Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Canada Visa Waits Shift as Indian Visitor Processing Improves
Canada has updated how long some visa applications may take.
People in India applying for regular visitor visas now face an estimated wait of 29 days.
That is a little faster, but it is still longer than Canada’s 14-day service standard for applications from outside Canada.
Parents and grandparents applying for a Super Visa from India may wait about 70 days.
Work permits and study permits for Indians have not changed.
Visa waits are different for people from different countries.
The estimates are not promises because applications may need extra documents or checks.
Canada says its workload, staffing and case complexity can also affect processing times.
Canada’s estimated visitor-visa processing time for applicants in India fell to 29 days as of September 16.
India’s Super Visa estimate rose by one day to 70 days for parents and grandparents.
Work-permit processing for Indian applicants remained 10 weeks, while study permits remained five weeks.
Visitor-visa estimates varied by nationality, ranging from 16 days for the United States to 87 days for Nigeria.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada processed 1.83 million applications in the first seven months of 2026, with over 394,000 awaiting finalization on July 31.
- Who
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and people applying for Canadian temporary-residence documents, particularly applicants in India.
- What
- Canada updated estimated processing times for visitor visas, Super Visas, work permits and study permits.
- When
- The estimates were reported as of September 16; workload figures included applications processed during the first seven months of 2026 and the backlog as of July 31.
- Where
- The applications concern travel to Canada, with estimates compared for applicants in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Philippines and the United States.
- Why
- Processing estimates change with application volumes, staffing, processing capacity, case complexity, document verification and requests for additional information.
- Indian visitor visa estimate
- 29 days
- Indian Super Visa estimate
- 70 days
- Indian work permit estimate
- 10 weeks
- Indian study permit estimate
- 5 weeks
- Visitor visa service standard
- 14 days for applications submitted from outside Canada
- Applications processed
- 1.83 million during the first seven months of 2026
- Applications awaiting finalization
- More than 394,000 as of July 31