Canada Updates Visa Processing Time for Pakistan and Other Countries

Canada has recently revised processing times for temporary residence applications, with delays observed in multiple categories while certain applicants now experience shorter processing periods. The updated figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), released on September 16, encompass work permits, study permits, visitor visas, and Super Visas for individuals from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, the United States, the Philippines, and those applying from Canada.

Notably, Pakistani applicants' work and study permit processing times have remained unchanged, with a work permit currently estimated to take eight weeks and a study permit around seven weeks.

A significant shift has been observed for Pakistani applicants in the Super Visa category. The estimated processing time has decreased substantially from 132 days to 95 days, marking a reduction of 37 days within a week's time. In contrast, visitors from other countries have experienced varying changes. Super Visa processing in the United States has surged from 66 days to 116 days, while applicants from the Philippines have seen their wait time increase from 64 days to 90 days. India and Nigeria observed a minor increase from 69 to 70 days and 44 to 46 days, respectively.

Work permit processing periods have remained consistent for applicants from India and Nigeria at 10 weeks, while those from the Philippines continue to face an estimated wait of seven weeks. However, the estimated wait for US applicants has lengthened from two weeks to three weeks. For applications submitted from within Canada, the work permit processing time has marginally improved from 110 days to 109 days.

Study permit processing times have remained unchanged for most countries, with India and the Philippines continuing to face an estimated five-week wait, while US applicants still await a six-week processing period. Nigeria's processing time has increased from nine weeks to ten weeks, and Canadian applicants now face an eight-week wait.

Visa processing times have also experienced minor fluctuations. India's estimated wait has decreased from 31 days to 29 days, while the United States has improved from 18 days to 16 days. Canadian applicants still face an 11-day wait period. Meanwhile, visitor visa wait times have increased for Nigeria from 84 to 87 days and for the Philippines from 19 to 21 days.