The IRCC will regularly update the processing time of applications with its clients for better time management and transparency
The immigration minister of Canada announced the processing tool at the end of March.
There will be clear information available regarding the time taken to process the applications by the IRCC.
The method of dynamic processing times will be adopted. In this way, updated information will be released every 7 days which will be based on the data of the former 180 days.
This method is already used by the temporary residence services in which the updated data is based on the previous 8-16 weeks.
In this way, the number of processed applications can be already expected. Also, this will assist new immigrants in more accurate time management coming to the country. This up-gradation will reflect on the portal of IRCC.
Earlier only the ideal processing time that IRCC takes was shown on the website. But the immigration minister made a declaration of modification in the coming months.
How do service standards and processing times differ?
The service standard is the ideal period taken to process the applications based on the commitments of IRCC.
While the processing time is the actual time frame utilized by the IRCC to process applications.
Every year the IRCC compares the processing time and service standards.
How IRCC estimates the processing time?
This calculation is based on how much time 8 out of 10 applications took to process.
The processing time frame starts at the moment of receiving the application by IRCC and counts till the final response made by the personnel of IRCC.
Whereas processing time for immigrants applying via mail will be considered when the application finally gets in the mailroom of IRCC. Whereas processing time for applications sent through online or offline mode will be considered when the submission ends.
Current processing time
Below is the list of current processing times as of 31 March.
Economic class immigration
- CEC: the IRCC takes 7 months
- FSWP applications: 2 years 3 months (FSTP): 2 years 3 months
- Express Entry (PNP): the IRCC takes 22 months
- Non-Express Entry aligned PNP: the IRCC takes around 2 years 3 months
- Quebec skilled worker streams: processing time of months
- Quebec business class: the IRCC takes about 65 months
- Federal Self-employed persons: 42 months taken by the IRCC
- Atlantic Immigration Program the IRCC takes about 31months
- Start-up Visa: it also requires 31 months to process
- Caregivers Pilots: the IRCC is unable to provide the processing times available for this.
Processing time for Family class immigration category
- Spouse or common-law partner living in Canada: 1 year and 4 months
- Spouse or common-law partner living outside Canada: 1 year and 7 months
- Parents or grandparents: 2 years and 4 months
- Dependent child: this may vary from country to country
- Adopted child or relative: this may vary from country to country
Processing time for Refugees and humanitarian & compassionate (H&C) category
- Government-assisted refugees: Vary from country to country
- Privately-sponsored refugees: Vary from country to country
- Protected persons and convention refugees in Canada: 1 year and 10 months
- H&C cases: 1 year and 4 months
Processing time for Temporary residence applications
- Visitor visa outside Canada: Can differ on the basis of country
- Visitor visa inside Canada: it will take 16 days virtually and 46 days to process by paper
- Visitor extension: it will take around 5 months for the online procedure and around 7 months for the paper procedure
- Parents or grandparents Super Visa: Varies according to the country
- Study permit outside Canada: it will take 91 days
- Study permit inside Canada: claims of 63 days
- Study permit extension: takes 2 and half months for online processing and nearly 5 months by paper
- Work permit outside Canada: may Vary according to countries
- Work permit inside Canada (initial application or extension): 4 months and 13 days online and 8 months by paper
- International Experience Canada: Varies according to the country
- Electronic Travel Authorization: it only takes 5 minutes
- Applications for Citizenship
- Citizenship grant: takes 2 years and 3 months
- Citizenship certificate (Proof of citizenship): requires 1 year and 5 months
- Resumption of citizenship: takes 1 year and 11months
- Renunciation of citizenship: requires 1 year and 3 months
- The search for citizenship records: requires 1year and 3 months
- Adoption: applications for Part 1 require 11 months;
- Whereas applications for part 2 are based on the level of complexity
- Renewing or replacing a PR card: this requires more than 100 days to process
- Waiting for the first card: it requires more than 100 days to process
Applications for replacements or changes
- Verification of status: it takes around 182 days
- Replacement of valid temporary resident documents: this requires 154 days to process
- Amendments of immigration documents: this takes around 329 days to complete
- Amendments of valid temporary resident documents: requires 189 days to complete
Current backlog inventory of IRCC
The IRCC is unable to handle the backlog of applications thus not being able to match its standard processing time post-Covid.
The current data lying in the backlog inventory stands to be more than 18 lakh applications that still need to be processed.
Although the IRCC has coped with backlogs of CEC, FSWP, and Express Entry applications to a large extent.
