IRCC released its first processing-time update of the year on the morning of 23 January 2026, providing fresh estimates for every major visa and immigration category. The figures—calculated from 80 % of recent cases rather than static targets—show modest but important improvements in several backlogged streams.
Citizenship grants now average 13 months, down two months from last quarter, while citizenship certificates (proof of status) are being issued in about 10 months. Permanent-resident card renewals have fallen to 35 days, a key metric for cross-border business travellers who rely on a valid PR card to re-enter Canada by air.
For anyone trying to navigate these shifting timelines, VisaHQ’s Canadian portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers a real-time requirement checker, document-preparation tools and live support that can help flag potential snags before an application is filed, saving valuable weeks across everything from visitor visas to PR-card renewals.
![IRCC publishes January 2026 visa-processing times, highlights faster citizenship and PR card renewals]()
Family-class files remain the slowest: inland spousal sponsorship cases outside Quebec take 21 months on average, and parents-and-grandparents files remain a three-year journey. Economic streams are a mixed bag. Atlantic Immigration Program applications dropped to 33 months (down four), but Start-Up Visa waits exceed 10 years, underscoring IRCC’s challenge in balancing entrepreneurial pathways with fraud-prevention reviews.
Temporary-resident processing is sharply country-specific. Work-permit decisions for applicants in the Philippines average six weeks, while UAE applicants face 39. Visitor-visa times for India sit at 88 days, the longest among the top five source countries.
The update is more than academic: employers drafting mobility timelines, universities finalising fall admissions, and families planning summer travel all base strategy on these rolling metrics. IRCC cautions that volumes, staffing shifts and security screening can still swing wait-times month-to-month, but the new methodology offers a more realistic baseline for 2026 planning.
Citizenship grants now average 13 months, down two months from last quarter, while citizenship certificates (proof of status) are being issued in about 10 months. Permanent-resident card renewals have fallen to 35 days, a key metric for cross-border business travellers who rely on a valid PR card to re-enter Canada by air.
For anyone trying to navigate these shifting timelines, VisaHQ’s Canadian portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers a real-time requirement checker, document-preparation tools and live support that can help flag potential snags before an application is filed, saving valuable weeks across everything from visitor visas to PR-card renewals.
Family-class files remain the slowest: inland spousal sponsorship cases outside Quebec take 21 months on average, and parents-and-grandparents files remain a three-year journey. Economic streams are a mixed bag. Atlantic Immigration Program applications dropped to 33 months (down four), but Start-Up Visa waits exceed 10 years, underscoring IRCC’s challenge in balancing entrepreneurial pathways with fraud-prevention reviews.
Temporary-resident processing is sharply country-specific. Work-permit decisions for applicants in the Philippines average six weeks, while UAE applicants face 39. Visitor-visa times for India sit at 88 days, the longest among the top five source countries.
The update is more than academic: employers drafting mobility timelines, universities finalising fall admissions, and families planning summer travel all base strategy on these rolling metrics. IRCC cautions that volumes, staffing shifts and security screening can still swing wait-times month-to-month, but the new methodology offers a more realistic baseline for 2026 planning.
