Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) posted its October 2026 processing‑time data on October 9, covering permanent residence, citizenship, family sponsorship, refugee and temporary residence categories.

Work permit applications filed from inside Canada now carry a 14‑week (98‑day) estimate, while the extension queue holds about 208,900 cases with a 13‑week estimate.

For applicants outside Canada, processing times vary: the United States rose from two to six weeks, India to 11 weeks, Nigeria remained at 10 weeks, and Pakistan and the Philippines sit at eight and seven weeks respectively.

Study permit processing from abroad also increased, with India reaching six weeks and Nigeria ten weeks, the longest among the five tracked countries.

Visitor visa processing for Nigerian applicants hit 100 days, the first triple‑digit figure since January 2026, while India fell to 30 days, the United States stayed at 18 days, Pakistan dropped to 71 days, and the Philippines rose to 25 days.

On the permanent‑residence side, the Canadian Experience Class kept a six‑month estimate with its queue shrinking by 5,000 to about 53,900, and the Non‑Express Entry Provincial Nominee Programme fell below 100,000 for the first time since early 2026.

Conversely, the Federal Skilled Worker Programme added 4,500 applicants, bringing its queue to roughly 58,300 while maintaining a seven‑month processing time.

Family sponsorship timelines remained steady across all sub‑categories, with the parents and grandparents queue outside Quebec dropping by another 1,900 to about 35,600.

Citizenship certificate processing rose to 34 months, up from 10 months in March 2026, even as its queue fell by 5,300 to roughly 130,700.

IRCC updates temporary‑residence figures weekly and permanent‑residence, citizenship and family‑sponsorship data monthly, with the next release slated for November 2026.

Low‑wage foreign‑worker restrictions now cover six more Canadian cities

Canada has extended low‑wage foreign‑worker restrictions to six additional metropolitan areas—Halifax, Fredericton, Kingston, St. Catharines‑Niagara, Regina and Lethbridge—effective October 9, 2026 until January 7, 2027.

These cities meet a 6 % unemployment threshold that triggers a suspension of Labour Market Impact Assessment processing for low‑wage positions.

Kenyan workers already holding valid work permits in the affected areas can continue working, but new applicants for low‑wage jobs must meet exemption criteria covering sectors such as agriculture, construction, food manufacturing and healthcare.

What applicants should do next

Applicants are advised to consult the official IRCC processing‑time tool for the most current estimates and to seek guidance from a regulated immigration professional before submitting new applications.