Last updated: July 27, 2026. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) refreshed its temporary residence estimates on July 22, 2026 and its permanent residence and citizenship estimates on July 7, 2026. Below is every published figure in one place, with the previous reading beside it so you can see the direction of travel — not just the number.
The short version: economic permanent residence is genuinely speeding up, in-Canada work permits have finally dipped back under the service standard, and proof-of-citizenship applications are the worst-performing category in the entire system.
What’s in this guide
- The headline changes at a glance
- Work permit processing times
- Study permit processing times
- Visitor visa processing times
- Super visa processing times
- Permanent residence: economic programs
- Permanent residence: family sponsorship
- Citizenship processing times
- The backlog behind the numbers
- Three worked examples
- Processing time vs. service standard
- If you’re new to the system: how to read this
- Scam warning: nobody can “speed up” your file
- Frequently asked questions
The headline changes at a glance
Four movements are worth knowing before you read the tables.
- In-Canada work permits fell to 122 days, down from 124 days a week earlier and 144 days in late June. That brings the estimate close to IRCC’s own 120-day service standard for the first time this year.
- Pakistan is the clear outlier. Work permit estimates for Pakistan-based applicants jumped from 7 weeks to 10 weeks in a single week, and the super visa estimate sits at 194 days — well past the 112-day standard and by far the longest of any country tracked.
- The Canadian Experience Class dropped to 6 months, putting it back inside IRCC’s six-month Express Entry service standard.
- Proof of citizenship is the system’s pressure point. Citizenship certificate estimates have climbed sharply for three consecutive months, driven by the surge in citizenship-by-descent claims following Bill C-3.
Work permit processing times
Data as of July 22, 2026, compared to the July 15 reading. Temporary residence figures are refreshed weekly.
| Applying from | Current (July 22) | Previous (July 15) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside Canada | 122 days | 124 days | Down 2 days |
| India | 9 weeks | 9 weeks | No change |
| Pakistan | 10 weeks | 7 weeks | Up 3 weeks |
| Nigeria | 6 weeks | 6 weeks | No change |
| United States | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | No change |
| Philippines | 7 weeks | 6 weeks | Up 1 week |
Service standards: 120 days for in-Canada submissions (initial applications and extensions); 60 days for submissions from outside Canada.
Note that only one country in this group — the United States, at 3 weeks — is currently inside the 60-day outside-Canada standard. India, Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines all exceed it.
Study permit processing times
Study permits were completely flat this week. Every country tracked has held the same estimate for four consecutive weeks.
| Applying from | Current (July 22) | Previous (July 15) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside Canada | 7 weeks | 7 weeks | No change |
| India | 5 weeks | 5 weeks | No change |
| Pakistan | 6 weeks | 6 weeks | No change |
| Nigeria | 5 weeks | 5 weeks | No change |
| United States | 5 weeks | 5 weeks | No change |
| Philippines | 4 weeks | 4 weeks | No change |
Service standards: 120 days in Canada; 60 days outside Canada.
Stability here is worth reading in context: new student arrivals have fallen dramatically against 2024 levels, so shorter queues are partly a function of far fewer applications entering the system rather than faster processing alone.
Visitor visa processing times
| Applying from | Current (July 22) | Previous (July 15) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside Canada | 29 days | 34 days | Down 5 days |
| India | 21 days | 20 days | Up 1 day |
| Pakistan | 40 days | 39 days | Up 1 day |
| Nigeria | 63 days | 61 days | Up 2 days |
| United States | 27 days | 28 days | Down 1 day |
| Philippines | 16 days | 17 days | Down 1 day |
Service standard: 14 days for applications submitted outside Canada. IRCC does not publish a standard for in-Canada visitor record submissions.
Every country listed exceeds the 14-day standard — Nigeria by more than four times.
Super visa processing times
Super visa applications cannot be submitted from inside Canada, so there is no in-Canada row.
| Applying from | Current (July 22) | Previous (July 15) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 49 days | 50 days | Down 1 day |
| Pakistan | 194 days | 187 days | Up 7 days |
| Nigeria | 39 days | 36 days | Up 3 days |
| United States | 124 days | 126 days | Down 2 days |
| Philippines | 68 days | 73 days | Down 5 days |
Service standard: 112 days.
India’s figure is the standout improvement of 2026 across all temporary residence categories, having fallen by more than 200 days since January. Pakistan has moved in precisely the opposite direction and is now the longest super visa queue on the board.
Permanent residence: economic programs
Permanent residence figures were last refreshed on July 7, 2026, compared here to the June 8 reading. These are updated monthly, so the next release is due in early August.
Express Entry
| Program | Current (July 7) | Previous (June 8) | Inventory awaiting assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 6 months | 7 months | 61,500 (+600) |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | 7 months | 7 months | 55,800 (+3,800) |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) | Not published | Not published | — |
Service standard: 6 months across all Express Entry programs. IRCC does not publish an FSTP estimate, citing insufficient data.
The FSWP inventory grew by 3,800 files in a single month while its estimate held steady — a combination worth watching, because inventory growth of that pace usually shows up in the estimate a month or two later.
Provincial Nominee Program
| Stream | Current (July 7) | Previous (June 8) | Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enhanced (through Express Entry) | 7 months | 6 months | 12,100 (−1,900) |
| Base (non-Express Entry) | 12 months | 13 months | 103,800 (−6,400) |
Service standards: 6 months enhanced; 11 months base.
Critically, neither figure includes the provincial nomination stage. The province decides your nomination first; IRCC’s clock starts only once you submit the federal permanent residence application. Budget for both.
Quebec programs
| Program | Current (July 7) | Previous (June 8) | Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) | 11 months | 11 months | 22,200 (−2,600) |
| Quebec Business Class (QBC) | 75 months | 76 months | 3,700 (unchanged) |
Service standard: 6 months for PSTQ. None published for QBC.
Atlantic Immigration Program and other streams
| Program | Current (July 7) | Previous (June 8) | Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Immigration Program | 26 months | 26 months | 12,300 (−600) |
| Start-up Visa (SUV) | 10+ years | 10+ years | 47,500 (+900) |
| Federal Self-Employed Persons | 10+ years | 10+ years | 8,000 (−100) |
Service standard: 11 months for the Atlantic Immigration Program. None published for SUV or Self-Employed.
The Start-up Visa inventory grew by roughly 900 files, likely reflecting a rush of submissions ahead of the June 30 deadline for 2025 commitment certificate holders. At a published estimate of over ten years, the SUV remains the slowest federal economic pathway.
Permanent residence: family sponsorship
Outside Quebec
| Application type | Current (July 7) | Previous (June 8) | Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse or partner living inside Canada | 27 months | 26 months | 56,900 (+1,700) |
| Spouse or partner living outside Canada | 17 months | 16 months | 54,100 (+2,800) |
| Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) | 30 months | 32 months | 40,400 (−3,100) |
Service standard: 12 months for spousal sponsorship outside Quebec. IRCC does not publish standards for the other categories.
Spousal sponsorship is the most striking gap in the entire dataset. The published estimate for an in-Canada partner is 27 months against a 12-month standard — more than double. Both spousal streams rose by a month while inventories grew, so the direction here is unfavourable.
PGP was the strongest family-class improvement of the month, dropping two months as IRCC cleared roughly 3,100 files.
Within Quebec
| Application type | Current (July 7) | Previous (June 8) | Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse or partner living inside Canada | 32 months | 32 months | 13,700 (+1,600) |
| Spouse or partner living outside Canada | 33 months | 33 months | 18,600 (unchanged) |
| Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) | 65 months | 67 months | 10,500 (−500) |
IRCC does not publish service standards for applicants intending to settle in Quebec. Quebec sponsorship runs materially slower than the rest of Canada across every category — the PGP figure of 65 months is more than double the outside-Quebec equivalent.
Citizenship processing times
| Application type | Current (July 7) | Previous (June 8) |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship grant | 12 months | 13 months |
| Renunciation of citizenship | 7 months | 7 months |
| Search of citizenship records | 17 months | 17 months |
Service standard (grants): 12 months. The citizenship grant inventory sits at 326,200 applications, down by roughly 200 from the previous reading.
The grant figure returning to 12 months puts it back inside the service standard for the first time since the spring.
The proof of citizenship problem
Citizenship certificates — the document you apply for when claiming citizenship by descent rather than naturalising — are moving in the wrong direction fast. Immigration reporting on the July release puts the current estimate at roughly 19 months, with about 17,500 additional applicants joining the queue in the latest reporting cycle. That is the third consecutive month of sharp increases in a category that was sitting at around three months as recently as March 2026.
The cause is not mysterious. Bill C-3 substantially expanded citizenship by descent, and the resulting wave of claims from people establishing a Canadian parent or grandparent has landed squarely on this one application type.
Data note: IRCC’s published monthly citizenship table covers grants, renunciation and records searches. The certificate figure above is drawn from immigration sector reporting on the same release. Confirm your own category directly with IRCC’s official processing times tool before making plans around it.
The backlog behind the numbers
Processing estimates only make sense against inventory. IRCC’s total application inventory exceeded 1.5 million files in May 2026, and the July figures show that volume distributing very unevenly.
Three patterns stand out:
- Economic streams are draining. Base PNP shed 6,400 files, PSTQ shed 2,600, PGP shed 3,100. These are the categories where estimates fell.
- Family streams are filling. Spousal inventories grew by 1,700 and 2,800 respectively. These are the categories where estimates rose. The relationship is direct.
- One category is absorbing a policy shock. Proof of citizenship went from a routine three-month document request to a multi-year queue in under six months because a law changed and eligibility expanded overnight.
Three worked examples
Example 1 — Work permit applicant in India
You submit an employer-specific work permit application from India on August 3, 2026. The published estimate is 9 weeks, so the indicative decision window is around early October 2026. The service standard is 60 days, meaning your file is expected to land outside IRCC’s own target. Biometrics, medicals or a request for additional documents will extend this — the estimate assumes a complete application with no follow-up.
Example 2 — In-Canada spousal sponsorship
You are sponsoring a partner already living with you in Ontario and you file in August 2026. The published estimate is 27 months, pointing to roughly late 2028. Two practical consequences: your partner should apply for an open work permit alongside the sponsorship rather than waiting, and any temporary status they hold needs to be maintained continuously across that entire period. Do not treat a 27-month estimate as a reason to let a visitor record lapse.
Example 3 — CEC candidate invited in July
You received an invitation to apply in one of July’s Canadian Experience Class rounds and submit your complete application in August 2026. At a 6-month estimate, you are looking at approximately February 2027 for a decision. Because this now sits inside the service standard, it is one of the more predictable timelines in the current system — but the estimate runs from your submission date, not from the date you were invited.
Processing time vs. service standard — they are not the same thing
This distinction causes more confusion than any other part of the system, and it matters if you are trying to plan around a date.
A processing time is an estimate. IRCC calculates it two ways: historical estimates reflect how long it actually took to finalise 80% of comparable applications in the past, while forward-looking estimates are modelled from current inventory and processing capacity. Neither is a promise.
A service standard is an internal target — how quickly IRCC aims to finish a given application type under normal conditions, generally for about 80% of files. Service standards change rarely. The temporary residence standards quoted throughout this guide were last revised in 2018–2019, which is why several of them now look badly out of step with reality.
When the processing time exceeds the service standard, as it does for spousal sponsorship and most visitor visa streams, that gap is the honest measure of system strain.
If you’re new to the system: how to read this
A few things that are not obvious the first time through:
- The clock starts when IRCC receives a complete application, not when you begin filling out forms and not when you were invited to apply.
- Your estimate is the one shown on the day you submit. If the published figure changes next month, your file is not re-benchmarked.
- Incomplete applications are the leading cause of delay and refusal across every IRCC category. A missing document does not just pause your file — it can send it back entirely.
- Temporary residence figures update weekly; permanent residence and citizenship update monthly. If you are checking daily, you are checking too often.
- Extensions filed before your current permit expires give you implied status, meaning you can generally continue working or studying under your existing conditions while IRCC processes the renewal. File early.
- PNP is a two-stage process. Provincial nomination first, federal PR second. Only the second stage appears in IRCC’s tables.
The next temporary residence update is expected on or around July 29, 2026. Permanent residence and citizenship figures should refresh in early August.
Scam warning: nobody can “speed up” your file
Long queues create a market for people who claim they can shorten them. They cannot. Treat the following as red flags:
- Anyone offering expedited processing for a fee. IRCC does not sell queue priority. Urgent processing exists only in narrow, documented circumstances — serious illness, a death in the family, imminent job loss — and it is requested directly, free of charge.
- Anyone guaranteeing an approval or a specific decision date. No representative, licensed or otherwise, can guarantee an outcome.
- Unsolicited calls or texts claiming to be from IRCC or CBSA demanding payment to prevent deportation or release your file. IRCC does not call to demand money, and never asks for payment by gift card, e-transfer to a personal account, or cryptocurrency.
- Consultants who are not licensed. Paid immigration representatives must be a member in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, a provincial or territorial law society, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. New CICC regulations that took effect on July 15, 2026 strengthened the complaints and discipline process and created a compensation fund for people who lost money to a licensed consultant’s dishonest conduct. Verify your representative’s licence on the College’s public register before paying anything.
- Websites charging for free forms. Every IRCC application form and guide is free at canada.ca.
If you believe you have been targeted, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Frequently asked questions
How often does IRCC update processing times?
Temporary residence categories — visitor visas, study permits, work permits and PR cards — are updated weekly. Permanent residence, family sponsorship and citizenship categories are updated monthly.
My application has passed the published processing time. What now?
Published estimates cover roughly 80% of applications, so exceeding one is not itself unusual or a sign of a problem. Once you are meaningfully past the estimate for your category, you can submit a webform enquiry to IRCC. Requesting your GCMS notes through an access to information request is the standard next step if you need to understand where a file is actually sitting.
Why is my estimate different from the number in this table?
IRCC’s tool personalises estimates by country of application, application subtype and, in some categories, whether you applied online or on paper. The figures here are the published national and country-specific estimates for the most common streams. Always check your own category directly.
Does applying online make it faster?
Online submission removes mail transit and reduces the risk of a file being returned for a clerical omission, and several categories are processed on separate online and paper timelines. It does not change your position in a substantive queue.
Will processing times improve for the rest of 2026?
The economic streams are trending favourably and inventories in those categories are shrinking. Family sponsorship and proof of citizenship are trending the other way. Anyone predicting a specific figure for December is guessing.
This article summarises processing time data published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as of July 22, 2026 (temporary residence) and July 7, 2026 (permanent residence and citizenship). Figures are estimates and are subject to change. This is general information, not immigration advice. For advice on your specific circumstances, consult a licensed immigration representative. Always verify current figures using IRCC’s official processing times tool at canada.ca.