IRCC processing times in January 2026: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is the last to release its current processing time as of January 14, 2026, in the largest of the application categories.
Such estimates are grounded on actual timelines that are experienced by 80 percent of applicants compared to the older target-based approach which may not have recorded real waits.
Categories of permanent residency and citizenship are renewed every month and the temporary resident applications (visitor visas, work permits, study permits) and PR cards are renewed every week.
The processing time may vary with cases because of security checks, country of application, completeness of documents, background checks and capacity of IRCC.
The following is the full, category-by-category list of all processing time included in the January 2026 update, even those with no change.
Citizenship Processing Times (Updated monthly)
IRCC is also starting to provide acknowledgment of receipt (AOR) to applications submitted until October 6, 2025, to citizenship.
Application type
People waiting (change)
Processing time (Jan 14, 2026)
Change Since December
Citizenship grant
~305,400 (+8,400)
13 months
No change
Citizenship certificate*
~42,400 (+2,000)
10 months
+1 month
Resumption of citizenship
Not available
Not available
No change
Renunciation of citizenship
Not available
11 months
No change
Search of citizenship records
Not available
13 months
No change
Applicants who are not part of Canada or the United States may take more time to be processed.
What this means in practice:
Citizenship grants remain steady at 13 months.
Citizenship certificates lengthened to 10 months, which can matter for people needing proof of citizenship for passports, benefits, or travel.
Permanent Resident Card Processing Times (Updated weekly)
Both new cards and renewals got slightly slower, with the larger increase on new PR cards.
Family Sponsorship Processing Times (Updated monthly)
Category
People waiting (change)
Processing time (Jan 14, 2026)
Change Since December
Spouse/common-law outside Canada (non-Quebec)
~45,700 (+500)
14 months
No change
Spouse/common-law outside Canada (Quebec)
~19,300 (-100)
35 months
-1 month
Spouse/common-law inside Canada (non-Quebec)
~52,100 (+1,500)
21 months
+1 month
Spouse/common-law inside Canada (Quebec)
~12,000 (-200)
36 months
No change
Parents/grandparents (non-Quebec)
~50,300 (-1,300)
37 months
-3 months
Parents/grandparents (Quebec)
~12,400 (-200)
48 months
-1 month
Why Quebec is slower:
Quebec sponsorship files require an additional provincial approval layer, adding time on top of federal processing.
Humanitarian and Compassionate And Protected Persons (Updated monthly)
Category
People waiting (change)
Processing time (Jan 14, 2026)
Change Since December
H&C outside Quebec
~48,900 (+800)
More than 10 years
No change
H&C in Quebec
~17,800 (+200)
More than 10 years
No change
Protected persons outside Quebec
~95,900 (-49,700)
About 17 months
-86 months
Protected persons in Quebec
~36,300 (-19,600)
About 110 months
+2 months
Dependents of protected persons outside Quebec
54,100
About 35 months
-16 months
Dependents of protected persons in Quebec
About 20,400
About 118 months
Not available
Important context:
H&C remains among the longest waits in the entire system at “more than 10 years” (both in and outside Quebec).
Protected persons (outside Quebec) shows a dramatic improvement in the estimate (to about 17 months), while Quebec estimates remain exceptionally lengthy.
Canadian Passport Processing Times
Application type
Current processing time
Change Since December
New passport (in-person, Canada)
10 business days
No change
New passport (mail, Canada)
20 business days
No change
Urgent pick-up
Next business day
No change
Express pick-up
2–9 business days
No change
Passport mailed from outside Canada
20 business days
No change
Key takeaway:
Passport processing is stable and remains one of the most predictable services.
Permanent Residency Processing Times Under Economic Class (Updated monthly)
Category
People waiting (change)
Processing time (Jan 14, 2026)
Change Since December
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
~25,400 (+3,700)
6 months
-1 month
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
~34,600 (+7,00)
7 months
+1 month
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
Not available
Not enough data
No change
PNP (Express Entry)
~10,800 (+600)
7 months
+1 month
Non-Express Entry PNP
~102,600 (+4,100)
13 months
-3 months
Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW)
~26,700 (+500)
11 months
No change
Quebec Business Class
~4,000 (-100)
79 months
-5 months
Federal Self-Employed
~8,200 (-300)
More than 10 years
No change
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
~13,600 (+200)
33 months
-4 months
Start-Up Visa
~45,200 (+800)
More than 10 years
No change
Key takeaways:
CEC improved to 6 months.
FSWP and Express Entry PNP both increased to 7 months.
Non-Express Entry PNP improved to 13 months, but volumes remain high.
AIP remains heavily delayed at 33 months despite improvement.
Start-Up Visa and Self-Employed remain “more than 10 years.”
Temporary Visa Processing Times (Updated weekly)
Visitor Visas From Outside Canada
Country
Processing time (Jan 14, 2026)
Change Since December 31
India
99 days
+18 days
United States
27 days
+2 days
Nigeria
36 days
+5 days
Pakistan
57 days
-18 days
Philippines
17 days
No change
Additional visitor timelines:
Visitor visa inside Canada: 17 days (+3 days since Dec 31)
Visitor record extension: 153 days (-20 days since Dec 31)
Super Visa Processing Times
Country
Processing time (Jan 14, 2026)
Change Since December 31
India
206 days
+9 days
United States
93 days
+16 days
Nigeria
41 days
+3 days
Pakistan
133 days
-45 days
Philippines
112 days
-5 days
Study Permit Processing Times
Country
Processing time (Jan 14, 2026)
Change Since December 31
India
3 weeks
No change
United States
6 weeks
No change
Nigeria
6 weeks
+1 week
Pakistan
5 weeks
No change
Philippines
4 weeks
No change
Additional study timelines:
Study permit inside Canada: 7 weeks (no change since Dec 31)
Study permit extension: 115 days (-4 days since Dec 31)
Work Permit Processing Times
Country
Processing time (Jan 14, 2026)
Change Since December 31
India
9 weeks
No change
United States
7 weeks
-2 weeks
Nigeria
11 weeks
+2 weeks
Pakistan
13 weeks
+1 week
Philippines
6 weeks
+1 week
Additional work timelines:
Work permits inside Canada: 220 days (+10 days since Dec 31)
Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program: 10 days (+1 day since Dec 31)
International Experience Canada (IEC): 7 weeks (+1 week since Dec 31)
Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): 5 minutes for most applicants; up to 72 hours for additional screening
Why These Processing Times Can Change Quickly In 2026
Although no one can manage the workloads at IRCC, applicants can minimize avoidable delays by:
surges in application volumes in specific streams or countries
staffing and resource reallocation inside IRCC
security screening intensity and verification workloads
policy-driven intake changes (caps, pauses, special measures)
application quality, including missing documents or unclear proof
How Applicants Can Reduce The Risk Of Delays
While no one can control IRCC workloads, applicants can reduce preventable slowdowns by:
submitting complete documentation from day one (including translations where required)
avoiding gaps in employment, travel history, or address history without explanation
double-checking forms for consistency across names, dates, and supporting evidence
preparing for additional document requests by keeping updated proof ready
monitoring updates weekly or monthly depending on the application type
The January 14, 2026 process time update indicates that there is a system that is moving in different directions simultaneously.
There were improvements in some programs (CEC, Non-Express Entry PNP, AIP, and some parts of the process of protected persons outside Quebec), and extensions of others (citizenship certificates, new PR cards, in-Canada work permits, some visitor and Super Visa timelines).
Provided that in 2026 your plans rely on a permit, visa, PR decision, PR card, and citizenship outcome, add buffers to your schedule, provide full documentation, and monitor the progress according to your category.
IRCC Releases New Processing Times for January 2026
IRCC processing times in January 2026: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is the last to release its current processing time as of January 14, 2026, in the largest of the application categories.
Such estimates are grounded on actual timelines that are experienced by 80 percent of applicants compared to the older target-based approach which may not have recorded real waits.
Categories of permanent residency and citizenship are renewed every month and the temporary resident applications (visitor visas, work permits, study permits) and PR cards are renewed every week.
The processing time may vary with cases because of security checks, country of application, completeness of documents, background checks and capacity of IRCC.
The following is the full, category-by-category list of all processing time included in the January 2026 update, even those with no change.
Citizenship Processing Times (Updated monthly)
IRCC is also starting to provide acknowledgment of receipt (AOR) to applications submitted until October 6, 2025, to citizenship.
(+8,400)
(+2,000)
Applicants who are not part of Canada or the United States may take more time to be processed.
What this means in practice:
Permanent Resident Card Processing Times (Updated weekly)
Key takeaway:
Both new cards and renewals got slightly slower, with the larger increase on new PR cards.
Family Sponsorship Processing Times (Updated monthly)
Why Quebec is slower:
Quebec sponsorship files require an additional provincial approval layer, adding time on top of federal processing.
Humanitarian and Compassionate And Protected Persons (Updated monthly)
Important context:
Canadian Passport Processing Times
Key takeaway:
Passport processing is stable and remains one of the most predictable services.
Permanent Residency Processing Times Under Economic Class (Updated monthly)
Key takeaways:
Temporary Visa Processing Times (Updated weekly)
Visitor Visas From Outside Canada
December 31
Additional visitor timelines:
Super Visa Processing Times
Study Permit Processing Times
(Jan 14, 2026)
December 31
Additional study timelines:
Work Permit Processing Times
(Jan 14, 2026)
December 31
Additional work timelines:
Why These Processing Times Can Change Quickly In 2026
Although no one can manage the workloads at IRCC, applicants can minimize avoidable delays by:
How Applicants Can Reduce The Risk Of Delays
While no one can control IRCC workloads, applicants can reduce preventable slowdowns by:
The January 14, 2026 process time update indicates that there is a system that is moving in different directions simultaneously.
There were improvements in some programs (CEC, Non-Express Entry PNP, AIP, and some parts of the process of protected persons outside Quebec), and extensions of others (citizenship certificates, new PR cards, in-Canada work permits, some visitor and Super Visa timelines).
Provided that in 2026 your plans rely on a permit, visa, PR decision, PR card, and citizenship outcome, add buffers to your schedule, provide full documentation, and monitor the progress according to your category.
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