“IRCC December 2025 Update: Faster Study & PNP Processing”

IRCC December 2025 Processing Times: Faster Approvals for Study Permits and PGP, But Delays for Dependent Children

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released its latest update on application processing times as of December 2025 — and there’s some good news for many applicants. If you’re hoping to study, work, or reunite with family in Canada, you’ll want to read on. While several application types have seen shorter wait times, others — like dependent child sponsorships — have experienced notable delays.

Key Highlights

• Study permit processing times have improved significantly for most applicants, especially those applying from within Canada.
• Work permit approvals are also being processed faster for applicants in countries like Pakistan and Nigeria.
• Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) applications saw a decrease in processing times.
• Dependent child sponsorship applications experienced a four-month delay, particularly for those applying from India.
• Express Entry and Manitoba PNP processing times remain steady at six to seven months.
• IRCC continues to prioritize essential workers and certain high-demand immigration streams.

What’s Changing in IRCC Processing Times This Month?

IRCC’s processing times reflect how long it currently takes to process new applications from the day they’re submitted. These timelines are based on both historical data and projections based on the current application backlog. Let’s take a closer look at the key immigration categories and how the December 2025 updates compare to last month’s figures.

Express Entry Remains Steady

There’s been no change in the processing times for the main Express Entry streams:

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC): 7 months
• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP): 6 months
• Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP): Processing times not available due to insufficient data

Between CEC and FSWP applications, over 49,000 people are currently in the queue. IRCC’s service standard for these programs remains at six months.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Updates

Applicants through the Express Entry-aligned PNP (enhanced streams) are still seeing a healthy 6-month turnaround. However, base PNP applications — those not tied to Express Entry — are taking much longer at 16 months.

Currently waiting for decisions:

• Enhanced PNP: ~10,200 applicants
• Base PNP: ~98,500 applicants

If you’re considering applying through the Manitoba PNP or another PNP stream, be sure to review your eligibility to take advantage of faster processing options.

Quebec Skilled Worker Program Still Facing Delays

Applicants under Quebec’s Skilled Worker Program (PSTQ) are still waiting around 11 months for a decision — nearly double IRCC’s six-month service standard. The backlog has grown slightly this month to over 27,000 applicants.

Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) Sees No Improvement

Unfortunately, the AIP continues to lag significantly behind. The processing time remains stuck at 37 months, while IRCC’s standard is just 11 months. Over 13,000 people are currently awaiting decisions under this stream.

Family Sponsorship: Mixed News

Spousal Sponsorship

IRCC is holding steady on processing times for sponsoring a spouse or common-law partner. Currently, it takes:

• 20 months (inside Canada, outside Quebec)
• 14 months (outside Canada, outside Quebec)
• 36–37 months for Quebec-bound applicants

These wait times highlight the importance of planning ahead, especially if you’re hoping to reunite with loved ones in Quebec.

Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP)

Here’s some positive news: PGP applications are being processed faster this month. New timelines show a drop of two months:

• Outside Quebec: 40 months (down from 42)
• Inside Quebec: 49 months (down from 50)

With over 64,000 PGP applications in the queue, these improvements are a step in the right direction.

Dependent Child Sponsorship: Major Delays

This is one of the few categories that’s seen a negative shift. Applications from within Canada are now taking four months longer, and submissions from India have jumped to 12 months — up from 8.

Temporary Residence Applications

Visitor Visas

Processing times aren’t consistent across countries for visitor visas, but here’s a snapshot of current waits:

• India: 117 days (up from 103 days)
• Pakistan: 86 days (up from 72 days)
• Canada: 17 days (slight improvement)
• U.S.: 31 days (down from 35 days)

IRCC aims to process visitor visa applications from outside Canada within 14 days, but many countries still exceed this timeline.

Work Permits

There’s good news for applicants from most countries, with processing times remaining steady or improving slightly:

• Pakistan: 5 weeks (down from 6)
• Nigeria: 8 weeks (down from 9)
• U.S.: 7 weeks (up from 4)

IRCC continues to prioritize work permits for essential occupations, including healthcare and agriculture roles.

Study Permits

If you’re planning to study in Canada, your timing couldn’t be better. IRCC has reduced processing times for study permits from most countries:

• In-Canada applicants: 8 weeks (down from 12)
• Pakistan: 5 weeks (down from 7)
• Nigeria: 5 weeks (down from 8)

India remains stable at 4 weeks, while the U.S. saw a slight increase to 5 weeks. Study permit extensions in Canada also improved — now taking 140 days, down from 182.

Super Visas

Processing times for super visas — which allow parents and grandparents to stay in Canada long-term — improved for most countries:

• Nigeria: 46 days (down from 50)
• U.S.: 42 days (down from 58)

India, however, saw a delay, with current processing times sitting at 182 days — up from 169 days.

Citizenship Applications

There’s been no change here:

• Citizenship grant: 13 months
• Proof of citizenship certificate: 9 months

IRCC has nearly 300,000 citizenship applications in the pipeline, so it’s no surprise timelines are holding steady.

What Do Processing Times Really Mean?

It’s important to remember that IRCC’s processing times are estimates based on how long it’s currently taking to process new applications. They start counting from the moment your application is received and stop once a decision is made.

Two Methods Used:

• Historical processing times: Based on how long it took to process 80% of past applications. Updated weekly.
• Forward-looking processing times: Based on current workload and how many applications IRCC expects to finalize each month.

Some applications — like Express Entry, family sponsorships, and citizenship — use forward-looking data, which is generally more accurate for new applicants.

Final Thoughts

While it’s encouraging to see improvements across several immigration categories, some applicants — especially those sponsoring dependent children or applying through the Atlantic Immigration Program — continue to face long waits.

If you’re in the process of applying or considering your options, now might be the perfect time to review your eligibility and get expert advice.

Ready to take the next step? See your eligibility for all Express Entry streams or ass