According to Maple News, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has revealed significant increases in processing times for multiple application types following an update to its digital processing tool earlier this month.
The tool, which offers applicants more tailored estimates based on the date they submitted their files, now reflects noticeably longer wait times for certain programs. These include Canadian citizenship applications, the Atlantic Immigration Program, the Start-up Visa Program, and the Federal Self-Employed Persons Program.
The Start-up Visa and Self-Employed Persons programs, already known for historically long wait times, are now exhibiting even greater delays. Entrepreneurs applying under the Start-up Visa Program — which allows innovative founders and their teams to gain permanent residence — are potentially facing multi-year processing periods. Similarly, self-employed individuals in cultural or athletic fields may encounter extended delays under the Federal Self-Employed stream.
Citizenship applications, which were previously seeing signs of improvement, have also been impacted. The updated tool, by aligning more accurately with individual case data, exposes backlogs that may not have been as visible in the earlier generic estimates.
While the new system improves transparency for applicants by incorporating more dynamic and individualized timelines, it also confirms what many had suspected — that the volume of applications and processing constraints continue to stretch Canada’s immigration infrastructure.
The Atlantic Immigration Program, which supports immigration to Canada’s four Atlantic provinces, has also seen processing timelines increase, impacting those aiming for a faster route to permanent residence through employer-driven job offers.
IRCC has not announced any specific service standards updates in line with these new timelines, but ongoing backlogs — especially due to pandemic-related delays — remain a factor in these surges. Applicants are encouraged to monitor the processing tool regularly and consider legal or consulting support if they face urgent or time-sensitive needs.
Maple News will continue to track processing trends and provide updates as Canada refines its immigration system and service delivery models.