Canada Visa Update: Indians 99-Day Visitor, 10-Week Work Visa

(CANADA) Indian nationals applying from outside the country now face an average wait of 99 days for a Canadian Visitor Visa decision, the longest among major source countries, according to the latest weekly Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) update posted on November 6, 2025. The new figure marks a sharp rise from the previous week and sets a fresh high for this travel season, putting families, business travelers, and would-be tourists on extended hold just as winter holidays approach.

The IRCC update also shows large differences by location, with applications filed inside Canada taking 19 days on average — a gap that has widened since mid‑2024.

How the timeline has changed

• The current 99‑day wait is a 13‑day increase from the October 29 snapshot, when processing stood at 86 days for Indian applicants.
• In July 2024, IRCC reported a 51‑day turnaround for Visitor Visa files from India — meaning the timeline has nearly doubled in just over a year.
• Analysis by VisaVerge.com points to renewed strain across high‑demand channels as peak travel periods approach and background checks remain tight.

Comparative context across source countries

The latest publicly posted averages show wide contrasts:

• United States: 36 days
• Nigeria: 27 days
• Pakistan: 59 days
• Philippines: 21 days

Those contrasts suggest Indian files may be moving through additional screening steps or higher‑volume queues, a pattern seen periodically since mid‑2024.

Other temporary‑visa streams (India)

• Parent and Grandparent Super Visa: 169 days (as of November 5), up slightly from the prior week.
  • Families often recalibrate travel or opt for shorter visits while waiting for the Super Visa.
• Work permits (outside Canada): 10 weeks (70 days) — a marked improvement from 28 weeks (196 days) in October 2024.
  • Indicates IRCC has cleared parts of the temporary worker backlog.
• Work permit extensions (inside Canada): 186 days — demonstrating a split between new entries and in‑country changes.
• Study permits (outside Canada): 4 weeks, down by one week from last month — helpful for institutional planning and student arrivals.

Why Visitor Visa delays are rising

Several factors are contributing to the longer timelines for Visitor Visas from India:

• Increased scrutiny and background checks, including deeper document verification and fraud prevention efforts.
• Mandatory biometrics and limited appointment availability at visa centres.
• Thicker documentation standards from policy changes over the last two years, especially for work and study‑linked temporary visas.
• High seasonal application volume, particularly during summer, December holidays, and spring break.
• IRCC’s shift to a real‑time model for sharing timelines means weekly data reflect seasonal shifts sooner and more sharply.

Important: applicants who miss biometric appointments or must reschedule often push their files into the next processing cycle, compounding wait times.

IRCC’s transparency and publishing cadence

• Temporary visa timelines are refreshed weekly.
• Permanent residence and citizenship figures are updated monthly.
• Officials say this real‑time approach improves visibility into actual queues, but it can also show discouraging week‑to‑week swings.

The IRCC processing times tool is available here: IRCC processing times.

Citizenship and permanent residence context (November 2025)

• Citizenship applications awaiting decision: 290,700 people; average processing time 13 months.
• Citizenship certificates: up to 9 months.
• Renunciation requests: 22 months.
• Express Entry: typically 5–6 months (fastest pathway for skilled workers).
• Complex business/self‑employed streams (e.g., Quebec Business Class, Federal Self‑Employed): 84 months to more than a decade.

These disparities show how different programs can share infrastructure but carry very different timelines.

Practical impacts for travelers, families, and businesses

• For Visitor Visa applicants in India, a 99‑day average often means:
  • Holiday trips are deferred or split among family members.
  • Business travelers must juggle uncertain meeting dates.
  • Tour operators may lose customers to alternate destinations.
• Inside Canada, the 19‑day average reflects stronger identity and status evidence from applicants already on Canadian soil.
• Online applications generally move faster than paper, but current backlogs have stretched both formats beyond typical expectations (e.g., expected 50–55 days online vs. 60–65 days paper).

Limited relief options

• The Expedited Pilot Program can reduce decisions to 25–30 days for a narrow set of eligible applicants, but access is limited.
• Super Visa applicants see little benefit from this pilot due to much longer Super Visa timelines.

What applicants and advisors are doing

Common practical steps to reduce risk of delay:

1. File Visitor Visa applications 4–6 months before planned travel.
2. Book biometrics appointments as soon as possible.
3. Upload full document sets to minimize requests for additional information.
4. Avoid peak travel months (June–August, December–January, March–April) if possible.
5. Use flexible fares or backup travel plans where feasible.

Many travel agents and consultants recommend these as standard practice; while they can’t eliminate a 99‑day average, they help avoid preventable setbacks.

Signs of progress and remaining challenges

• The substantial improvement in work‑permit timelines (from 28 weeks to 10 weeks) shows focused cleanup can work.
• However, the 186‑day wait for in‑Canada work permit extensions and long Super Visa timelines show progress is uneven.
• If IRCC applies similar targeted effort to Visitor Visa files from India — through staffing, triage of low‑complexity cases, or expanded biometrics slots — the 99‑day average could ease.

Key takeaway: plan early, assemble clean files, act quickly on biometrics, and watch the weekly IRCC update closely.

Looking ahead

• Historically, Visitor Visa processing eases after the New Year peak, then tightens again for spring travel.
• The new real‑time model means these swings will show up in weekly Wednesday posts without delay.
• In the near term, many Indian applicants will continue to build buffers into plans and check the official tool often.

VisaVerge.com notes that applicants who follow the practical steps above tend to avoid preventable delays — even if broader slowdowns persist on popular routes.

The stakes for families and businesses remain high as winter holidays approach. Whether relief comes from added staff, streamlined checks for low‑risk files, or seasonal demand shifts, the coming weeks will show if Canada visa processing for Indian Visitor Visa applicants can turn the corner after a difficult fall. For now, the system’s message is clear: be patient, budget more time, and refresh the official tool frequently — the line can move in either direction without much warning.