 "Canada visa update: Indians face 99-day wait for visitor, 10-week work visa")
Canada visa News: Indians applying for Canadian visas now face an average wait of 99 days for visitor visa decisions, the longest among major source countries, according to the latest update from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Super visa applicants from India wait around 169 days on average.
The IRCC said the figures reflect real-time processing for 80 per cent of applications, replacing fixed targets that often failed to match reality. The update gives a clearer view for people planning to study, work, or reunite with family in Canada.
Earlier this year, IRCC overhauled its processing tool to display actual timelines. Permanent residency and citizenship data are now updated monthly, while temporary visa and permit figures refresh weekly. Processing time depends on where the application was lodged, background checks, and the department’s workload.
Citizenship and PR card delays continue
About 290,700 people are currently waiting for citizenship decisions, with an average processing time of 13 months. Citizenship certificate delays stretch to nine months, while renunciation requests now take up to 22 months.
For permanent residents, renewals are being processed in about 29 days, and new PR cards in roughly two months, a small improvement for renewals compared with previous weeks.
How slow are family sponsorships taking?
Family sponsorships continue to be among the slowest categories. Spousal applications filed outside Canada now take about 14 months, while inland applications average 20 months. In Quebec, both types stretch close to three years due to additional provincial steps.
Parents and grandparents face waits of up to 50 months in Quebec and 42 months elsewhere. Backlogs in these categories have increased sharply since October.
What about humanitarian and protected person cases?
Humanitarian and compassionate cases continue to move at a sluggish pace, taking more than ten years on average. Protected person applications, which cover refugees and asylum seekers, take between 100 and 106 months, depending on province.
How are economic immigration categories performing?
Among economic categories, the Canadian Experience Class now takes seven months, up from six previously. The Federal Skilled Worker and Provincial Nominee streams remain steady at six months.
The Atlantic Immigration Program takes around 37 months, while Quebec’s skilled worker route stands at 11 months. Start-up and self-employed applications remain among the slowest, taking more than a decade.
What’s the latest on study and work visa timelines?
Study permit processing for Indian students has improved to four weeks, down from five in the last update. For applicants already in Canada, processing takes about 12 weeks.
Work permits from India hold steady at ten weeks, while extensions from within Canada average 227 days. Seasonal agricultural work permits now take 15 days, down sharply from earlier levels, while the International Experience Canada route continues to move at six weeks.
Citizenship and permanent resident card processing
Citizenship grant: 13 months (no change)
Citizenship certificate: 9 months (up one month)
Renunciation of citizenship: 22 months (up 12 months)
Search of records: 13 months (no change)
Permanent resident card timelines remained stable:
New PR card: 61 days
Renewal: 29 days (down one day)
Family sponsorship delays
Family sponsorship cases continued to experience long waits:
Spouse/Common-law (outside Canada, non-Quebec): 14 months (down one month)
Spouse/Common-law (outside Canada, Quebec): 37 months (down two months)
Spouse/Common-law (inside Canada, non-Quebec): 20 months (down two months)
Spouse/Common-law (inside Canada, Quebec): 37 months (down two months)
Parents/Grandparents (non-Quebec): 42 months (up 16 months)
Parents/Grandparents (Quebec): 50 months (up six months)
Family reunification remained among the slowest categories, particularly in Quebec.
Humanitarian and protected person applications
Humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) cases and protected person files remained the slowest:
H&C (outside Quebec): Over 10 years
H&C (in Quebec): Over 10 years
Protected persons (outside Quebec): About 100 months (up one month)
Protected persons (in Quebec): About 106 months (up two months)
Dependents of protected persons: 50 months (no change)
Economic immigration categories
Processing times for skilled and business immigration showed mixed results:
Canadian Experience Class: 7 months (up one month)
Federal Skilled Worker: 6 months (no change)
Provincial Nominee (Express Entry): 6 months (down one month)
Non-Express Entry PNP: 16 months (no change)
Quebec Skilled Worker: 11 months (no change)
Quebec Business Class: 84 months (no change)
Federal Self-Employed: Over 10 years (no change)
Atlantic Immigration Program: 37 months (no change)
Start-Up Visa: Over 10 years (no change)
Temporary visas: Country-wise wait times
Visitor visas from outside Canada
India: 99 days (up 13 days)
United States: 36 days (down 4 days)
Nigeria: 27 days (down 3 days)
Pakistan: 59 days (up 3 days)
Philippines: 21 days (down 3 days)
Visitor visas inside Canada: 19 days (no change)
Visitor record extensions: 186 days (up 4 days)
Super visa processing
India: 169 days (up 1 day)
United States: 58 days (down 18 days)
Nigeria: 50 days (down 1 day)
Pakistan: 200 days (down 3 days)
Philippines: 102 days (up 25 days)
Study permit processing by country
India: 4 weeks (down 1 week)
United States: 5 weeks (no change)
Nigeria: 8 weeks (no change)
Pakistan: 9 weeks (down 1 week)
Philippines: 5 weeks (no change)
Inside Canada: 12 weeks (up 1 week)
Study permit extensions: 169 days (up 1 day)
Work permit processing by country
India: 10 weeks (no change)
United States: 4 weeks (no change)
Nigeria: 9 weeks (down 1 week)
Pakistan: 6 weeks (down 2 weeks)
Philippines: 6 weeks (no change)
Inside Canada (initial or extension): 227 days (up 1 day)
Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program: 15 days (down 44 days)
International Experience Canada: 6 weeks (no change)
Electronic Travel Authorisation: 5 minutes for most applicants, but up to 72 hours if flagged for review.
Passport processing
In-person applications: 10 business days
By mail: 20 business days
Urgent pick-up: Next business day
Express pick-up: 2 to 9 business days
Mailed from outside Canada: 20 business days
How long do passport and eTA requests take?
Passport timelines remain stable:
• In-person requests in Canada take 10 business days
• Mailed applications take around 20 days
• Urgent pick-ups are issued the next day
Electronic Travel Authorisations (eTAs) are processed in minutes for most, though some take up to 72 hours due to additional screening.