Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s new real-time processing dashboard is providing unprecedented transparency—but not necessarily faster approvals—for Indian applicants, who comprise the largest share of Canada’s international-student market. The latest dashboard update on 19 November shows that study-permit processing from India averages four weeks, down from five, while in-Canada study-permit extensions still take 12 weeks. Work-permit applications filed from India remain at 10 weeks, yet in-Canada work-permit extensions now average a striking 227 days.
Consultants say the mixed metrics reflect three factors: continued high application volume despite tuition-fee hikes, lengthy security/background checks triggered by cases of document fraud uncovered in 2024, and uneven staffing across IRCC’s global network. The result is a bifurcated experience: applicants outside Canada enjoy moderate improvements, whereas those already in Canada must brace for prolonged limbo that complicates internship start-dates, health-insurance coverage and travel planning.
![Indian Students See Only Modest Relief as Canada’s Study-Permit Processing Falls to Four Weeks]()
For universities, even a one-week reduction aids January-intake enrolment forecasting, yet the 12-week extension timeline threatens continuous-study requirements. Employers recruiting graduates under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Programme face a different pain-point: the eight-month extension queue can leave valuable early-career staff unable to travel or change roles.
Advisers now tell Indian clients to submit initial study-permit applications six months ahead of programme start and to file in-Canada extensions the moment eligibility opens—currently 90 days before permit expiry. Corporations are urged to budget for employer-compliance fees and to maintain interim-work-authorization trackers so affected staff remain payroll-eligible.
More broadly, the episode underscores that digital transparency tools, while helpful, cannot substitute for increased adjudication capacity. Mobility stakeholders are watching whether IRCC will reallocate resources from lower-demand regions to high-volume countries such as India ahead of the Autumn 2026 intake.
Consultants say the mixed metrics reflect three factors: continued high application volume despite tuition-fee hikes, lengthy security/background checks triggered by cases of document fraud uncovered in 2024, and uneven staffing across IRCC’s global network. The result is a bifurcated experience: applicants outside Canada enjoy moderate improvements, whereas those already in Canada must brace for prolonged limbo that complicates internship start-dates, health-insurance coverage and travel planning.
For universities, even a one-week reduction aids January-intake enrolment forecasting, yet the 12-week extension timeline threatens continuous-study requirements. Employers recruiting graduates under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Programme face a different pain-point: the eight-month extension queue can leave valuable early-career staff unable to travel or change roles.
Advisers now tell Indian clients to submit initial study-permit applications six months ahead of programme start and to file in-Canada extensions the moment eligibility opens—currently 90 days before permit expiry. Corporations are urged to budget for employer-compliance fees and to maintain interim-work-authorization trackers so affected staff remain payroll-eligible.
More broadly, the episode underscores that digital transparency tools, while helpful, cannot substitute for increased adjudication capacity. Mobility stakeholders are watching whether IRCC will reallocate resources from lower-demand regions to high-volume countries such as India ahead of the Autumn 2026 intake.
