Timber
Processing times have decreased for permanent residence applicants through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), and Quebec Business Class. AIP applicants saw the most significant change, with wait times falling by 12 months. Provincial nominees saw a decrease of one month for both base applications and enhanced applications, while processing time for Quebec Business Class applications dropped by two months. See how competitive your Express Entry profile is
On the other hand, wait times for most family sponsorship applicants rose by one month, including for spouses and common-law partners, and parents and grandparents. The wait times for non-PNP Express Entry applications and for Quebec immigration through the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) remained flat. In this article, we compare wait time estimates for economic, family sponsorship, and citizenship applications as of June 8 against the previous update (May 12). PR: Economic immigration
Wait times for economic immigration applications did not rise across any category in the latest update, instead remaining steady or declining—with AIP, PNP, and Quebec Business Class applicants seeing improvements.
Atlantic Immigration Program
The wait time for AIP applications has declined substantially, falling by one year and hitting its lowest point since September 2025. Current (June 8) Previous (May 12)
26 months 38 months
Service standard: 11 months. Applications in inventory awaiting assessment: 12,900
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
PNP applicants saw a one-month decline in processing time, for both enhanced and base submissions. Application type Current (June 8) Previous (May 12)
Through Express Entry (enhanced) 6 months 7 months
Non-Express Entry (base) 13 months 14 months
Service standard: Six months for enhanced applications, 11 months for base applications. Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
Enhanced: 14,000.
Base: 110,200. Assess your eligibility for enhanced PNP streams
Quebec immigration
The latest update brought no change for PSTQ applications, but Quebec Business Class applicants saw processing times fall by two months. Stream Current (June 8) Previous (May 12)
Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) 11 months 11 months
Quebec Business Class (QBC) 76 months 78 months
Service standard: 11 months for PSTQ applicants, unpublished for QBC applications. Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
PSTQ: 24,800. Quebec Business Class: 3,700. Learn more about your options for immigrating to Quebec
Express Entry
Processing times have remained unchanged for Express Entry applicants since the previous update. Application type Current (June 8) Previous (May 12)
Canadian Experience Class (CEC) 7 months 7 months
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) 7 months 7 months
*Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) N/A N/A
*Current and previous processing times for FTSP applications are not available, with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) citing “not enough data.”
Service standard: Six months for all Express Entry applications.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
CEC: 60,900. FSWP: 52,00. See your eligibility for all Express Entry streams
Other economic programs
Start-up visa and Federal Self-Employed Persons Program applicants continue to face estimated waits of over 10 years.
Both programs are currently paused. Application type Current (June 8) Previous (May 12)
Start-up visa More than 10 years More than 10 years
Federal Self-Employed Persons Program More than 10 years More than 10 years
IRCC does not publish service standards for the above programs.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
Start-up visa: 46,600. Federal Self-Employed Persons Program: 8,100. PR: Family sponsorship
The only decline in wait time among family sponsorship applications can be seen under the Parents and Grandparents Program; all other application types saw a one-month increase. Application type Current (June 8) Previous (May 12)
Spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada To reside outside Quebec: 26 months
To reside in Quebec: 32 months
To reside outside Quebec: 25 months
To reside in Quebec: 31 months
Spouse or common-law partner living outside Canada To reside outside Quebec: 16 months
To reside in Quebec: 33 months
To reside outside Quebec: 16 months
To reside in Quebec: 32 months
Parents and Grandparents Program To reside outside Quebec: 32 months
To reside in Quebec: 67 months
To reside outside Quebec: 33 months
To reside in Quebec: 66 months
Service standard: 12 months for sponsorship of a spouse/common-law partner outside Quebec; unpublished for other application types.
Applications in inventory awaiting assessment:
Partner living in Canada, outside Quebec: 55,200. Partner living in Canada, in Quebec: 12,100. Partner living outside Canada, outside Quebec: 51,300. Partner living outside Canada, in Quebec: 18,600.
Parent and Grandparents, outside Quebec: 43,500. Parents and Grandparents, in Quebec: 11,000. Sponsor your family for Canadian immigration
Citizenship
Processing times for citizenship grants, renunciation of citizenship, and searches of citizenship records remain unchanged since May 12. Application type Current (June 8) Previous (May 12)
Citizenship grant 13 months 13 months
Renunciation of citizenship 7 months 7 months
Search of citizenship records 17 months 17 months
There are currently 326,400 citizenship grant applications in IRCC’s inventory (+5,300 since May 12), for which the service standard is 12 months. Schedule a Free Canadian Citizenship Consultation
Processing times versus service standards
Processing times and services standards are two separate, distinct concepts.
IRCC’s processing times provide applicants with an estimated timeline for how long immigration, temporary residence, and citizenship applications may take to process. These timelines are not guarantees. Actual processing times can vary depending on the complexity and completeness of the application, and whether IRCC needs to request more information, documents, or clarification. IRCC uses two types of processing estimates. Historical estimates: based on how long it took for the department to finalize 80% of applications of that type in the past. Forward-looking estimates: Based on current application inventory and projected processing capacity. Service standards, on the other hand, are internal benchmarks that show how quickly IRCC aims to process certain application types in normal operating conditions.
Generally, IRCC aims to finalize around 80% of applications within the relevant service standard. IRCC updates processing times regularly, either weekly or monthly depending on the application stream. Service standards are revised far less often, with years typically passing between updates. See how competitive your Express Entry profile is
Share your voice
Did you find this article helpful? Thank you for your feedback. Did you find this article helpful?
Please provide your feedback
Please provide a response
Thank you for your helpful feedback
Please contact us if you would like to share additional feedback, have a question, or would like Canadian immigration assistance. Do you need Canadian immigration assistance?
Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
Join our free newsletter. Get Canada’s top immigration stories delivered to your inbox.
Read More