Canada updates visa processing times; Study, Super Visa waits rise for Indians

Canada has updated its temporary residence processing time estimates, with Indian applicants seeing a two-week increase in study permit wait times and a one-day rise in visitor visa processing, according to a report by CIC News. Work permit processing for applicants in India remained unchanged at nine weeks, while the wait for super visas increased to 61 days from 56 days.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released the latest estimates on August 26, covering applications submitted from India, Canada, the US and the Philippines. The next update is expected around September 2, 2026.

Study permit wait for Indians rises to 7 weeks

India recorded the biggest change among the four countries in the study permit category. The estimated processing time increased to 7 weeks on August 26 from 5 weeks on August 19.


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For comparison, the wait time was 7 weeks for applicants in Canada, 5 weeks for those in the US and 4 weeks for applicants in the Philippines.

India's study permit processing time had remained unchanged for two consecutive months before this latest increase.

For Indians applying for a work permit, the estimated processing time remained at 9 weeks, unchanged from the previous update.

The wait was 115 days for applications made from Canada, while applicants in the US faced an estimated two-week wait. The Philippines recorded a five-week wait.

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IRCC's service standard is 120 days for initial work permit applications and extensions submitted from within Canada, and 60 days for applications submitted from outside Canada.

Super visa wait rises for India

India also saw an increase in estimated super visa processing time. The wait rose to 61 days from 56 days in the latest update.

The Philippines had an estimated wait of 104 days, while applicants in the US faced a 123-day wait. Canada does not feature in the super visa comparison provided in the latest data.

The estimated visitor visa processing time for Indians increased marginally to 32 days from 31 days.

Applicants in Canada faced a 12-day wait, compared with 21 days in the US and 20 days in the Philippines.

IRCC's service standard for visitor visa applications submitted from outside Canada is 14 days.

What IRCC processing times mean

IRCC's processing times are estimates and do not guarantee when an application will be finalised. They are also not deadlines or maximum waiting periods.

The department uses historical estimates based on the time taken to process 80% of completed applications, as well as forward-looking estimates that consider the number of applications waiting to be processed and available resources.

The actual time can vary depending on the complexity of an application, the number of applications in the queue, processing capacity, requests for additional information and other checks.