IRCC’s November processing times: some application types see significant delays

The most recent processing times for various application types have been made available by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for the month of November.

Most significantly, processing times for Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) applications have increased by nearly 185% when compared to a month and a half ago.

In addition, processing times for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applications went up by a month, and there has been an increase in the processing time for certain visitor visa applications.

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Over the course of this article, we show how processing times have changed for various application types over the past month, including:

Most processing time estimates are constructed assuming that applicants applied on the day that they are checking the latest processing times.

Permanent residence applications for skilled workers

*Current and previous processing times for FTSP applications are not available, with IRCC citing “not enough data.”

IRCC’s service standard for all Express Entry programs is six months.

The service standard for Express Entry-aligned applications is six months, whereas the service standard for non-Express Entry applications is 11 months.

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The immigration department has a service standard of six months for applications submitted under Quebec’s PSTQ stream.

At the time of this writing, there are about 26,400 applications awaiting processing—up from 24,000 on October 1.

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The processing time for AIP applications has gone up by 24 months since October 1—the most notable change in processing time among all application types included in this article.

The service standard for AIP applications is 11 months.

Most notably, the processing time for Parents and Grandparent Program applications (destined for Quebec) has increased by 16 months within a period of one and a half months.

IRCC only publishes service standards for applications to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner outside Canada (12 months). For the other categories depicted in this table, service standards are not available.

Service standards for in-Canada dependent child sponsorship applications are not published by IRCC.

Data for other countries included in this article (Pakistan and the United States) were not available for comparison.

The service standard for applications submitted outside Canada is 12 months at this time.

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Temporary residence applications

Processing times for visitor visa applications from Pakistan and India have seen the biggest increase—26 additional days for Pakistan and 28 for India.

Service standards for visitor visas submitted from within Canada are not published; for applications submitted outside Canada, are 14 days.

Applications for work permits submitted from within Canada now take about one extra month to be processed, when compared to October 1.

The immigration department’s service standard for work permit applications submitted from inside Canada is 120 days. This includes both initial work permit and extension applications.

Applications submitted from outside Canada have a service standard of 60 days, except International Experience Canada (IEC) permits, which have a departmental service standard of 56 days.

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A decline in study permit processing times can be observed only for the United States and Pakistan, with wait times for US-based applications slashed by more than half.

*In-Canada study permit application processing times include only initial study permits. The processing time for study permit extensions is currently 182 days (down by nine days compared to October 1).

IRCC’s service standard for study permit applications (which includes both initial and extension applications) submitted from inside Canada is 120 days. Those submitted from abroad have a 60-day service standard.

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Since October 1, super visa applications submitted from Pakistan saw a 49-day increase in processing time. Wait times for US-based applications decreased by 20 days.

The service standard for super visas is currently 112 days.

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Service standards are only available for citizenship grant applications: 12 months. Proof of citizenship certificate service standards are not published by IRCC.

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IRCC’s posted processing times represent the expected duration to make a decision on an application (if it is received that day) and are updated regularly. They are calculated based on historical trends and the current number of applications awaiting review.

The clock starts when IRCC receives your application—upon delivery to the mailroom for mailed submissions or at the time of online or in-person submission—and stops when a decision is rendered.

IRCC notes that its processing times are estimates only, “not a maximum or a guarantee.” Several factors can affect the processing timeline for an application, including application complexity, whether the applicant provides additional information when prompted, or unique circumstances.

IRCC reports both historical processing times, showing how long it took to finalize 80% of past applications, and forward-looking processing times, which are based on the current application inventory and projected monthly completions.

Forward-looking processing times are used for the following application types:

For all other application types, IRCC uses historical processing times.

Service standards function as IRCC’s internal performance targets for various application types.

IRCC’s service standards describe the period within which the department intends to finalize 80% of applications in a specific category.

This approach allows for the possibility that approximately 20% of files will fall outside the estimated timeline, typically due to added complexity or other complicating factors.

IRCC has not established service standards for certain application types.

Unlike processing times, service standards are not updated regularly.