- Pakistan work permit waits climbed to twenty-five weeks as country-specific processing times diverged across various regions.
- IRCC is prioritizing domestic applicants with in-Canada visitor visas dropping to twenty-one days in recent updates.
- The department managed an inventory of one point five million applications while finalizing over one million temporary residencies.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada updated its temporary residence tables this week, and the new numbers split sharply. Pakistan work permits climbed to 25 weeks, while in-Canada visitor visas fell to 21 days. The gap widened.
An earlier July 22 refresh had already shifted several lines. It moved in-Canada work permits to 122 days from 124 days and lowered in-Canada visitor visas to 29 days from 34 days. It also pushed Pakistan work permits to 10 weeks from 7 weeks, raised the Philippines route to 7 weeks from 6 weeks, and cut Philippines Super Visas to 68 days from 73 days. The pattern split.
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By the August 5 and August 10 postings, the country-level tables had shifted again. India sat at 9 weeks for work permits, Nigeria at 7 weeks, and the Philippines at 6 weeks. Study permits were at 7 weeks for Nigeria and 5 weeks for both India and the Philippines. Visitor visas ranged from 27 days in India to 68 days in Nigeria and 48 days in Pakistan. The Philippines Super Visa line had risen to 100 days, while Pakistan stood at 185 days. The lines did not move together.
IRCC’s March 23 service-delivery package gives the baseline behind those tables. It fixes the comparison point at January 31, 2026, and it shows a system still trying to close the gap between current processing and published standards. The package tracks study permits, temporary resident visas, work permits, and eTA in separate lanes. Each one is measured against a benchmark. The point is not speed alone. It is whether the agency can keep files inside its own service window. The baseline stayed tight.
The policy frame got tighter too. The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan introduced a soft cap on temporary residents and aims to bring their share below 5% of Canada’s total population by the end of 2027. For students, the November 8, 2024 cancellation of the Student Direct Stream ended a separate lane and left everyone in one stream. The funnel narrowed.
IRCC said its total inventory reached roughly 1.5 million applications on May 31, 2026, across permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship. Since January 1, 2026, it has finalized over 1.28 million temporary residence applications. The queue stayed deep.
IRCC’s benchmark tables still sit below several posted waits
| Measure | Service standard | Current processing | Expected for most new clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study Permit | 60-day service standard | 51 days current processing | 25-45 days |
| Temporary Resident Visa | 14-day service standard | 56 days current processing | 45-65 days |
| Work Permit Total | 60-day service standard | 56 days current processing | 25-45 days |
| eTA | 5-minute service standard | 117 minutes current processing | under 1 minute |
That service window sits inside a larger reset. Lena Metlege Diab tied the processing changes to a broader target. She said the department wants a clearer path for people already in Canada and a higher share of applications handled within service standards. She set the bar high.
"Our focus is on prioritizing top talent and ensuring that those already in Canada have a clear, predictable path to status. We are committed to processing 80% of applications within service standards, even as we move toward more sustainable arrival targets."
