Latest IRCC Processing Times Update – September 2025

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released its latest processing time updates as of September 10, 2025.

These updated figures cover a wide range of immigration streams — from temporary resident visas and work permits to permanent residence pathways and citizenship applications.

IRCC emphasizes that these are average timelines for 80% of finalized cases. They are not guarantees, as delays may occur due to:

• Incomplete submissions
• High seasonal demand
• Additional background checks

Below is a breakdown of the major changes and current processing times across different immigration categories.

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1. Citizenship Applications

Category	Processing Time (Sept 2025)	Change Since Aug 2025
Citizenship Grant	11 months	Increased by 1 month
Citizenship Certificate (Proof)	5 months	No change
Resumption of Citizenship	Insufficient data	No change
Renunciation of Citizenship	10 months	Increased by 5 months
Search of Citizenship Records	13 months	Reduced by 1 month

Observation: Applicants submitting before July 7, 2025, are expected to receive their Acknowledgment of Receipt (AOR) soon.

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2. Permanent Resident (PR) Cards

Application Type	Processing Time (Sept 2025)	Change
New PR Card	36 days	No change
PR Card Renewal	33 days	Increased by 1 day

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3. Family Sponsorship

Category	Processing Time (Sept 2025)	Change Since Aug 2025
Spouse/Common-Law (Outside Canada, Non-Quebec)	15 months	Increased by 2 months
Spouse/Common-Law (Outside Canada, Quebec)	41 months	No change
Spouse/Common-Law (Inside Canada, Non-Quebec)	23 months	Reduced by 13 months
Spouse/Common-Law (Inside Canada, Quebec)	38 months	Reduced by 2 months
Parents/Grandparents PR (Non-Quebec)	26 months	Reduced by 10 months
Parents/Grandparents PR (Quebec)	44 months	Reduced by 4 months

Observation: Quebec applicants continue to face the longest timelines, while sponsorship applications outside Quebec saw noticeable improvements.

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4. Canadian Passports

Category	Processing Time	Change
New Passport (In-Person)	10 business days	No change
New Passport (Mail)	20 business days	No change
Urgent Pick-Up	By next business day	No change
Express Pick-Up	2–9 business days	No change
Passport (Mailed from outside Canada)	20 business days	No change

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5. Permanent Residence Applications (Economic Programs)

Category	Processing Time (Sept 2025)	Change Since Aug 2025
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)	5 months	No change
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)	6 months	Reduced by 1 month
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)	Insufficient data	No change
Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry)	8 months	No change
Non-Express Entry PNP	19 months	Reduced by 1 month
Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW)	11 months	Increased by 2 months
Federal Self-Employed	61 months	Increased by 1 month
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)	13 months	No change
Start-Up Visa	53 months	Increased by 1 month

Observation: Express Entry (CEC & FSWP) remain the fastest PR pathways, while Self-Employed and Start-Up Visa streams continue to face the longest delays.

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6. Temporary Resident Visas (Visitor Visas)

Country	Processing Time (Sept 2025)	Change Since Aug 27
India	63 days	Increased by 9 days
United States	24 days	No change
Nigeria	31 days	Reduced by 5 days
Pakistan	48 days	Increased by 1 day
Philippines	19 days	Reduced by 1 day

Category	Processing Time	Change
Visitor Visa (Inside Canada)	13 days	Reduced by 2 days
Visitor Extension	170 days	Reduced by 10 days

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7. Super Visa (Parents/Grandparents)

Country	Processing Time (Sept 2025)	Change Since Aug 27
India	139 days	No change
United States	89 days	Increased by 2 days
Nigeria	55 days	Reduced by 2 days
Pakistan	112 days	Reduced by 14 days
Philippines	71 days	Reduced by 3 days

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8. Study Permits

Country	Processing Time (Sept 2025)	Change Since Aug 27
India	4 weeks	Increased by 1 week
United States	10 weeks	No change
Nigeria	8 weeks	Increased by 2 weeks
Pakistan	9 weeks	No change
Philippines	6 weeks	Reduced by 1 week

Category	Processing Time	Change
Study Permit (Inside Canada)	6 weeks	No change
Study Permit Extension	163 days	Reduced by 10 days

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9. Work Permits

Country	Processing Time (Sept 2025)	Change Since Aug 27
India	8 weeks	No change
United States	3 weeks	Reduced by 1 week
Nigeria	22 weeks	Increased by 12 weeks
Pakistan	12 weeks	Increased by 5 weeks
Philippines	6 weeks	No change

Category	Processing Time	Change
Work Permit (Inside Canada, incl. extensions)	190 days	Reduced by 3 days

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10. Other Temporary Visas

Category	Processing Time (Sept 2025)	Change Since Aug 27
Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP)	70 days	Increased by 17 days
International Experience Canada (IEC)	5 weeks	No change
Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)	5 minutes – 72 hours	No change

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Key Takeaways

• Express Entry (CEC, FSWP) remains the fastest PR option (5–6 months).
• Self-Employed and Start-Up Visa applications still face extremely long processing times (53–61 months).
• Spousal sponsorship inside Canada (Non-Quebec) saw a big improvement (down by 13 months).
• Nigeria’s work permit backlog increased sharply (+12 weeks).
• Visitor visas from India now take the longest among top countries (63 days).
• Study permit extensions improved slightly but still take over 5 months.
• IRCC’s backlog remains high (over 901,700 pending applications).
  

For a consultation about Immigration options, reach out to the CAD IMMIGRATION today!