Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released new wait-time estimates for temporary residence applicants on November four, 2026. The latest update shows changes across several application categories, although some estimates remained unchanged.
The main changes include shorter work permit waits for applicants in the United States, longer study permit waits for applicants in Canada and Nigeria, and a shorter wait for visitor records and work permit extensions.
The most notable changes in IRCC’s latest update included the following:
- Work permits: Down three weeks for applicants in the United States.
- Study permits: Up two weeks for applicants in Canada; up one week for applicants in Nigeria; down one week for applicants in Pakistan.
- Work permit extensions: Down one week.
- Visitor records: Down 11 days.
Since its previous update, IRCC also reported a decrease of 5,200 applications in its work and study permit inventory. This included 4,800 fewer work permit applications and 400 fewer study permit applications.
The following sections compare the latest estimates released on November four with those published on October twenty-nine. IRCC is expected to release another update around November eleven.
Work Permits
Among the six countries listed below, only applicants applying from the United States saw a change in the estimated wait. Their estimate dropped from six weeks to three weeks.
| Applying From | Current (Nov. 4) | Previous (Oct. 29) |
| Canada | 16 weeks | 16 weeks |
| India | 10 weeks | 10 weeks |
| Pakistan | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Nigeria | 10 weeks | 10 weeks |
| United States | 3 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Philippines | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
Service Standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days.
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days.
Study Permits
Study permit wait estimates increased for applicants applying from Canada and Nigeria. However, applicants from Pakistan saw a one-week decrease.
Pakistan’s estimate is now five weeks, its lowest level since at least June. Nigeria’s estimate has reached 11 weeks, the highest recorded for the country during the same period.
| Applying From | Current (Nov. 4) | Previous (Oct. 29) |
| Canada | 8 weeks | 6 weeks |
| India | 8 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Pakistan | 5 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Nigeria | 11 weeks | 10 weeks |
| United States | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Philippines | 6 weeks | 6 weeks |
Service Standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days.
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days.
Visitor Visas
Most of the countries listed below experienced small changes in visitor visa wait estimates. Canada and the United States were the exceptions, as their estimates remained the same.
Applicants from India saw a one-day increase, while those from Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines experienced small decreases.
| Applying From | Current (Nov. 4) | Previous (Oct. 29) |
| Canada | 12 days | 12 days |
| India | 32 days | 31 days |
| Pakistan | 58 days | 59 days |
| Nigeria | 103 days | 105 days |
| United States | 18 days | 18 days |
| Philippines | 24 days | 25 days |
Service Standard:
- In-Canada submissions: N/A.
- Outside Canada submissions: 14 days.
Super Visas
Super visa wait estimates increased across all the countries included in the comparison. The increases ranged from one to three days.
Applicants from the Philippines continue to have the longest estimate among the listed countries, at 109 days.
| Applying From | Current (Nov. 4) | Previous (Oct. 29) |
| India | 85 days | 82 days |
| Pakistan | 101 days | 99 days |
| Nigeria | 33 days | 30 days |
| United States | 75 days | 74 days |
| Philippines | 109 days | 106 days |
Service Standard: 112 days.
Super visa applications can only be submitted from outside Canada.
Extensions
The latest figures for applications submitted from within Canada show shorter waits for work permit extensions and visitor records. Study permit extension estimates remained unchanged.
| Application Type | Current (Oct. 31) | Previous (Oct. 29) |
| Work permit extension | 10 weeks | 11 weeks |
| Study permit extension | 6 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Visitor record | 310 days | 321 days |
The work permit extension estimate covers applications for post-graduation work permits (PGWPs), bridging open work permits (BOWPs) and changes to work permit conditions.
As of October 31, IRCC reported 191,100 work permit extension applications in its inventory, a decrease of 4,800. The study permit extension inventory stood at 25,500 applications, down by 400.
How IRCC’s Wait Estimates Differ From Service Standards?
IRCC uses two separate measures to explain how long applicants may wait for a decision: estimated wait times and service standards.
Estimated wait times indicate how long the department may take to decide on a newly submitted application. They are not guaranteed deadlines or maximum waiting periods.
IRCC calculates these estimates using one of two methods:
- Historical estimates: Based on the time taken to finalise 80% of applications that were previously processed.
- Forward-looking estimates: Based on the department’s current application inventory and the resources available to handle it.
Service standards work differently. They are operational targets that show how long IRCC aims to take to finalise 80% of applications under normal conditions.
An applicant’s actual wait may be shorter or longer than either estimate. Several factors can affect the time needed to reach a decision, including the complexity of the application, the number of pending cases, available resources, requests for additional documents and verification checks.
IRCC generally updates temporary residence wait estimates every week. Permanent residence and citizenship estimates are usually updated monthly. Service standards change less often, with the previous changes for temporary residence applications dating back to 2018 and 2019.
IRCC finalised 2,076,745 temporary residence applications between January and August 2026. As of August thirty-one, another 365,425 temporary residence applications were waiting for decisions.
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