Canada visa: Indians get study permit in 5 weeks, work permit in 3 months

Business Standard

17 hours ago

Planning a trip to Canada? You could get a visitor visa in just three weeks if you're applying from India. But if you're planning to study, it might take around five weeks, and work permits are taking up to 12 weeks depending on your location.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has updated its latest visa and immigration processing timelines. These timelines are updated weekly for temporary visas and permanent resident (PR) cards, and monthly for family sponsorships and citizenship services.
Here's what the current processing times look like in July 2025 — and what they mean for Indians applying for a visa, PR, or citizenship.
Citizenship grant: 10 months
Certificate of citizenship: 5 months
Conservation of citizenship: 7 months
Record search request: 15 months
Those who applied before May 5, 2025, should soon receive their Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR). Foreign nationals, however, might have to wait longer due to verification requirements.
PR cards: no change in new card wait, slight increase for renewals
New PR card: 50 days
PR card renewal: 16 days (up by one day)
Family sponsorship timelines vary by location
For sponsoring a spouse, partner, parent or grandparent, timelines differ based on where you live and whether you're in Quebec:
Spouse/common-law partner outside Canada (non-Quebec): 11 months
Spouse/common-law partner in Canada (non-Quebec): 34 months
Spouse/common-law partner outside or inside Canada (Quebec): 38 months
Sponsoring parents/grandparents (non-Quebec): 36 months
Sponsoring parents/grandparents (Quebec): 48 months
Quebec's longer wait times are due to additional provincial-level steps involved in the process.
Need a passport printed while in Canada? Here's what to expect
Walk-in application: 10 business days
Mail-in application: 20 business days
Express delivery: same-day dispatch
Express pick-up: 2 to 9 business days
If you're flying out soon, urgent or express pick-up might be worth the extra fee.
Permanent residency for economic migrants
Here's how long it currently takes to get PR under Canada's economic migration programmes:
Canadian Experience Class (CEC): 5 months
Federal Skilled Worker (FSW): 7 months
Express Entry – PNP: 8 months
Non-Express Entry – PNP: 19 months
Quebec Skilled Worker: 9 months
Atlantic Immigration Programme (AIP): 12 months
Start-up visa: 43 months
Federal self-employed category: 53 months
Programmes for entrepreneurs or self-employed individuals generally take longer due to additional background checks and assessments.
Visitor visa processing by country
If you're applying from India, the current wait time is 21 days. Other locations:
UAE: 35 days
USA: 19 days
Nigeria: 83 days
Pakistan: 30 days
Philippines: 31 days
Singapore: 39 days
inside Canada: 23 days
Super visa for parents and grandparents
These visas allow extended stays but can take longer:
India: 78 days
UAE: 240 days
USA: 93 days
Nigeria: 61 days
Pakistan: 171 days
Philippines: 112 days
Study permit timelines
If you're planning to study in Canada from India, expect a five-week wait. Here's how it looks elsewhere:
UAE: 9 weeks
USA: 6 weeks
Nigeria: 5 weeks
Pakistan: 11 weeks
Philippines: 16 weeks
Extension inside Canada: 13 weeks
Work permits for foreign applicants
Indian applicants are currently waiting around 12 weeks for their permits. Other processing times:
UAE: 9 weeks
USA: 7 weeks
Nigeria: 16 weeks
Pakistan: 5 weeks
Philippines: 6 weeks
Saudi Arabia: 7 weeks
Extension within Canada: 225 days
Other types of visas and permits
Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP): 36 days
International Experience Canada (IEC): 5 weeks
Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA): from 5 minutes to 72 hours
How to avoid delays in your application
Check your application for completeness and correct documents
Keep track of updated processing times via IRCC's official tracker
Prepare for longer processing if applying through Quebec
I1n complex cases, speak with a licensed immigration consultant or lawyer
IRCC uses an online tracker, updated in real time, to give applicants a better sense of how long their process might take. The tool replaced the older static estimates in 2022.