IRCC updates February 2026 immigration processing times
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued its latest update on processing times across permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship applications.
The February 2026 figures show mixed results, with longer waits for several temporary resident categories and modest improvements for certain family sponsorship applications. The data compares processing durations between January 15 and February 17, 2026.
- Study permit processing times increased by one to two weeks across all countries.
- Work permits submitted from Pakistan rose sharply, adding 17 weeks.
- Super visa applications from the United States more than doubled in processing time.
- Family sponsorship submissions, particularly under the Parents and Grandparents Program, showed reduced wait times.
- Citizenship and proof of citizenship applications experienced an additional month of processing time.
Permanent residence applications
Overall, permanent residence processing times remained stable through February, with minor variations across specific programs. The largest decreases were recorded under family sponsorship categories.
Express Entry
Applications under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) now take seven months on average, up from six months in January. The Federal Skilled Worker Program remains at seven months, while the Federal Skilled Trades Program continues to have no published estimate due to limited data. The IRCC service standard for all Express Entry streams remains six months.
Pending decisions stand at approximately 34,200 for CEC and 43,000 for FSWP applications, reflecting increases of 8,800 and 8,400 respectively.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Processing times for both enhanced and base Provincial Nominee Program applications were unchanged. Enhanced (Express Entry–linked) applications remain at seven months, while base applications continue at 13 months. The service standard is six months for enhanced and 11 months for base streams.
There are currently about 12,400 enhanced and 108,300 base applications awaiting decisions. The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program continues to operate under these national benchmarks.
Quebec and Atlantic programs
Quebec’s Skilled Worker Program (PSTQ) processing time remains at 11 months, consistent with January’s report. The Atlantic Immigration Program continues to show the longest wait times among federal pathways, averaging 33 months with no change month over month.
Family sponsorship
Family sponsorship categories recorded either steady or reduced wait times. The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) saw the most notable decline, dropping to 35 months for those residing outside Quebec (from 37 months) and 47 months for Quebec residents (from 48 months).
Spousal sponsorship applications filed within Canada remain at 21 months (outside Quebec) and 35 months (inside Quebec). Outland spousal sponsorships average 15 months and 35 months respectively. IRCC’s service standard for outland spousal sponsorships is 12 months.
Dependent children
Processing for in-Canada dependent child sponsorship applications remained at 19 months. For applications submitted outside Canada, Nigerian cases improved slightly to 19 months from 20, while India-based applications stayed at 16 months.
Temporary residence applications
Visitor visas
Visitor visa processing times shifted unevenly across regions. India and the United States experienced shorter wait times, while Nigeria saw a notable increase to 51 days from 36. Within Canada, the average time rose from 17 to 21 days. The IRCC service standard for outside-Canada visitor visa applications remains 14 days.
Work permits
Processing times for work permit applications displayed wide variation. Submissions from Pakistan jumped from 13 weeks to 30 weeks, while India and Nigeria recorded moderate decreases. Within Canada, processing extended to 246 days, up from 220. The service standard is 120 days for in-Canada applications and 60 days for those filed abroad.
Study permits
Study permit processing times increased across all regions. Applications from India now take four weeks, Pakistan seven weeks, and Nigeria eight weeks. In-country applications require about eight weeks. The IRCC benchmark remains 120 days for in-Canada and 60 days for outside-Canada submissions.
Super visas
Super visa processing times generally rose, except for applications from Pakistan, which improved slightly from 133 to 124 days. U.S.-based submissions increased significantly to 205 days from 93. The current service standard is 112 days.
Citizenship applications
Processing times for citizenship grants and proof of citizenship certificates each increased by one month, now standing at 14 and 11 months respectively. This change follows recent legislative adjustments under Bill C-3, which expanded eligibility for citizenship by descent. The service standard for citizenship grants remains at 12 months.
There are an estimated 313,000 pending citizenship grant applications and 47,900 awaiting proof of citizenship decisions.
Understanding processing times and service standards
IRCC’s processing times represent current estimates of how long it takes to finalize an application submitted on the reporting date. These are updated regularly and calculated using data from completed cases.
Service standards differ, serving as internal targets indicating how long IRCC aims to process 80 percent of applications in each category. Actual processing durations can vary based on case complexity and application volume.
The latest February 2026 update highlights ongoing variations across program types, emphasizing how demand and regional factors continue to influence Canada’s immigration processing landscape.
Further updates are expected as IRCC continues to adjust operations and address application backlogs across permanent, temporary, and citizenship streams.