pplicants for Canadian permanent residence (PR) and citizenship can now get more transparency on the expected timelines for their applications.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has updated its online application processing tool, enabling applicants to look up
- When they can expect their application to be processed, adjusted based on when they submitted their application; and
- Their application’s place in the queue.
Prior to this update, PR and citizenship applicants could only see an average processing time depending on the application type (and program, if applicable) selected, and this time did not take into account the date on which they had submitted their application.
The interface for temporary residence applications remains unchanged.
How has the IRCC processing tool changed?
The IRCC processing tool has been updated to feature two questions under certain application types, allowing you to gain insight into where your application stands in the inventory.
Question 1: Have you already applied?
Here, you can select either “Yes” or “No.”
Question 2: When did you apply?
Here, you can input the year and date.
Scenario one: You have already submitted an application
If you select “Yes,” for question 1 and then input the date you applied for question 2, the web page will show you
- The estimated time remaining until a decision is made on your application (depending on when you applied);
- How many people ahead of you in the processing queue for the selected application type; and
- The total number of people who are currently waiting on a decision.
Further, the tool now shows—for comparison purposes—the processing time for those “applying now.”