Your Canada Visitor Visa Could Take 75 Days. Depending on Where You Live
Your wait time for a Canadian visitor visa is not the same for everyone. It changes hard by country. Someone in the Philippines might get an answer in 21 days. You, applying from Pakistan, might wait 75 days. That gap is real, it is current, and it could shift your travel plans overnight.
- 01Your Canada Visitor Visa Could Take 75 Days. Depending on Where You Live
- 02Why Three Countries Are Slower Right Now
- 03Visitor Visa Processing Times by Country
- 04What These Numbers Are. And What They Are Not
- 05How to Check Your Own Processing Time
- 06What Should You Do With This Information?
- 07Frequently Asked Questions
These numbers come straight from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The processing times below were last updated August 19, 2026. IRCC updates them weekly. So the figure you see today may not be the one you see next Tuesday.
Why Three Countries Are Slower Right Now
You need to know this before you check any table. Foreign nationals living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Uganda are temporarily not permitted to travel to Canada. IRCC is not finalizing applications from these three countries at this time.
Here is what that means for you. If the last country of residence on your application was the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan, your processing time may be longer than the times shown below. A lot longer. The published numbers stop being a useful guide for you.
IRCC calls these special measures. You can learn more about them on the official IRCC page. But the short version is this: if you live in one of those three countries, expect delay. No table will tell you the full truth of your wait.
Bottom line: Congo, South Sudan, Uganda, no final decisions right now. Your application sits.
Visitor Visa Processing Times by Country
These are estimates for a visitor visa from outside Canada. They are not a maximum. They are not a guarantee. Your application may take longer than the time shown. Treat them as a snapshot, not a promise.
Here is the full list of current processing times in days:
| Country | Processing Time |
|---|---|
| Philippines | 21 days |
| Poland | 28 days |
| Venezuela | 29 days |
| Indonesia | 29 days |
| India | 31 days |
| China | 32 days |
| Mexico | 33 days |
| Libya | 34 days |
| Greece | 35 days |
| Ukraine | 35 days |
| Cambodia | 41 days |
| Bangladesh | 44 days |
| Egypt | 57 days |
| Ethiopia | 62 days |
| Lebanon | 66 days |
| Pakistan | 75 days |
| Türkiye | 77 days |
The spread is brutal. Türkiye sits at 77 days. Pakistan at 75 days. Lebanon at 66 days. Ethiopia at 62 days. Meanwhile the Philippines gets a 21-day estimate. Poland gets 28.
That does not mean one application is stronger than another. It means IRCC workload varies by office. Staffing, application volume, security checks, all of it varies by country.
What These Numbers Are. And What They Are Not
IRCC is explicit. These processing times are not a maximum. They are not a guarantee. They show how long it took to process most complete applications in the past. Your case may be faster. Your case may be slower.
You select your application type on the IRCC tool to get an idea. Temporary residence covers visiting, studying and working. Then you choose visitor visa from outside Canada. Then you choose your country. The tool gives you a number. That number can change every week.
Here is a concrete scenario. You apply for a visitor visa from Bangladesh on September 1, 2026. The table says 44 days. You might expect an answer by mid-October. Then IRCC updates the table on August 26 and the number shifts to 52 days. Your expectation shifts too. The tool is a moving target.
Remember: If the last country of residence on your application was Congo, Uganda or South Sudan, none of these numbers apply to you in a normal way. Your wait is undefined.
How to Check Your Own Processing Time
Do not guess. Do not trust a screenshot from a friend. Go to the IRCC processing times page yourself. It takes two minutes.
Here is the path:
- Select your application type: Temporary residence (visiting, studying, working).
- Select the specific type: Visitor visa (from outside Canada).
- Select where you are applying from: your country of residence.
- Read the number shown. Check the last updated date above it.
That last updated date matters. If the page says August 19, 2026 and you check on September 5, the number is over two weeks old. IRCC updates weekly, so a stale date means the number may already be wrong.
What Should You Do With This Information?
Apply early. That is the whole advice. If you need to be in Canada by a certain date, work backwards from the slowest possible number, not the fastest. Pakistan shows 75 days. Give yourself 90 days. Lebanon shows 66 days. Give yourself 80.
And if you live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan, you need to read IRCC’s special measures page before you make any plans. Do not book flights. Do not quit your job. Do not assume the normal timeline applies to you.
Your next question is probably about study permits or work permits, not visitor visas. The tool handles those too. Same page. Different dropdown. Same weekly updates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources: Government of Canada (canada.ca), IRCC Help Centre. Last verified: August 21, 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice. Consult IRCC or a qualified legal aid service for guidance on your specific situation.
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