Getting a Canadian visa is now quicker for Indians
What's the story
Canada's immigration department has announced a significant reduction in processing times for temporary residence applications. The changes, which were recorded over a one-month period ending April 15, show big improvements in visitor visas and study permits for Indian applicants. Super visas also saw a reduction during this time. However, work permit processing from India witnessed a slight increase.
Updates
Visitor visas and study permits
For Indian applicants, the processing time for visitor visas has been reduced from 37 days to just 23 days. The change was reported by CIC News. Similarly, study permit applications have also improved with a reduction in processing time from four weeks to three weeks. These changes indicate an overall improvement trend in temporary visa categories for India.
Visa improvements
Super visas also improved
The processing time for super visas for India has improved from 202 days to 182 days. This marks one of the sharpest reductions among major applicant nations, according to CIC News. However, it is worth noting that work permit processing for India has seen an increase from seven weeks to eight weeks during this period.
Global changes
Changes for other countries
The United States saw a slight increase in processing times from 15 days to 18 days. However, study permit timelines improved for the US and Nigeria. For Pakistan and the Philippines, smaller improvements were recorded during this period. Notably, the US also improved its processing time from 185 days to 164 days for super visas.
Variability factors
A look at processing times
The department has clarified that processing times are based on expected decision timelines and might vary depending on the application type and workload. It also separates the historical data from forward-looking estimates based on current application volumes. This means that while these changes have been observed in the past month, future processing times could be different due to various factors.