IRCC updates temporary residence processing times on 20 May 2026

On 20 May 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published its estimated processing times for newly submitted temporary residence applications. Compared with the update of 6 May 2026, waiting times fell markedly for several application types filed from India and Pakistan, while applications from Nigeria and the United States saw significant increases.

The most notable change was a six-week rise in processing times for work permits filed from Nigeria, in contrast to a fall of more than six weeks for super visas from Indian applicants.

Work permits

Applicants filing from Canada and Pakistan saw shorter waits, led by a two-week reduction for Pakistan after a period of stability since 29 April 2026. Applications from Nigeria, by contrast, rose by six weeks.

The service standard applies towork permitsis 120 days for applications filed inside Canada (both new applications and extensions) and 60 days for applications filed outside Canada.

Study permits

Processing times for study permit applications from Nigeria rose by one week, while Pakistan improved markedly with a reduction of a full month.

The service standard applies tostudy permitsis 120 days for applications filed inside Canada and 60 days for applications filed outside Canada.

Visitor visas

Visitor visa processing times rose slightly across the board, by between one and five days, while times for Pakistan were unchanged.

The service standard for visitor visas is 14 days for applications filed outside Canada. There is no official service standard for applications filed inside Canada.

Super visa for parents and grandparents

Super visa processing times fell sharply for applicants from India and Pakistan, down 43 and 32 days respectively, while applications from the United States rose by almost two weeks.

The service standard for the super visa is 112 days.

On processing times and service standards

The processing times published byIRCCare broad estimates of how long applications of a given type take to complete, and are adjusted regularly to reflect application volumes, staffing levels and seasonal factors. They are not a commitment but a point of reference, since actual times depend on the complexity of the file, the completeness of the documents and any additional requests that may arise.

The service standard is IRCC’s internal target for completing applications under normal conditions, with a commitment to finalise around 80% of files within the published timeframe. Service standards are revised less often than processing times — those applying to the temporary residence categories above were last updated in 2018–2019.