Pakistanis planning to visit, study or work in Canada may now have to wait longer for their visas after Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) increased the estimated processing times for several temporary residence applications.
Longer waiting time for THESE permits
The latest update was released on July 28. It shows longer waiting times for study permits, work permits, visitor visas and Super Visas submitted from Pakistan compared with the previous update issued on July 22.
The approximate processing time for work permits has increased from 10 weeks to 11 weeks. Study permit applications are now expected to take seven weeks instead of six.
Visitor visa applicants may now wait about 43 days instead of 40 days. The processing time for a Super Visa has also increased from 194 days to 196 days.
The Super Visa is issued to parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
‘Actual time may vary’
IRCC said that these are only estimated waiting times. The actual time may vary depending on the application, background and security checks, biometrics, required documents and the number of applications being processed.
The department said its official service standards are shorter. The purpose of it is to process most work and study permit applications from outside Canada within 60 days. Visitor visas are normally processed within 14 days, while Super Visas are targeted within 112 days.
According to IRCC, more than 1.2 million temporary residence applications were completed during the first five months of 2026. However, more than 404,000 applications were still waiting to be processed as of May 31.
The next update on processing times is expected around August 5. IRCC has advised people to apply well before their planned travel or study dates to avoid delays.
Canada introduces 14-day work permit
Canada recently announced a faster work permit process for eligible foreign trained doctors.
The new system will allow some applications to be processed in just 14 days. This means that Pakistani doctors who qualify can now get their Canadian work permit much faster.
