Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published updated temporary residence processing estimates on September 16. These figures indicate a general increase in wait times for various temporary residence categories, including work permits, study permits, and super visas. The update compares processing times from September 16 with those published on September 9.
Significant increases were observed across several application types and nationalities. Work permit wait times for U.S. nationals rose by one week. Study permit processing times increased by one week for applicants residing within Canada and those from Nigeria.
Super visa applicants also faced longer waits. U.S. applicants saw an increase of over seven weeks, while Philippines based applicants experienced a rise of more than 3.7 weeks. Conversely, some wait times decreased, with super visa applicants in Pakistan seeing the most substantial drop of more than five weeks.
As of July 31, more than 394,000 applications were awaiting finalization. During the first seven months of 2026, IRCC processed a total of 1,832,065 applications across all categories.
The rise in processing times means individuals applying for work permits, study permits, and super visas may face extended periods before receiving a decision. This could impact their plans to work, study, or visit Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada regularly updates these estimates weekly. The department expects to publish its next update on or around September 23, 2026.