On August 10, Canada’s immigration department refreshed its processing time estimates for various permanent residence (PR) and citizenship application types, revealing improvements across several categories.<\/p>\n
Most notably, those seeking PR under Express Entry\u2019s Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) now face shorter wait times.<\/p>\n
See how competitive your Express Entry profile is Among the categories covered in the update, the base Provincial Nominee Program<\/a> (PNP) was the sole category to see timelines lengthen, despite the government reducing the queue by 1,400 applications.<\/p>\n This article looks at the latest processing estimates for economic, family sponsorship<\/a>, and citizenship<\/a> applications and how they compare with previous figures from July 7<\/a>.<\/p>\n PR: economic immigration<\/p>\n Wait times were largely unchanged from July to August, with the exception of a decrease for FSWP<\/a> applicants and an increase for those under the base PNP<\/a>.<\/p>\n Express Entry<\/p>\n As of the most recent update, applicants under the Canadian Experience Class<\/a> (CEC) and the FSWP now face the same wait time.<\/p>\n \tApplication typeCurrent (August 10)Previous (July 7)<\/p>\n \tCanadian Experience Class (CEC)6 months6 months<\/p>\n \tFederal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)6 months7 months<\/p>\n \tFederal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)N\/A*N\/A*<\/p>\n *Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada<\/a> (IRCC) does not publish processing times for FSTP<\/a> applications, citing \u201cnot enough data.\u201d<\/p>\n IRCC service standard: Six months across all Express Entry<\/a> programs.<\/p>\n Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:<\/p>\n CEC: 59,700 (-1,800). See your eligibility for all Express Entry streams Provincial Nominee Program<\/p>\n Even as the federal government processed 1,400 base PNP applications, the wait time increased by one month. Enhanced PNP<\/a> applicants, on the other hand, saw no change in wait time.<\/p>\n \tApplication typeCurrent (August 10)Previous (July 7)<\/p>\n \tThrough Express Entry (enhanced)7 months7 months<\/p>\n \tNon-Express Entry (base)13 months12 months<\/p>\n Service standard: Six months for enhanced PNP applications; 11 months for base PNP applications.<\/p>\n Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:<\/p>\n Enhanced applications: 11,800 (-300). Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP streams Quebec immigration<\/p>\n Processing times for the Skilled Worker Selection Program<\/a> (PSTQ) and the Quebec Business Class<\/a> (QBC) remain unchanged, despite the government processing 1,000 PSTQ applications since July 7.<\/p>\n \tApplication typeCurrent (August 10)Previous (July 7)<\/p>\n \tSkilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ)11 months11 months<\/p>\n \tQuebec Business Class (QBC)75 months75 months<\/p>\n Service standard: Six months for PSTQ applicants; unpublished for QBC applications.<\/p>\n Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:<\/p>\n PSTQ: 21,200 (-1,000). Learn more about your options for immigrating to Quebec Atlantic Immigration Program<\/p>\n While 200 applications were removed from the Atlantic Immigration Program<\/a> (AIP) queue since last month, the program\u2019s wait time has not shifted.<\/p>\n \tCurrent (August 10)Previous (July 7)<\/p>\n \t26 months26 months<\/p>\n Service standard: 11 months.<\/p>\n Applications in inventory awaiting assessment: 12,100 (-200).<\/p>\n Other economic programs<\/p>\n The Federal Self-Employed Persons Program<\/a> and Start-up Visa<\/a> (SUV) program continue to carry wait times exceeding a decade, with the former having been categorized as \u201cno longer fit for purpose<\/a>\u201d by the Canadian government.<\/p>\n \tApplication typeCurrent (August 10)Previous (July 7)<\/p>\n \tStart-up Visa (SUV)10+ years10+ years<\/p>\n \tFederal Self-Employed Persons Program10+ years10+ years<\/p>\n Service standards are not available for the above programs.<\/p>\n Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:<\/p>\n SUV: 47,600 (+100). PR: family sponsorship<\/p>\n Spousal sponsorship<\/a> processing times remained unchanged, while those seeking to sponsor their parents or grandparents<\/a> now face shorter waits.<\/p>\n Outside Quebec<\/p>\n Wait times for family sponsorship outside Quebec showed little movement, with just the PGP showing a one-month decrease.<\/p>\n \tApplication typeCurrent (August 10)Previous (July 7)<\/p>\n \tSpouse or common-law partner living inside Canada27 months27 months<\/p>\n \tSpouse or common-law partner living outside Canada17 months17 months<\/p>\n \tParents and Grandparents Program (PGP)29 months30 months<\/p>\n Service standard: 12 months for sponsorship of a spouse\/common-law partner outside Quebec; IRCC does not publish standards for other application types.<\/p>\n Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:<\/p>\n Within Quebec<\/p>\n As with family sponsorship outside Quebec, wait times for applicants planning to settle in Quebec remained stable across all categories except the PGP, which saw a one-month decline.<\/p>\n \tApplication typeCurrent (August 10)Previous (July 7)<\/p>\n \tSpouse or common-law partner living inside Canada32 months32 months<\/p>\n \tSpouse or common-law partner living outside Canada33 months33 months<\/p>\n \tParents and Grandparents Program64 months65 months<\/p>\n IRCC does not provide published service standards for those intending to settle within Quebec.<\/p>\n Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:<\/p>\n Partner living in Canada: 14,000 (+300). Sponsor your family for Canadian immigration Citizenship<\/p>\n The only change observed among the citizenship application types reviewed below was for renunciation of citizenship, where the processing time declined by four months relative to the month prior.<\/p>\n \tApplication typeCurrent (August 10)Previous (July 7)<\/p>\n \tCitizenship grant12 months 12 months <\/p>\n \tRenunciation of citizenship4 months7 months<\/p>\n \tSearch of citizenship records17 months17 months<\/p>\n Service standard (grants): 12 months.<\/p>\n IRCC had 328,200 citizenship grant<\/a> applications in its inventory as of August 10\u20142,000 more than it did on July 7.<\/p>\n For the latest timeline for proof of citizenship certificates, see our dedicated coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n Schedule a Free Canadian Citizenship Consultation Processing times versus service standards<\/p>\n Processing times and service standards both provide information about application timelines, but they measure different things.<\/p>\n Processing times are estimates designed to help applicants understand how long a particular type of application may take to process. They are not fixed deadlines, nor do they guarantee that a decision will be made within the stated period.<\/p>\n The actual time required can vary from one application to another depending on factors such as the complexity of the case, whether the application is complete, and whether IRCC must request additional documents, information, or clarification.<\/p>\n IRCC uses two kinds of processing estimates:<\/p>\n Historical estimates: based on how long it took IRCC to finalize 80% of similar applications in the past; and Service standards, on the other hand, are performance targets established by IRCC for certain application types. They indicate the time frame within which the department aims to finalize applications under normal operating conditions.<\/p>\n In general, IRCC\u2019s objective is to process approximately 80% of applications covered by a service standard within the established timeline.<\/p>\n The two measures also differ in how frequently they are updated. Processing times are generally revised monthly for permanent residence<\/a> and citizenship<\/a> and weekly for temporary residence, while service standards may remain unchanged for years. Express Entry standards, for example, were last revised in 2019.<\/p>\n
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\nFSWP: 52,400 (-3,400).<\/p>\n
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\nBase applications: 102,400 (-1,400).<\/p>\n
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\nQBC: 3,700 (unchanged).<\/p>\n
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\nFederal Self-Employed Persons Program: 8,000 (unchanged).<\/p>\n
\nPartner living outside Canada: 19,000 (+400).
\nParents and Grandparents: 10,400 (-100).<\/p>\n
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\nForward-looking estimates: calculated using the department\u2019s current application inventory and projected processing capacity.<\/p>\n