Canada Immigration Processing Times Update – November 19, 2025
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently published its latest processing time report, reflecting how long applicants must wait for various immigration processes like reuniting with family, studying, working, obtaining permanent residency, or citizenship.
These updates are crucial for individuals planning their immigration journey, providing insights into timelines for visas, permanent residency, work permits, study permits, or citizenship applications.
Over the past four years, we have been monitoring these processing times to help applicants make informed decisions about their next steps. IRCC has made significant changes to its processing tool, moving away from fixed targets to real-world timelines for 80% of applications.
Currently, permanent residency and citizenship timelines are refreshed monthly, while temporary visa, PR card, and permit processing times are updated weekly.
It’s important to note that the processing speed can vary based on factors like the applicant’s country, background checks, case complexity, and IRCC’s workload.
This comprehensive guide outlines the latest IRCC processing times across major categories, comparing them with previous updates and emphasizing their significance in 2025.
Citizenship Processing Times – Updated Monthly
- Citizenship Grant: ~290,700 people, 13 months, no change
- Citizenship Certificate: ~39,000 people, 9 months, +1 month
- Resumption of Citizenship: Not available
- Renunciation of Citizenship: Not available
- Search of Citizenship Records: Not available
Delays for citizenship certificates are longer for applications from outside Canada or the United States. Acknowledgment of receipt letters for citizenship applications submitted around July 28, 2025, are currently being issued by IRCC.
Permanent Resident Card Processing Times – Updated Weekly
- New PR Card: 58 days, -5 days
- PR Card Renewal: 30 days, no change
Renewal applicants are experiencing slight improvements, while new PR cards are seeing slightly longer processing times.
Sponsorship Category
- Spouse/Common-Law, Parents/Grandparents: Processing times vary based on location and specific category.
Family sponsorships, especially in Quebec, continue to have longer processing times due to additional provincial approval requirements.
Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) and Protected Persons – Updated Monthly
- H&C, Protected Persons: Processing times exceed 10 years for various categories.
These humanitarian pathways face significant backlogs, leading to extended wait times.
Canadian Passport Processing Times
- Passport processing remains stable with most requests handled within 2-3 weeks.
Permanent Residency – Economic Class
- Various programs like CEC, FSWP, PNP, and others show mixed trends in processing times.
While Express Entry programs remain steady, business immigration and Atlantic programs have experienced substantial increases in processing times.
Temporary Resident Visa (Visitor Visa) Processing Times – Updated Weekly
- Visitor Visas: Processing times vary by country, with changes since the last update.
study permit Processing Times
- Study permits show varying processing times based on the applicant’s country of origin.
Work Permit Processing Times
- Work permits also have different processing times depending on the applicant’s location.
Overall, the November 2025 IRCC update indicates a diverse landscape in processing times, with improvements in some categories but delays in others. Factors like processing capacity, regional backlogs, and increasing immigration volumes continue to impact wait times across various immigration categories.
Quebec applications are experiencing delays due to the coordination between provincial and federal authorities. It is crucial for applicants to stay updated, manage their timelines effectively, and submit complete applications to prevent unnecessary delays.
Canada is currently handling immigration applications at unprecedented levels, emphasizing the importance of monitoring processing times closely. Applicants are advised to stay informed, ensure all documents are accurate, and maintain flexibility in their plans. While some application categories are stabilizing, others are facing increased delays.
Staying informed can aid applicants in saving time, setting realistic expectations, and effectively planning their future in Canada.
**Frequently Asked Questions**
– How frequently does IRCC update processing times?
IRCC updates processing times for permanent residency and citizenship applications on a monthly basis, while temporary resident categories like PR cards, work permits, and visitor visas are updated weekly.
– Are IRCC processing times guaranteed?
No, these times are estimates and can vary based on the application type, background checks, and workload at the processing office.
– Why do Quebec sponsorship applications take longer?
Quebec mandates an additional provincial approval process, making these applications more intricate and time-consuming.
– What are the current citizenship processing times?
As of November 6, 2025, citizenship grant applications are taking approximately 13 months, while citizenship certificates are taking 8 months.
Satinder Bains, with expertise in internal workflows at IRCC, previously worked at the Canadian Consulate in Chandigarh before relocating to Canada. Her notable work on our news website includes articles on “Chinook – An internal IRCC tool used to bulk process temporary applications.”
