Canada visa wait times drop: India visitor visas improve, study permits steady, work permits lag

Canada’s immigration department has quietly reset the clock for thousands of temporary visa applicants, with a sharper improvement for Indian travellers even as other categories show signs of strain.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has updated processing times for temporary resident applications, covering study permits, work permits, visitor visas and super visas. The latest update suggests visitor visa timelines are largely steady, with some clear gains, while work permits have generally slowed and become more unpredictable.

Visitor visas: India sees the biggest relief

The most notable change is for applicants from India, where the visitor visa processing time has dropped to 83 days, down from 99 days in the last update on January 14, a 16-day improvement. Submissions from Nigeria and those made from within Canada have seen a slight increase in wait times.

IRCC’s service standard for visitor visa applications submitted outside Canada is 14 days, though it does not publish a service standard for applications made from within Canada.

Work permits: broader slowdown, uneven movement

Work permits have been relatively stable overall, but the trendline remains choppy. The update shows work permit processing has slowed across several markets, with applicants from Pakistan and the United States seeing noticeable increases in wait times.

For India, IRCC currently lists the work permit processing time at 8 weeks, improving slightly from 9 weeks in the January 14 update.

Service standards for work permits differ by where the application is filed. IRCC targets 120 days for applications submitted within Canada (including extensions), while the standard for applications submitted outside Canada is 60 days, except for International Experience Canada (IEC) permits, which have a 56-day standard.

Study permits: the most stable category, but India shifts up

Study permits remained the most steady category in the update, indicating only minor movement rather than a major slowdown.

However, for India, processing time has moved to 4 weeks, up from 3 weeks in the previous update. IRCC’s service standard remains 120 days for applications filed inside Canada and 60 days for applications filed outside Canada.

Super visa: long waits, US timelines spike

Super visa applications continue to take far longer than IRCC’s internal target. For India, IRCC lists a processing time of 214 days, slightly higher than 206 days on January 14.

The sharpest jump was reported for applications filed from the United States, where super visa processing times doubled within two weeks, possibly reflecting a sudden surge in submissions.

IRCC’s service standard for super visa applications is 112 days, and applications can only be filed from outside Canada.

What IRCC “processing times” really mean

IRCC processing times are estimates for applications filed today and reflect how long it may take to reach a final decision. Processing begins when IRCC receives the application and ends when a decision is issued. Timelines can vary depending on case complexity, ease of verification, and how quickly applicants respond to additional requests.

IRCC publishes estimates based on historical performance and current inventory, and these numbers can shift week to week as volumes and workloads change.