The most recent processing times released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) were as of February 12, 2026, and showed several significant changes in nearly all the major categories of applications.
Since citizenship grants to work permits, the February 2026 IRCC processing time update provides a detailed map of the place where applicants can anticipate longer wait times or where the backlog is alleviating, and where streams are frozen in place.
These estimates, according to IRCC, are already informed by the real-life timelines of 80% of applicants as compared to the previously used target-based estimates which in most cases, did not capture the real timelines.
The vast majority of permanent residency and citizenship categories are updated monthly and applications of the temporary residency that includes such items as visitor visa, work permit, study permit, and PR cards are updated weekly.
The estimated time of processing may still differ depending on the needs of the security screening, the nation of application, the completeness of the document, the background check and the internal capacity of the IRCC at any particular time.
The following is an all-inclusive, category-by-category list of all processing times as provided in the updated process, as of February 2026, such that any item not described as changed can be planned accordingly by the applicants.
Citizenship Processing Times (Updated monthly)
The February 2026 citizenship processing times show a clear trend of increasing waits.
Citizenship grant applications now take approximately 14 months, which is one month longer than the January 2026 estimate.
The queue has also grown, with roughly 313,000 people now waiting for their citizenship grant, an increase of about 7,600 applicants compared to the prior month.
| Application Type | People Waiting (Change) | Processing Time (Feb 12, 2026) | Change Since January 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizenship grant | ~313,000 (+7,600) | 14 months | +1 month |
| Citizenship certificate* | ~47,900 (+5,500) | 11 months | +1 month |
| Resumption of citizenship | Not available | Not available | No change |
| Renunciation of citizenship | Not available | 18 months | +7 months |
| Search of citizenship records | Not available | 16 months | +3 months |
IRCC is currently issuing acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) for citizenship applications submitted around October 8, 2025.
Processing may take longer for applicants outside Canada or the United States.
Permanent Resident Card Processing Times (Updated weekly)
Permanent resident card processing remains one of the more efficient areas of IRCC’s operation in February 2026.
While the improvements are marginal, the overall trajectory is positive.
| Application Type | Processing Time (Feb 11, 2026) | Change Since January 21 |
|---|---|---|
| New PR card | 61 days | -1 day |
| PR card renewal | 30 days | -1 day |
Family Sponsorship Processing Times (Updated monthly)
The family sponsorship category presents a mixed picture in February 2026.
For spousal or common-law partner sponsorship from outside Canada in non-Quebec provinces, processing now stands at 15 months, one month longer than the January estimate.
About 47,300 people are waiting in this stream, up by 1,600 from the previous month.
The Quebec equivalent remains significantly longer at 35 months with no change, though the queue there has shrunk slightly by 200 applicants to approximately 19,100.
| Category | People Waiting (Change) | Processing Time (Feb 12, 2026) | Change Since January 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse/common-law outside Canada (non-Quebec) | ~47,300 (+1,600) | 15 months | +1 month |
| Spouse/common-law outside Canada (Quebec) | ~19,100 (-200) | 35 months | No change |
| Spouse/common-law inside Canada (non-Quebec) | ~52,600 (+500) | 21 months | No change |
| Spouse/common-law inside Canada (Quebec) | ~12,100 (+100) | 35 months | -1 month |
| Parents/grandparents (non-Quebec) | ~48,300 (-2,000) | 35 months | -2 months |
| Parents/grandparents (Quebec) | ~12,000 (-400) | 47 months | -1 month |
Humanitarian and Compassionate And Protected Persons (Updated monthly)
The two categories of humanitarian and protected persons category continue to be one of the most tricky in the Canadian immigration system.
Humanitarian and compassionate grounds (H&C) applications have remained at over 10 years of processing times both within and outside Quebec, and will not change after January 2026.
The H&C line outside Quebec has at least 49,800 individuals, an increase of 900 and the Quebec one has about 18,100 individuals, which has increased by 300.
| Category | People Waiting (Change) | Processing Time (Feb 12, 2026) | Change Since January 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| H&C outside Quebec | ~49,800 (+900) | More than 10 years | No change |
| H&C in Quebec | ~18,100 (+300) | More than 10 years | No change |
| Protected persons inside Canada (outside Quebec) | ~99,500 (+3,600) | About 17 months | No change |
| Protected persons inside Canada (in Quebec) | ~37,000 (+700) | About 112 months | +2 months |
| Dependents of protected persons (outside Quebec) | ~55,400 (+1,300) | About 37 months | No change |
| Dependents of protected persons (in Quebec) | ~20,800 (+400) | About 119 months | +1 month |
Canadian Passport Processing Times
Canadian passport processing times remain completely stable in February 2026 with no changes across any category.
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | Change Since January 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
The economic immigration group is concerned with the general routes of the Canadian skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and provincially nominated immigrants.
The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) processing time has been raised to seven months in the February 2026 update, which is one month longer than January.
The number of people in the CEC queue has also increased considerably, now we have approximately 34, 200 people in the queue as opposed to the 25,400 people before, which translates to a 8,800 increment in the number of applicants.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is also slow to process in seven months but with no improvement compared to January.
Its queue on the other hand has increased by 8,400 applicants to about 43000 people.
| Category | People Waiting (Change) | Processing Time (Feb 12, 2026) | Change Since January 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | ~34,200 / 25,400 (+8,800) | 7 months | +1 month |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | ~43,000 (+8,400) | 7 months | No change |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) | Not available | Not enough data | No change |
| PNP (Express Entry) | ~12,400 (+1,600) | 7 months | No change |
| Non-Express Entry PNP | ~108,300 (+5,700) | 13 months | -3 months |
| Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW) | ~26,400 (-300) | 11 months | No change |
| Quebec Business Class | ~3,900 (-100) | 80 months | +1 month |
| Federal Self-Employed | ~8,100 (-100) | More than 10 years | No change |
| Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) | ~13,700 (+100) | 33 months | No change |
| Start-Up Visa | ~45,600 (+400) | More than 10 years | No change |
Temporary Visa Processing Times (Updated weekly)
Temporary visa processing times for February 2026 cover visitor visas, super visas, study permits, and work permits across the most common countries of application.
Unlike the monthly updates for permanent residency, these figures are refreshed weekly, giving applicants more current data to work with.
Visitor Visas From Outside Canada
Visitor visa processing times from outside Canada vary significantly depending on the applicant’s country.
| Country | Processing Time (Feb 11, 2026) |
Change Since January 28, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 78 days | -5 days |
| United States | 25 days | No change |
| Nigeria | 51 days | +11 days |
| Pakistan | 58 days | +2 days |
| Philippines | 18 days | +2 days |
- Visitor visa inside Canada: 21 days (No change Since January 28, 2026, but +7 days since Dec 31, 2025)
- Visitor record extension: 209 days (+48 days Since January 28, 2026)
Super Visa Processing Times
The super visa, designed primarily for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit for extended stays, shows wide variation across countries.
Indian applicants face the longest super visa processing time at 213 days, though this represents a marginal one-day improvement from the prior period.
| Country | Processing Time (Feb 11, 2026) |
Change Since January 28, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 213 days | -1 day |
| United States | 205 days | +18 days |
| Nigeria | 46 days | +8 days |
| Pakistan | 124 days | -2 days |
| Philippines | 112 days | +3 days |
Study Permit Processing Times
Study permit processing times remain relatively stable across most countries in the February 2026 update.
Indian applicants can expect four weeks of processing time with no change, while American applicants face seven weeks, also unchanged.
| Country | Processing Time (Feb 11, 2026) | Change Since January 28, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 4 weeks | No change |
| United States | 7 weeks | No change |
| Nigeria | 8 weeks | +1 week |
| Pakistan | 7 weeks | +2 weeks |
| Philippines | 5 weeks | No change |
- Study permit inside Canada: 8 weeks (+1 week Since January 28, 2026)
- Study permit extension: 93 days (-11 days Since January 28, 2026)
Work Permit Processing Times
The processing of work permits presents a picture that has a stable situation with one or two major exceptions.
The Indian applicants are still waiting eight weeks, the Americans wait 10 weeks and the Nigerians wait nine weeks, no changes compared to the January 28 update.
The most dramatic exception is Pakistan with the work permit processing surging 10 weeks and going into an unbelievable 30 weeks.
| Country | Processing Time (Feb 11, 2026) | Change Since January 28, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 8 weeks | No change |
| United States | 10 weeks | No change |
| Nigeria | 9 weeks | No change |
| Pakistan | 30 weeks | +10 weeks |
| Philippines | 7 weeks | +1 week |
- Work permits inside Canada: 246 days (+5 days Since January 28, 2026 and +36 days since Dec 31,, 2025)
- Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program: 7 days (No change Since January 28, 2026, but -3 days since Dec 31)
- International Experience Canada (IEC): 2 weeks (-6 weeks Since January 28, 2026, and -4 weeks since Dec 31, 2025)
- Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): 5 minutes for most applicants; up to 72 hours for additional screening
The current IRCC processing times of February 2026 indicate a shift in the system – in increase in queues in citizenship and economic divisions, but significant declines in family sponsorship of parents and grandparents and non-Express Entry PNP.
The month of February is usually characterized by an after holiday rush in submissions as those applicants who procrastinated in December and January complete their paperwork.
Part of this seasonal effect could be the explanation of increasing queues that can be seen in citizenship, spousal sponsorship and economic immigration groups in this update.
Good candidates must remain alert, update and ensure overall correct submissions so as to position themselves at the combative edge of the advertised processing times.