October 2025

IRCC has updated processing times for the various immigration applications and refugee claims. For some applications, the new updated processing times raise alarms for lawyers and applicants.

First, here are some highlights regarding the new changes to processing times:

• Introduction of more specific timelines based on the application submission date, where sufficient data is available
• Processing times reflect the time it takes to process 80% of applications from submission to decision and do not include the time required for virtual landings in Canada
• The new processing times pages will display the number of applications in the queue (IRCC processes applications on a first-in basis), and updates will occur monthly
• IRCC currently does not provide country-specific or small-program breakdowns
• IRCC is developing a single tracker for all lines of business, expected to launch in December 2026, which will provide more comprehensive information

For economic immigration programs, processing times changed slightly. The average processing time for Express Entry programs remains 6 months, unchanged from last month. The Provincial Nominee Program also stays relatively unchanged, with the standard being 11 months. Both Quebec’s Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)’s processing time remains the same as last month; however, IRCC notes that there are currently almost 24,000 PSTQ applications awaiting processing.

Family sponsorship applications have already seen significant increases in processing times over the past year or so. Currently, the ‘spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada’ category’s processing time is 24 months for intending to reside outside Quebec, and 37 months for intending to reside in Quebec. ‘Spouse or common-law partner living outside Canada’ category’s processing time is 15 months for intending to reside outside Quebec and 41 months for intending to reside in Quebec. The Parents and Grandparents Program has a processing time of 26 months for intending to reside outside Quebec and 44 months for intending to reside in Quebec. In contrast, dependent child sponsorship applications from within Canada have decreased by 17 months, from 29 months to the current listed processing time of 12 months.

Processing times for temporary residence applications generally show minor changes in this update, but super visa applications submitted from Pakistan have increased by nearly six weeks. For citizenship applications, the processing time for both the Citizenship grant and the Citizenship certificate applications has increased by 2 months.

The processing time for protected persons and refugees in Canada outside Quebec is currently approximately 99 months, with a total of 137,100 people waiting for a decision. The consequences of waiting for more than 8 years as a refugee claimant are enormous. One of the most heart-wrenching consequences would be the separation of refugee claimants from immediate family members left behind, as they will not be able to join the protected person in Canada until the application is finalized.  

Unsubmitted H&C applications outside Quebec are expected to take more than 10 years to process. As the new update allows personalized processing times based on the submission date, all H&C applications submitted outside Quebec after June 2024 currently show processing times exceeding 10 years.

Time and time again, the courts have referred to H&C applications as the safety valve of the Canadian immigration system. The Supreme Court of Canada has described the curative relief provided by the safety valves as the justification for certain aspects of the immigration system that may otherwise have unconstitutional effects. With the H&C applications now being expected to process for 10+ years, it raises concerns about the only ‘safety valve’ being so inaccessible as to become unavailable.

Another consequence to watch out for is that the upcoming Bill C-12, The Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act, includes a provision that permits the government to cancel applications already submitted, raising concerns that this provision could be used to address backlogs, including the cancellation of private sponsorship applications. It remains unclear how the provision will ultimately be used, but some lawyers speculate that the wording “the processing of an application for a visa or other document” refers to applications for people outside Canada, but not those in Canada.