Canada’s immigration department has updated its published visa processing times for applicants from Pakistan and several other countries, with the latest figures reflecting data as of September 16, 2026, compared to the previous update from September 9. The Canada visa processing time Pakistan figures show a mixed picture: some categories held steady, while one saw a notable improvement even as other countries’ timelines moved in the opposite direction.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Pakistani applicants can currently expect a work permit to take around 8 weeks to process, unchanged from the prior update. Study permit processing also remained steady at 7 weeks. The visitor visa category saw a slight increase, moving to 75 days from 73 days previously — a modest two-day change that is unlikely to affect most travelers’ planning significantly.
A Sharp Improvement in Super Visa Processing
The most significant shift for Pakistani applicants came in the Super Visa category, which dropped to 95 days from 132 days in the previous cycle — a reduction of 37 days. The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to visit for extended periods, and faster processing in this category directly benefits families waiting to be reunited, particularly older applicants for whom long delays can mean missing important family events or health-related travel windows.
This improvement stands out because it moved in the opposite direction of trends seen elsewhere. IRCC’s updated figures show Super Visa processing times actually lengthening for applicants from several other countries during the same period: the United States saw its Super Visa wait climb to 116 days from 66, the Philippines rose to 90 days from 64, India increased slightly to 70 days from 69, and Nigeria edged up to 46 days from 44.
What the Trend Means for Applicants
Pakistan bucking this broader upward trend suggests that IRCC may be allocating processing resources unevenly across visa offices handling different regional caseloads, though the department has not detailed the specific operational reasons behind the shift. For prospective applicants, the takeaway is that processing times can move considerably between update cycles, making it worth checking IRCC’s published figures close to the time of application rather than relying on older estimates.
Applicants are advised to submit complete documentation to avoid processing delays unrelated to overall queue times, since incomplete applications can be returned or paused regardless of how fast a category is otherwise moving. IRCC typically updates its processing time estimates every one to two weeks, meaning further changes are possible in the categories covered here. The shifting timelines add to a broader pattern this year of Pakistan’s global standing drawing attention, following the country’s recent 22-spot jump in the Global Environmental Performance Index, another data point where Pakistan moved counter to regional trends.