Work Permit Wait Times Rise to 10 Weeks as Study Visas Speed Up

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has updated its official processing time estimates, recording longer processing windows for overseas work permits alongside faster turnarounds for study permits and family visas as of November 12, 2026. The revised figures directly alter timeline expectations for foreign workers, international students, and visiting families coordinating travel or employment starts across major source countries.

Work Permit Delays Grow in Asia as Study Visa Turnarounds Accelerate

Work permit processing for applicants filing from Pakistan and the Philippines jumped by one week, bringing total waits to 10 weeks for both nations. The increase marks the slowest processing pace for Pakistan-based applicants since late August and pushes Philippines wait times to their highest point in more than five months. Work permit timelines for applicants in Canada, India, and Nigeria held steady at 16 weeks, 10 weeks, and 10 weeks respectively, while U.S.-based processing remained unchanged at three weeks.

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In contrast, study permit turnarounds dropped by two weeks for in-Canada applicants to six weeks, while applicants in Pakistan saw wait times fall by one week to four weeks, reaching the fastest processing speed for both streams in over four months. Study permit processing remained stable for applicants in Nigeria at 11 weeks, India at eight weeks, the Philippines at six weeks, and the United States at four weeks.

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Visitor visa processing times showed slight shifts across regions. Applicants in Nigeria saw processing times fall from 103 days to 100 days, while Pakistan dropped to 57 days. India-based visitor visa applicants faced a two-day increase to 34 days. In-Canada visitor visa extension processing times decreased from 310 days to 304 days.

Super visa processing accelerated notably for African and Asian applicants. Processing times for applicants in Nigeria fell by five days to 28 days, while Pakistan-based applicants saw a 10-day drop to 91 days and the Philippines decreased to 104 days. Conversely, super visa processing extended slightly to 87 days for India and 78 days for the United States.

The current application backlogs continue to diverge from the department’s standard service targets, which aim to finalize 80% of out-of-country work and study permits within 60 days and in-Canada submissions within 120 days.