Canada visitor visa for Indians now takes 71 days; work permit 8 weeks

Canada visitor visa: IRCC's February 2026 update shows visitor visa timelines for Indians at 71 days, alongside shifts across citizenship, PR, study and work permit queues

Planning a visit to Canada? It will now take Indians about 71 days to get a visitor visa, according to the latest processing time update released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

 

The February 2026 figures, published on Wednesday, show shifts across major immigration streams, from citizenship grants to work permits. IRCC said the estimates reflect the actual timelines experienced by 80 per cent of applicants, replacing the earlier target-based model that often differed from real-world waits.

 

Citizenship waits edge higher

 

Citizenship grant applications now take about 14 months, one month longer than the January 2026 estimate. The queue has also grown to roughly 313,000 applicants, up by about 7,600 from the previous month.

   

Processing times for other citizenship-related services have also lengthened.

 

Citizenship grant: 313,000 waiting (+7,600); 14 months; +1 month

Citizenship certificate: 47,900 waiting (+5,500); 11 months; +1 month

Resumption of citizenship: Not available; Not available; No change

Renunciation of citizenship: Not available; 18 months; +7 months

Search of citizenship records: Not available; 16 months; +3 months

 

IRCC is currently issuing acknowledgments of receipt for citizenship applications submitted around October 8, 2025.

 

Processing may take longer for applicants outside Canada or the United States. 

 

PR cards remain relatively quick

 

Permanent resident card processing continues to be one of the faster parts of IRCC’s system in February 2026, with marginal weekly improvement.

 

Application type

 

New PR card: 61 days (-1 day since last week; -1 day since January 21)

PR card renewal: 29 days (-1 day since last week; -2 days since January 21)

 

Family sponsorship shows mixed movement

 

For spousal or common-law partner sponsorship from outside Canada in non-Quebec provinces, processing now stands at 15 months, one month longer than the January estimate. About 47,300 people are waiting in this stream, up by 1,600 from the previous month.

 

The Quebec equivalent remains much longer at 35 months with no change, though the queue there has fallen slightly by about 200 applicants to roughly 19,100.

 

Spouse/common-law outside Canada (non-Quebec): 47,300 waiting (+1,600); 15 months; +1 month

Spouse/common-law outside Canada (Quebec): 19,100 (-200); 35 months; No change

Spouse/common-law inside Canada (non-Quebec): 52,600 (+500); 21 months; No change

Spouse/common-law inside Canada (Quebec): 12,100 (+100); 35 months; -1 month

Parents/grandparents (non-Quebec): 48,300 (-2,000); 35 months; -2 months

Parents/grandparents (Quebec): 12,000 (-400); 47 months; -1 month

 

Economic class processing shifts

 

Within the economic immigration class, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) processing time has increased to seven months, one month longer than January. The queue has expanded to about 34,200 applicants, up by roughly 8,800.

 

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) also stands at seven months with no change, though its queue has grown to about 43,000 applicants.

 

Canadian Experience Class (CEC): 34,200 (+8,800); 7 months; +1 month

Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP): 43,000 (+8,400); 7 months; No change

Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP): Not available; Not enough data; No change

PNP (Express Entry): 12,400 (+1,600); 7 months; No change

Non-Express Entry PNP: 108,300 (+5,700); 13 months; -3 months

Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW): 26,400 (-300); 11 months; No change

Quebec Business Class: 3,900 (-100); 80 months; +1 month

Federal Self-Employed: 8,100 (-100); More than 10 years; No change

Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP): 13,700 (+100); 33 months; No change

Start-Up Visa: 45,600 (+400); More than 10 years; No change 

 

Visitor visa timelines by country

 

Visitor visa processing from outside Canada varies widely by country.

 

India: 71 days (-7 days since last week; -12 days since January 28, 2026)

United States: 23 days (-2 days; -2 days)

Nigeria: 56 days (-1 day; +16 days)

Pakistan: 53 days (-3 days; -3 days)

Philippines: 18 days (-1 day; +2 days)

 

Visitor visa inside Canada: 19 days (-1 day since last week; +5 days since December 31, 2025)

Visitor record extension: 218 days (+5 days since last week; +57 days since January 28, 2026)

 

Super visa timelines

 

Indian applicants face the longest super visa processing time at 210 days, though this is one day faster than the previous update.

 

India: 210 days (-1 day; -4 days)

United States: 205 days (No change; +18 days)

Nigeria: 47 days (+1 day; +9 days)

Pakistan: 136 days (+2 days; +2 days)

Philippines: 100 days (-12 days; -9 days)

 

Study permit processing times

 

Study permit timelines remain largely stable in the February update.

 

India: 4 weeks (No change; No change)

United States: 6 weeks (No change; -1 week)

Nigeria: 8 weeks (No change; +1 week)

Pakistan: 15 weeks (+4 weeks; +10 weeks)

Philippines: 5 weeks (No change; No change)

 

Study permit inside Canada: 9 weeks (+1 week since last week; +2 weeks since January 28, 2026)

Study permit extension: 89 days (+1 day since last week; -15 days since January 28, 2026)

 

Work permit timelines

 

Work permit processing remains broadly steady across most countries.

 

India: 8 weeks (No change; No change)

United States: 10 weeks (No change; No change)

Nigeria: 11 weeks (+1 week; +2 weeks)

Pakistan: 30 weeks (+1 week; +10 weeks)

Philippines: 7 weeks (No change; +1 week)

 

Work permits inside Canada including extensions: 256 days (+4 days since last week; +15 days since January 28, 2026; +46 days since December 31, 2025)

Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program: 8 days (No change since last week; -2 days since December 31)

International Experience Canada (IEC): 2 weeks (-6 weeks since January 28, 2026; -4 weeks since December 31, 2025)

Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): About 5 minutes for most applicants; up to 72 hours if additional screening is required

 

Most permanent residency and citizenship categories are updated monthly, while temporary resident applications, including visitor visas, work permits, study permits and PR cards, are refreshed weekly. Processing can still vary depending on security screening, country of application, document completeness, background checks and IRCC’s internal capacity.