IRCC’s December processing times bring positive news for many study permit, PGP applicants

The latest processing times published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada(IRCC) show a decrease in wait time for numerous application types compared to a month ago.

Notable improvements can be seen for certain temporary residence applications (such as work and study permits), and the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) permanent resident pathway.

In contrast, the largest spike in processing time—four months—can be observed across dependent child sponsorship applications.

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In this article, we’ll show how processing times have changed for various applications since November 14, 2025.

The volume of applications in the processing queue will be reported for all application categories with available data.

Most processing time approximations are based on the current estimated wait for a new application filed on the day that an applicant checks the most recent processing times.

Permanent residence applications

*IRCC has not published processing times for the FTSP for quite some time now, citing “not enough data.”

There are currently about 21,700 people waiting on a decision for online CEC applications, and 27,600 for FSWP applications.

IRCC service standard: Six months for all Express Entry programs.

For applications made online through Express Entry, about 10,200 people are awaiting processing, and around 98,500 applicants for non-Express Entry-aligned PNP applications.

Service standards: Six months for enhanced applications, and 11 months for base applications.

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Those wishing to settle in Quebec through the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) continue to see a nearly year-long processing time.

There are currently 27,200 applications awaiting processing—compared to 26,400 as of November 14.

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AIP applications continue to see a processing time of over three years.

Currently, there are about 13,400 people waiting for a decision on their application.

Processing times for family sponsorship applications either decreased or remained the same—with the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) seeing the greatest decrease.

Total number of people waiting for a decision on their application:

Service standards: For sponsorship of a spouse or common-law partner living outside Quebec, it’s 12 months. IRCC does not publish processing times for other application types.

Dependent child sponsorship applications submitted from within Canada saw a four-month jump in processing time.

Service standard: IRCC does not publish service standards for this application type.

Compared to a month ago, sponsorship of a dependent child increased by four months for submissions from India.

Processing data for other countries featured in this article (Pakistan and the US) are not available for comparison.

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Temporary residence applications

Processing times for visitor visas increased equally for India and Pakistan and decreased modestly for Canada and the US.

Service standard: Applications submitted from outside Canada have a 14-day service standard. In-Canada applications are not assigned a service standard by IRCC.

The US is the only country featured which saw an increase in work permit processing time; all other countries remained stable or saw a decrease.

IRCC is prioritizing applications for “essential occupations,” which include select agriculture and agri-food occupations, and healthcare occupations.

Service standard: 120 days for inside-Canada submissions (including initial work permits and extensions). Outside Canada applications have a service standard of 60 days—except International Experience Canada (IEC) permits, which have a 56-day standard.

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Processing times for study permits declined for all countries included except India, which remained stable. The largest decrease is seen for submissions from within Canada.

*In-Canada study permit processing times refer to only initial study permits. For study permit extensions, the processing time is currently 140 days—42 days less compared to November 14.

Service standard: 120 days for in-Canada applications (including both initial permits and extensions), and 60 days for overseas submissions.

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All featured countries saw a decline in processing time compared to a month ago, except India—for which super visa processing time increased by 20 days.

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IRCC has about 297,000 citizenship grant applications awaiting processing, and 40,400 proof of citizenship certificate applications.

Service standards: 12 months for citizenship grant applications. IRCC does not provide service standards for proof of citizenship certificates.

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Processing times and service standards

IRCC’s published processing times reflect the expected duration to finalize a new application, assuming it is received today.

Processing time starts on the date IRCC receives an application and ends when a decision is made. For mailed applications, this is the date the package is delivered to the mailroom; for online and in-person submissions, it is the exact time the application is submitted.

Multiple factors can lengthen or shorten processing, including how straightforward it is for IRCC to validate the information in the application and how quickly the applicant replies to requests for additional documents or clarification.

Processing times are calculated using both historical processing data and the current volume of applications it has in its inventory awaiting processing.

Historical processing times: This type of processing time is based on how long it took IRCC to process 80% of their immigration applications in the past, and they are updated weekly.

Forward-looking processing times: These are calculated using IRCC’s current inventory, which includes the total volume of each application type still awaiting processing and the number expected to be finalized each month.

Only the following application types utilize forward-looking processing times:

IRCC’s service standards serve as internal processing targets across its various application categories.

They indicate how long the department aims to process 80% of applications in a specific category.

This framework recognizes that around 20% of cases will extend beyond the projected timeline, often due to complexity or special circumstances.

For certain types of applications, IRCC has not defined any service standards—and unlike processing times, are not subject to regular updates.