Canada visa processing: Visitors many have to wait for up to 31 days

Latest estimates show a nine-week wait for work permits and five weeks for study permits, while Super Visa processing remains at 56 days.

Canada has left work and study permit processing times for Indian applicants unchanged, but the estimated wait for a visitor visa has increased by one day to 31 days, according to the latest update from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on August 19.

 

For Indians, work permit applications are currently estimated to take nine weeks, while study permits take five weeks. The processing time for the Super Visa, meant for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents, remains at 56 days.

 

The latest figures show that processing may vary considerably by visa type and applicant country. While Indians face a longer wait for work permits than applicants from the US and the Philippines, their Super Visa processing time is substantially shorter than in both countries.

 

How long are Canadian permits taking for Indians?

 

According to the latest IRCC estimates, Indian applicants can expect the following processing times:

 

Work permit: 9 weeks

 

Study permit: 5 weeks

 

Visitor visa: 31 days

 

Super Visa: 56 days

 

The visitor visa estimate has increased from 30 days in the previous update. The other three categories have remained unchanged.

 

For prospective students, Canada’s estimated five-week processing time for Indian applicants is the same as that for applicants from the US. However, applicants from the Philippines have a slightly shorter estimated wait of four weeks.

 

The difference is more pronounced for work permits. Indian applicants face an estimated nine-week wait, compared with two weeks for applicants from the US and six weeks for those from the Philippines.

 

Visitor visa wait longer for Indians than US, Philippines

 

Visitor visa applicants from India currently face an estimated wait of 31 days. This is 10 days longer than the 21-day estimate for applicants from both the US and the Philippines.

 

The figures are particularly relevant for Indians planning short-term travel to Canada, as visitor visa processing times can affect holiday, family visit and other travel plans.

 

For parents and grandparents applying under Canada’s Super Visa programme, however, the picture is different. India's estimated processing time of 56 days is considerably lower than the 138 days for applicants from the US and 107 days for those from the Philippines.

 

IRCC processing times are estimates, not guarantees

 

IRCC cautions that its processing times are estimates and should not be treated as a guaranteed deadline for a decision.

 

The actual time taken can depend on several factors, including the complexity of an application, the number of applications waiting to be processed, resources available to the department and whether additional documents or information are requested.

 

This means applicants should avoid making travel, study or employment arrangements solely on the basis of the published processing-time estimate.

 

IRCC processed about 1.57 million temporary residence applications during the first six months of 2026, while more than 401,000 applications were still pending at the end of June.

 

The department is expected to publish its next temporary residence processing-time update around August 26. For Indian applicants, the next update will indicate whether the recent one-day increase in visitor visa processing is temporary or part of a wider movement in processing times.