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Canada visa delays: Indian applicants now face 99-day wait for visitor visas, over 290k await citizenship decisions
Canada visa update: Indian applicants face an average wait of 99 days for visitor visas, with super visas taking 169 days
Canada visa update: Indian applicants seeking Canadian visas now have to wait an average of 99 days for visitor visa approvals, which is the longest among major source nations, as per the most recent report from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Applications for super visas from India typically take 169 days to process.
According to the IRCC, the numbers show that 80% of applications are processed in real-time, replacing fixed targets that frequently fell short of reality, as per Immigration News Canada. Earlier this year, IRCC redesigned its processing interface to show real timetables. Data on citizenship and permanent residency are now updated every month, while data on temporary visas and permits are updated every week.
Factors like background checks, the department's workload, and the place where the application was submitted affect processing time.
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Canada visa processing times
At present, 290,700 applicants are awaiting citizenship outcomes and the average processing period is 13 months, reported Immigration News Canada. Delays for citizenship certificates can reach nine months, and requests for renunciation can now take up to 22 months.
In comparison to prior weeks, renewals for permanent residents are being handled within around 29 days, while new PR cards are being dealt with in about two months.
Family sponsorships
One of the slowest categories is still family sponsorships. Inland spousal petitions typically take 20 months, while those submitted outside of Canada currently take roughly 14 months.
Both types last nearly three years in Quebec due to extra provincial stages.
Wait times for parents and grandparents can reach 50 months in Quebec and 42 months elsewhere. Backlogs in several categories have grown significantly since October.
Humanitarian and compassionate applications
The typical turnaround time for humanitarian and compassionate applications is still over ten years. Depending on the province, applications for protected persons—which include refugees and asylum seekers—take 100 to 106 months.
