Canada visa update: Indian visitor wait at 4 months, work permits 11 weeks

Canada's latest update shows longer waits for Indian travellers, with visitor visas nearing four months while work and study permits remain mixed

If you are planning a trip to Canada, it is worth starting early. A visitor visa from India will now take close to four months to process, according to the latest update released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Wednesday. Work permits for Indian applicants will take around 10 weeks, while study permits will be processed in about a month.

 

IRCC refreshes its permanent residency and citizenship timelines every month. Processing times for temporary resident visas, work permits, study permits, and PR cards are updated weekly.

 

What are the latest temporary visa processing times?

 

For visitors applying from outside Canada, timelines vary sharply by country.

 

Visitor visas from outside Canada 

India: 117 days, up eight days since November

United States: 31 days, down one day

Nigeria: 27 days, up two days

Pakistan: 86 days, down two days

Philippines: 20 days, down one day

 

Within Canada, visitor visas are being processed in 17 days, a slight improvement since November. Visitor record extensions continue to move slowly at 185 days, though this is 18 days faster than last month.

 

How long are super visa applications taking?

 

Super visas, used mainly by parents and grandparents of Canadian residents, continue to take longer than standard visitor visas.

 

India: 182 days, up nine days

United States: 42 days, down 16 days

Nigeria: 46 days, down two days

Pakistan: 198 days, no change

Philippines: 124 days, up two days

 

Are study permit timelines still predictable?

 

Study permits remain among the more predictable categories.

 

India: 4 weeks, no change

United States: 5 weeks, down one week

Nigeria: 5 weeks, down one week

Pakistan: 5 weeks, down two weeks

Philippines: 4 weeks, no change

 

Study permits applied for inside Canada are taking about eight weeks. Study permit extensions have lengthened to 140 days, up 11 days since November.

 

How long do work permits take now?

 

Work permit processing times show wide variation across countries.

 

India: 10 weeks, no change

United States: 7 weeks, up three weeks

Nigeria: 8 weeks, down one week

Pakistan: 5 weeks, down three weeks

Philippines: 6 weeks, no change

 

In-Canada work permits remain slow at 218 days. The seasonal agricultural worker programme continues to be one of the fastest routes, with most applications processed in about 11 days. International Experience Canada permits are taking around five weeks.

 

Electronic travel authorisation applications are processed within minutes for most applicants, though additional screening can take up to 72 hours.

 

What is the status of citizenship processing?

 

Citizenship-related applications show little movement. Citizenship grants are taking around 13 months, with roughly 297,000 people waiting for a decision. Citizenship certificates are processed in about nine months.

 

IRCC is currently issuing acknowledgements of receipt for applications submitted around September 15, 2025. Processing may take longer for applicants outside Canada or the United States.

 

How long are permanent resident cards taking?

 

Permanent resident cards continue to see minor weekly changes. New PR cards are taking about 58 days, while renewals are being processed in roughly 35 days. Renewals show mild improvement, while new cards remain slower.

 

Why are family sponsorship applications delayed?

 

Family sponsorship remains one of the slower parts of the system. Spousal sponsorship applications from outside Canada are taking about 14 months in non-Quebec cases, while Quebec cases stretch to 36 months due to the additional provincial approval step.

 

Parents and grandparents sponsorship continues to face long waits, with non-Quebec cases taking about 40 months and Quebec cases nearing 49 months.

 

What is the situation for humanitarian and protected person cases?

 

Humanitarian and compassionate applications remain among the longest-running categories, with processing times exceeding 10 years both inside and outside Quebec.

 

Protected persons applying outside Quebec are facing waits of about 103 months, while those within Quebec are closer to 108 months. Applications for dependents of protected persons are taking around 51 months.

 

How steady are economic class permanent residency timelines?

 

Economic class pathways remain relatively steady.

 

Canadian Experience Class: 7 months

Federal Skilled Worker Program: 6 months

PNP via Express Entry: 6 months

Non-Express Entry PNP: 16 months

Quebec skilled worker: 11 months

 

Business-linked and regional programmes continue to move slowly. The Quebec business class averages seven years, while the Start-Up Visa, federal self-employed category, and parts of the Atlantic Immigration Program remain in the multi-year range, with little change since November.