The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has again updated its actual processing times for all key immigration streams, permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship.
The new report, using data through October 1, 2025, gives a clearer view of how long applicants should expect to wait for their cases to be closed, and the numbers reflect both encouraging and concerning trends across a range of categories.
While several programs have maintained consistency, others, particularly family sponsorship applications for Quebec residents and inland dependent child sponsorships, have seen significant changes compared to September’s update.
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Short Summary of October 2025 Updates
Relative to IRCC’s report on September 10, 2025, several categories reflect changes of a month or several months. Most notable changes are seen in spousal sponsorships in Quebec, which had a large increase, and in dependent child sponsorships processed in Canada, which underwent a large improvement.
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Permanent Residence: Mixed Progress Across Programs
1. Express Entry Streams
IRCC’s flagship immigration system continues to hover close to its target processing window.
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 6 months | 5 months |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | 5 months | 6 months |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) | N/A | N/A |
Although the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) has increased slightly, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) improved by one month, aligning both streams with IRCC’s six-month service standard.
2. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| Enhanced (via Express Entry) | 7 months | 8 months |
| Base (Non-Express Entry) | 19 months | 19 months |
Enhanced PNP applications are now being finalized faster than before, while base PNP applications remain steady at 19 months.
Service standards for these programs sit at 6 months (enhanced) and 11 months (base), respectively.
3. Quebec Skilled Worker Stream
| Stream | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| Quebec Skilled Worker (PSTQ) | 11 months | 11 months |
Processing times for Quebec’s Skilled Worker Program have stayed constant, but the backlog remains a concern.
As of October, nearly 24,000 files were still waiting for a decision—well beyond the official 6-month target.
4. Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
| Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| 13 months | 13 months |
The AIP continues to hold steady, though still two months longer than its 11-month service goal.
Family Sponsorship Programs: Noticeable Swings
The family reunification streams show the most dramatic movement this month. Applicants sponsoring family members in Quebec face extended waits, while others have seen timelines stabilize.
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| Spouse/Common-law Partner (Inside Canada – outside Quebec) | 24 months | 23 months |
| Spouse/Common-law Partner (Inside Canada – Quebec) | 37 months | 53 months |
| Spouse/Common-law Partner (Outside Canada – outside Quebec) | 15 months | 15 months |
| Spouse/Common-law Partner (Outside Canada – Quebec) | 41 months | 41 months |
| Parents and Grandparents (outside Quebec) | 26 months | 26 months |
| Parents and Grandparents (Quebec) | 44 months | 41 months |
The data highlights a 16-month swing in spousal sponsorship timelines for Quebec residents compared to last month’s figures.
IRCC maintains a 12-month service standard for outland spousal sponsorships, though no such benchmarks exist for inland or Quebec-based cases.
Dependent Child Sponsorship
The numbers tell two different stories depending on where the application originates.
Within Canada
| Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| 12 months | 29 months |
In-Canada dependent child sponsorships saw a remarkable improvement, dropping by 17 months, showing IRCC’s renewed focus on clearing backlogs in this category.
Outside Canada
| Applying From | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| India | 6 months | N/A |
| Nigeria | 18 months | N/A |
There were no prior comparisons for these regions, but both fall near the 12-month standard for overseas applications.
Temporary Residence: Minor Shifts Across Categories
Visitor Visa Applications
| Country | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| Canada | 15 days | 13 days |
| India | 75 days | 63 days |
| Pakistan | 46 days | 48 days |
| Nigeria | 28 days | 31 days |
| United States | 23 days | 24 days |
While some countries saw increases, others improved slightly. Most remain near IRCC’s 14-day benchmark for outside-Canada visitor visa processing.
Work Permit Applications
One of the most positive updates came from Nigeria, where work permit processing times were reduced by nearly half compared to September.
| Applying From | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| Canada | 196 days | 190 days |
| India | 8 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Pakistan | 12 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Nigeria | 11 weeks | 22 weeks |
| United States | 3 weeks | 3 weeks |
Service standards remain: 120 days for in-Canada applications and 60 days for outside-Canada work permits.
Study Permits
| Applying From | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| Canada* | 7 weeks | 6 weeks |
| India | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Pakistan | 9 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Nigeria | 8 weeks | 8 weeks |
| United States | 10 weeks | 10 weeks |
*For initial in-Canada applications only. Study permit extensions currently take 171 days.
Service goals: 120 days for in-Canada, 60 days for overseas.
Super Visa Applications
| Country | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| India | 153 days | 139 days |
| Pakistan | 151 days | 112 days |
| Nigeria | 52 days | 55 days |
| United States | 78 days | 89 days |
Applicants from Pakistan are now facing nearly six additional weeks of waiting.
IRCC’s standard remains 112 days for these family reunion visas.
Citizenship Processing Times
| Application Type | Current Processing Time | As of Sept 10, 2025 |
| Citizenship Grant | 13 months | 11 months |
| Proof of Citizenship (Certificate) | 7 months | 5 months |
The citizenship process has slightly slowed since September. Grant applications are now taking longer than IRCC’s 12-month target.
How IRCC calculates Processing Times
IRCC takes forward-looking information to find out how many years a new application would be when filed “today.”
For instance:
- Current application inventory
- Historical completals data
- Estimated monthly output
The countdown starts on receipt of a full application at IRCC and ends on a decision being finalised. In paper files, the day when the package is received at IRCC’s mailroom is when the countdown starts; for online files, the countdown starts at once.
Service Standards Familiarity
Service standards are IRCC’s own targets, unlike processing times. They indicate how quickly the department intends to complete 80% of cases for a specific category.
But there is no standard for all applications. Variables such as absent documents, extra security verification, or incompletely filled-out papers lengthen the time for the other 20%.
Conclusion
The October 2025 IRCC update provides a multifaceted perspective on the Canadian migration landscape. Whereas sponsoring for children and Nigerian work permits display obvious advancements, Quebec’s family sponsorship and citizenship awards remain longer trials for applicants’ patience. Staying up-to-date, filling out the correct papers, and answering on time when IRCC requests are integral processes for anyone dealing with the Canadian bureaucracy nowadays.
