Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has released its latest processing-time figures for October 2026, revealing significant changes across Canadian citizenship, permanent residence, family sponsorship, refugee and humanitarian applications, visitor visas, study permits and work permits.
The new figures were refreshed on October 9 for monthly processing estimates and October 7 for weekly historical processing timelines. The update shows that some major application inventories have fallen, while several temporary-residence categories have become slower.
Among the most notable developments are the continued increase in the processing time for Canadian citizenship certificates, a reduction in the number of people waiting for citizenship grants, a four-day improvement in new permanent resident card processing, major reductions in the queues for Canadian Experience Class and Non-Express Entry Provincial Nominee applications, and an 8,500-person decline in the protected-person inventory outside Quebec.
At the same time, applicants from some countries are facing longer temporary-residence waits. Nigeria's visitor-visa processing time, for example, increased to 100 days, while Nigerian study-permit processing reached 10 weeks.
IRCC stresses that processing times are estimates and can change depending on application volumes, inventory, staffing, program priorities and the complexity or completeness of individual applications.
Citizenship Processing Times
The citizenship data contains four categories in the October update.
| Application type | People waiting | October 2026 processing time | Change from September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizenship grant | Approximately 322,700 | 12 months | No change |
| Citizenship certificate | Approximately 130,700 | 34 months | +1 month |
| Resumption of citizenship | Not available | Not enough data | No change |
| Renunciation of citizenship | Not available | 4 months | No change |
| Search of citizenship records | Not available | 19 months | +1 month |
The biggest change is the citizenship certificate category, where the estimated processing time increased from 33 months in September to 34 months in October.
Despite the longer processing estimate, the certificate queue actually declined by approximately 5,300 applications, leaving about 130,700 people waiting.
The processing time for a citizenship grant remained at 12 months, while the citizenship-grant inventory fell by approximately 4,400 applications to about 322,700.
The processing time for searches of citizenship records increased from 18 to 19 months.
The increase in citizenship-certificate processing is particularly notable because the wait has risen dramatically during 2026. Earlier in the year, the estimated processing time was substantially shorter, meaning applicants seeking proof of Canadian citizenship are now facing a wait approaching three years.
Applicants who live outside Canada or the United States should also account for additional mailing time when receiving citizenship certificates. Immigration News Canada notes that this can add approximately three to four months.
Permanent Resident Card Processing
The latest PR-card figures show an improvement for new cards.
| Application type | October 7, 2026 | Change from September 9 |
|---|---|---|
| New PR card | 33 days | -4 days |
| PR card renewal | 38 days | No change |
New PR card processing fell by four days to 33 days.
Renewals remained unchanged at 38 days.
The improvement provides some relief for permanent residents waiting for physical proof of their status, although PR-card processing should not be confused with the much longer process of obtaining permanent residence itself.
Family Sponsorship Processing Times
IRCC's family sponsorship processing times remained unchanged across all six major categories in October.
| Family sponsorship category | People waiting | Processing time | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse/common-law partner inside Canada, non-Quebec | ~55,600 | 26 months | No change |
| Spouse/common-law partner inside Canada, Quebec | ~14,500 | 32 months | No change |
| Spouse/common-law partner/conjugal partner outside Canada, non-Quebec | ~65,600 | 18 months | No change |
| Spouse/common-law partner/conjugal partner outside Canada, Quebec | ~19,400 | 33 months | No change |
| Parents/grandparents, non-Quebec | ~35,600 | 28 months | No change |
| Parents/grandparents, Quebec | ~10,300 | 63 months | No change |
Although the processing estimates did not change, the size of some queues did.
The inventory for spouses and common-law partners applying from outside Canada and outside Quebec increased by approximately 3,000, reaching about 65,600.
The parents and grandparents inventory outside Quebec moved in the opposite direction, declining by approximately 1,900 to about 35,600.
The Quebec parents-and-grandparents inventory remained around 10,300.
The October update therefore shows that stable processing-time estimates do not necessarily mean that the number of applications waiting in a particular category is also stable.
Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications and Protected Persons
Some of the largest changes occurred in the protected-person and humanitarian categories.
| Category | People waiting | Processing time | Change from September |
|---|---|---|---|
| H&C outside Quebec | ~58,800 | More than 10 years | No change |
| H&C Quebec | ~20,800 | More than 10 years | No change |
| Protected persons inside Canada, outside Quebec | ~77,600 | About 13 months | No change |
| Protected persons inside Canada, Quebec | ~42,600 | More than 10 years | No change |
| Dependants of protected persons, outside Quebec | ~60,400 | About 41 months | No change |
| Dependants of protected persons, Quebec | ~22,900 | More than 10 years | No change |
The most significant movement was in the protected-person inventory outside Quebec.
The number of applications waiting in that stream declined by approximately 8,500, leaving about 77,600 applications.
The estimated processing time remained at approximately 13 months.
The decline is significant because it represents one of the largest reductions in a major permanent-residence inventory in the October figures.
The situation is very different for humanitarian and compassionate applications. Both Quebec and non-Quebec H&C applications continue to show estimated processing times of more than 10 years.
The combined H&C inventory reported in the October figures is approximately 79,600 applications.
Dependants of protected persons outside Quebec also saw a modest reduction of approximately 500 applications, bringing that inventory to about 60,400.
Economic-Class Permanent Residence
The economic immigration figures show substantial differences between programs.
| Program | People waiting | October processing time | Change from September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Experience Class | ~53,900 | 6 months | No change |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program | ~58,300 | 7 months | No change |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program | Not available | Not enough data | No change |
| Provincial Nominee Program — Express Entry | ~13,100 | 7 months | No change |
| Non-Express Entry PNP | ~96,500 | 13 months | No change |
| Quebec Skilled Worker | ~20,500 | 11 months | No change |
| Quebec Business Class | ~3,600 | 75 months | No change |
| Atlantic Immigration Program | ~11,500 | 26 months | No change |
| Federal Self-Employed | ~8,000 | More than 10 years | No change |
| Start-Up Visa | ~47,500 | More than 10 years | No change |
The Canadian Experience Class inventory declined by approximately 5,000 applications, leaving about 53,900 people waiting. Processing remained at six months.
The Non-Express Entry Provincial Nominee Program also declined by approximately 5,000 applications, falling to about 96,500.
That reduction pushed the Non-Express Entry PNP inventory below the 100,000 mark for the first time in 2026.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program moved in the opposite direction. Its inventory increased by approximately 4,500 applications, reaching about 58,300. Despite the increase, its processing estimate remained at seven months.
The Express Entry PNP inventory increased by approximately 300 to about 13,100, while processing remained at seven months.
The Quebec Skilled Worker inventory increased by about 100 to approximately 20,500, with processing remaining at 11 months.
The Quebec Business Class category remained at 75 months.
The Atlantic Immigration Program improved slightly, with its queue falling by approximately 300 to about 11,500. Processing remained at 26 months.
Two programs continue to show extremely long processing estimates. The Federal Self-Employed Persons Program remains at more than 10 years, with approximately 8,000 applicants waiting, while the Start-Up Visa Program remains at more than 10 years, with about 47,500 applicants waiting.
Both programs are currently paused for new applications, although people already in their respective inventories continue to be processed.
Visitor Visa Processing Outside Canada
Temporary-residence processing times are updated weekly, and the October 7 figures show considerable differences depending on the applicant's country.
| Country | Visitor visa processing time | Change from September 9 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 30 days | -1 day |
| United States | 18 days | No change |
| Nigeria | 100 days | +16 days |
| Pakistan | 71 days | -2 days |
| Philippines | 25 days | +6 days |
The most significant increase occurred for applicants from Nigeria.
Nigeria's visitor-visa processing time rose by 16 days to 100 days.
India improved slightly, falling to 30 days, while Pakistan dropped by two days to 71 days.
The Philippines increased by six days to 25 days.
The United States remained unchanged at 18 days.
Visitor Visas and Visitor Records Inside Canada
| Application type | October 7 processing time | Change from September 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor visa from inside Canada | 11 days | No change |
| Visitor record extension | 370 days | -33 days |
The biggest improvement in this group was the visitor record extension, which fell by 33 days to 370 days.
That is a substantial improvement compared with the September figure of 403 days.
However, despite the reduction, the processing time remains considerably higher than the 161-day figure recorded in January 2026.
Visitor-visa processing from inside Canada remained at 11 days.
Super Visa Processing Times
The October figures for Super Visa applications also show mixed results.
| Country | October 7 processing time | Change from September 9 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 74 days | +5 days |
| United States | 66 days | No change |
| Nigeria | 37 days | -7 days |
| Pakistan | 101 days | -31 days |
| Philippines | 90 days | +26 days |
Pakistan recorded the largest improvement, with processing falling by 31 days to 101 days.
Nigeria also improved, with Super Visa processing falling seven days to 37 days.
India increased by five days to 74 days.
The Philippines experienced a significant increase of 26 days, bringing its processing time to 90 days.
The United States remained unchanged at 66 days.
Study Permit Processing Outside Canada
International students are also facing different processing times depending on where they apply.
| Country | October 7 processing time | Change from September 9 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 6 weeks | +1 week |
| United States | 6 weeks | No change |
| Nigeria | 10 weeks | +1 week |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | No change |
| Philippines | 5 weeks | No change |
Nigeria's study-permit processing time increased by one week to 10 weeks.
India also increased by one week to six weeks.
Pakistan remained at seven weeks, the United States at six weeks and the Philippines at five weeks.
The October figures make Nigeria's processing time the longest among the five countries listed in this table.
Study Permits Inside Canada and Extensions
| Application type | October processing time | Change from September |
|---|---|---|
| Study permit from inside Canada | 8 weeks | +1 week |
| Study permit extension | 9 weeks | Updated from previous 64 days |
The processing time for an initial study permit submitted from inside Canada increased by one week to eight weeks.
Study permit extensions are estimated at nine weeks, with approximately 29,000 applicants waiting for a decision.
The movement comes as Canadian immigration authorities continue to manage international-student application volumes and changes to study-permit requirements.
Work Permit Processing Outside Canada
The October figures also show significant differences among work-permit applicants.
| Country | October 7 processing time | Change from September 9 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 11 weeks | +1 week |
| United States | 6 weeks | +4 weeks |
| Nigeria | 10 weeks | No change |
| Pakistan | 8 weeks | No change |
| Philippines | 7 weeks | No change |
The United States experienced one of the largest changes, with work-permit processing increasing by four weeks to six weeks.
India increased by one week to 11 weeks.
Nigeria remained at 10 weeks.
Pakistan remained at eight weeks, while the Philippines remained at seven weeks.
The October figures therefore place India and Nigeria among the countries with the longer processing estimates in this group.
Work Permits Inside Canada and Other Temporary Categories
IRCC's October update also includes several other temporary-residence categories.
| Application type | October processing time | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| Work permit from inside Canada — initial | 14 weeks | Updated October 7 |
| Work permit extension inside Canada | 13 weeks | About 208,900 waiting |
| Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program | 108 days | +6 days |
| International Experience Canada | 6 weeks | No change |
| Electronic Travel Authorization | 5 minutes | No change |
The initial work-permit processing estimate from inside Canada is 14 weeks.
Work-permit extensions are estimated at 13 weeks, with approximately 208,900 applicants waiting.
The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program increased by six days to 108 days.
International Experience Canada remained at six weeks.
The electronic travel authorization process remained extremely fast, with an estimated processing time of approximately five minutes.
What the October Numbers Mean for Applicants
The October update provides a mixed picture of Canada's immigration processing system.
Some major inventories are clearly moving downward. The Canadian Experience Class and Non-Express Entry PNP queues each fell by approximately 5,000 applications, while the protected-person inventory outside Quebec fell by 8,500.
Citizenship grants also recorded a significant decline in the number of people waiting.
However, other categories continue to face substantial delays.
The citizenship certificate wait has reached 34 months, H&C applications remain at more than 10 years, Quebec business immigration remains at 75 months, and several family sponsorship categories continue to involve waits of two to five years or more.
Temporary-residence applicants are also experiencing mixed movements. Some categories have improved, such as visitor-record extensions and Nigerian Super Visas, while others have become slower, including Nigerian visitor visas and study permits and U.S. work permits.
IRCC's figures are estimates rather than guaranteed decision dates. The actual time required for an individual application can depend on whether the application is complete, whether additional documents are requested, whether background or security checks are required and the volume of applications being processed at the time.
IRCC Processing Times Continue to Change
The October 2026 update demonstrates why applicants should check IRCC's processing-time information regularly rather than relying on an older estimate.
A category can show a lower inventory without an immediate reduction in its published processing time. Conversely, a processing estimate can change even when the number of people waiting does not move substantially.
For applicants, the most important developments in the October release are the continued increase in citizenship-certificate waits, the reduction in several large permanent-residence inventories, the major decline in protected-person applications outside Quebec, and the contrasting movements in temporary-residence processing.
The figures also demonstrate that immigration processing in Canada is not moving uniformly. While some applicants are seeing shorter queues and faster service, others continue to face lengthy waits.
For anyone preparing a new application, the latest figures should therefore be treated as a snapshot of IRCC's current workload rather than a promise of when an individual decision will arrive.
The October 2026 data nevertheless provides applicants with a detailed picture of where Canada's immigration system is experiencing improvement, where inventories are growing and which categories continue to face some of the country's longest processing delays.