Canada’s immigration department has released its latest processing time updates for temporary residence applications, showing encouraging improvements across multiple categories and countries.
Over a period of approximately one month (from March 24 to April 15), several key application types saw faster processing, particularly for applicants from India, Pakistan, and the United States.
Key Highlights
- Work permits: Significant improvement of up to 13 weeks for applicants from Pakistan
- Super visas: Reduced by nearly 20+ days for applicants from India and the US
- Visitor visas: Processing time for India decreased by around two weeks
- Study permits: Slight improvement of one week for India, Nigeria, and the US
Super visa applications continue to show consistent progress, with processing times declining across all major countries.
Work Permit Processing Times
Work permit applications saw the most notable improvement for Pakistan-based applicants, with processing times dropping sharply. Smaller improvements were also observed for applicants from Canada and the US.
- Canada: 255 days → 240 days
- India: 7 weeks → 8 weeks
- Pakistan: 29 weeks → 16 weeks
- Nigeria: 13 weeks → 13 weeks
- United States: 8 weeks → 7 weeks
- Philippines: 7 weeks → 7 weeks
Service Standards:
- In-Canada applications: 120 days
- Outside Canada: 60 days
- International Experience Canada: 56 days
Study Permit Processing Times
Processing times for study permits improved slightly for most countries, although Pakistan saw a minor increase.
- Canada: 8 weeks → 8 weeks
- India: 4 weeks → 3 weeks
- Pakistan: 11 weeks → 12 weeks
- Nigeria: 8 weeks → 7 weeks
- United States: 5 weeks → 4 weeks
- Philippines: 5 weeks → 5 weeks
Service Standards:
- In-Canada: 120 days
- Outside Canada: 60 days
Visitor Visa Processing Times
Visitor visa processing times improved across most countries, with India and Nigeria seeing the biggest reductions.
- Canada: 12 days → 10 days
- India: 37 days → 23 days
- Pakistan: 48 days → 43 days
- Nigeria: 52 days → 42 days
- United States: 15 days → 18 days
- Philippines: 14 days → 15 days
Service Standard:
- Outside Canada: 14 days
Super Visa Processing Times
Super visa applications recorded improvements across all regions, with India and the US seeing the most significant reductions.
- India: 202 days → 182 days
- Pakistan: 122 days → 107 days
- Nigeria: 43 days → 39 days
- United States: 185 days → 164 days
- Philippines: 50 days → 37 days
Service Standard: 112 days
Note: Super visa applications must be submitted from outside Canada.
Processing Times vs Service Standards
It’s important to understand the difference between processing times and service standards:
- Processing times reflect the estimated time it takes to receive a decision after submitting an application. These are based on real-time and historical data.
- Service standards are internal targets set by Canada’s immigration department, aiming to process 80% of applications within a specific timeframe.
Processing times may vary depending on application volume and complexity, while service standards act as performance benchmarks.
