, a target IRCC aims to meet. Because the number reflects past completions and changes as new data comes in, your own application can be faster or slower than the posted estimate.
Why do processing times vary so much?
Times vary with application volumes, annual admission targets under the Immigration Levels Plan, the completeness and complexity of each file, where it is processed, and whether extra steps such as background or medical checks are needed. Country-specific demand also matters, the same permit can show very different times by visa office. A complete, well-documented application avoids the delays that incomplete files cause, but it cannot change the underlying queue.
Does using a consultant make processing faster?
No one can make IRCC process faster, and any consultant who promises that is not being honest. What a licensed RCIC can do is prevent the avoidable delays: missing documents, errors, and requests for more information that add weeks or months. We build a complete, accurate application that moves through the queue without self-inflicted hold-ups, but the underlying processing time is set by IRCC, not by us. We never guarantee timelines or outcomes.
Why is my application taking longer than the posted time?
The posted time is an average of recently completed cases, so roughly half of the applicants in your line wait longer than it, and being a little past it is not on its own a sign that anything is wrong. Common reasons for a longer wait include incomplete documents, an unanswered request from IRCC for more information, additional background or medical checks, higher application volumes, or a busier visa office. The estimate is also recalculated as new data arrives, so the figure you saw at submission can change while you wait; check the live tool on canada.ca for the current one.
Are these processing times guaranteed?
No. Processing times are estimates, not guarantees or deadlines. IRCC can take longer or shorter than the posted figure, and the numbers change frequently as volumes and targets shift. Treat any timeline, including the illustrative table on this page, as a planning guide only. For your specific application type and country, always use the live IRCC processing-times tool on canada.ca, which is the single source of truth.
Where can I check the official processing times?
IRCC publishes a live processing-times tool on canada.ca where you select your application type and, where relevant, your country of application, and it returns the current estimate for that combination. That tool is the authoritative source and IRCC updates it roughly once a month. The table on this page is a clearly dated snapshot of the same feed, useful for orientation and for comparing lines side by side, but the live tool is what you should rely on before making a decision.
Can I get my application processed urgently?
Some application types have limited urgent or priority processing in specific circumstances, with their own eligibility rules and evidence requirements set by IRCC. It is not available for every line, and meeting the criteria is essential. Because the rules and availability change, we check the current options on canada.ca for your specific situation rather than assuming urgent processing is possible. Most files simply follow the standard queue.
How long does Express Entry take to process in 2026?
IRCC publishes 7 months for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and 6 months for the Canadian Experience Class, measured from your invitation to apply through to a decision on a complete file (IRCC, 3 September 2026). Each figure is an average of recently completed applications, so your own permanent residence application can finish faster or slower than the one posted for your stream. IRCC's live tool at canada.ca carries the current number.
What are the processing times for a Canada visitor visa?
A Canada visitor visa applied for from inside Canada takes 11 days on IRCC's national figure of 2 September 2026, while applications made from outside Canada carry no national figure at all and are published per country instead. Canada visit visa processing times therefore turn on the visa office responsible for your country, so select that country on IRCC's live processing-times tool on canada.ca. A visitor record, used to extend a stay you are already on, is a separate and much slower line at 403 days.
What are the PGWP processing times in 2026?
A post-graduation work permit applied for from inside Canada is processed on the in-Canada work permit extension line, which IRCC publishes at 110 days on its figure of 9 September 2026, and applications made from outside Canada are published per country rather than nationally. IRCC does not publish a single national PGWP figure. If you applied before your study permit expired and were already eligible to work off-campus, you can generally keep working under maintained status while the permit is processed.
How often are IRCC processing times updated?
IRCC refreshes the published figures roughly once a month as newly completed applications feed into the calculation, which is why the number you saw when you applied is often not the number showing today. Some lines move by only a few days between updates and others swing by months, particularly temporary residence lines that are tied to a specific visa office. Because of that monthly cycle, we treat any figure written down anywhere, including the dated table on this page, as a snapshot and re-check the live tool before relying on it.
What is the IRCC processing times tool?
It is the official page on canada.ca where you choose your application type and, for most temporary residence lines, your country of application, and IRCC returns the current estimate for that exact combination. It is the authoritative source for IRCC processing times and it supersedes every third-party table, including ours. It does not tell you where your own file sits, only what the line as a whole is taking, so use it alongside your IRCC secure account or the IRCC tracker to follow your own application.
Plan your move around realistic timelines
Get started with a licensed RCIC for honest, current advice on how long your route is likely to take and how to keep your file moving.