Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released updated processing times for economic immigration and citizenship applications on April 7, 2026.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) dropped to six months from seven — its first improvement since early 2025. Citizenship grants also fell by one month to 12 months, with the queue shrinking for the first time this year.
However, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) queue grew by over 10,000 in a single month, and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) jumped up by seven months to 40 — the largest single increase in any economic category this update.
Economic immigration
Express Entry
The FSWP saw its first processing time improvement in months, dropping to six months. CEC and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) processing times remain unchanged.
| Application type | Previous (Mar. 9) | Current (Apr. 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 7 months | 7 months |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | 7 months | 6 months |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)* | N/A | N/A |
*IRCC does not release processing time estimates for the FSTP due to insufficient data.
- CEC applications currently waiting for a decision: 54,600.
- FSWP applications currently waiting for a decision: 44,100.
All Express Entry programs have a service standard of six months.
While the FSWP improvement is welcome, the CEC queue tells a different story. It grew by roughly 10,300 since March and has added over 20,000 applicants since February — a sign that new applications are arriving faster than IRCC can clear them. If this pace continues, longer CEC wait times could follow.
The FSWP queue, by contrast, shrank by about 1,200 to 44,100. Combined with the one-month processing drop, this suggests IRCC has been prioritizing this stream.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
No changes in processing times were recorded for enhanced or base PNP applications.
| Application type | Previous (Mar. 9) | Current (Apr. 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Through Express Entry (enhanced) | 7 months | 7 months |
| Non-Express Entry (base) | 13 months | 13 months |
- Enhanced PNP applications currently waiting for a decision: 13,700.
- Base PNP applications currently waiting for a decision: 108,100.
The service standard for enhanced PNP applications is six months, while base applications have a standard of 11 months.
The enhanced PNP queue grew slightly by 700, while the base PNP queue barely moved (+100). Base PNP applications continue to sit well above the 11-month service standard at 13 months.
Quebec immigration
Processing times for Quebec’s Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) remain unchanged.
| Application type | Previous (Mar. 9) | Current (Apr. 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) | 11 months | 11 months |
| Quebec Business Class | 80 months | 78 months |
- PSTQ applications currently waiting for a decision: 25,700.
- Quebec Business Class applications currently waiting for a decision: 3,800.
PSTQ applications have a service standard of six months.
The PSTQ queue shrank by 1,200 to 25,700, even as processing times held steady. The Quebec Business Class saw a two-month improvement to 78 months, though this stream remains one of the longest waits in the economic immigration system.
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
The AIP saw a sharp increase in processing times, jumping seven months in one update.
| Application type | Previous (Mar. 9) | Current (Apr. 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Immigration Program | 33 months | 40 months |
- AIP applications currently waiting for a decision: 13,200.
- The AIP has a service standard of 11 months.
The AIP had held steady at 33 months since at least February, making this seven-month jump the most significant negative shift in any economic stream this month. At 40 months, the AIP now sits well over three times its service standard. The queue itself actually shrank slightly (by 300), which suggests the increase may reflect IRCC working through older, more complex cases rather than a surge in new applications.
Other economic programs
| Application type | Previous (Mar. 9) | Current (Apr. 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Start-Up Visa | More than 10 years | More than 10 years |
| Federal Self-Employed | More than 10 years | More than 10 years |
- Start-Up Visa applications currently waiting for a decision: 46,200.
- Federal Self-Employed applications currently waiting for a decision: 8,100.
Neither program has a published service standard. Both remain effectively frozen with processing times exceeding 10 years.
Citizenship
Citizenship grants continued their downward trend, with processing times dropping one month for the second consecutive update. The queue also shrank for the first time in 2026.
| Application type | Previous (Mar. 9) | Current (Apr. 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship grant | 13 months | 12 months |
| Citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship) | 10 months | 10 months |
| Renunciation of citizenship | 10 months | 10 months |
| Search of citizenship records | 17 months | 17 months |
- Applications for a citizenship grant currently waiting for a decision: 313,200.
- Applications for a citizenship certificate currently waiting for a decision: 56,300.
IRCC only publishes service standards for citizenship grant applications, which sit at 12 months.
At the time of publishing, IRCC is sending acknowledgment of receipt (AOR) notices for citizenship applications filed on or around October 22, 2025.
The citizenship grant queue dropped by about 6,800 since March — a meaningful contraction after months of growth. Processing is now at 12 months, matching the service standard for the first time in recent memory. Since February, when grants sat at 14 months, IRCC has cut two full months from the estimate.
The citizenship certificate queue, on the other hand, grew by 5,400 to 56,300 despite unchanged processing times. This stream could face longer waits if the trend continues.
The difference between processing times and service standards
Processing times and service standards are often confused, but they mean different things.
IRCC’s processing times reflect how long you can expect to wait for a decision, assuming you submitted your application on that given day. For online applications, the clock starts at submission. For paper applications, it starts when the application reaches the mailroom.
Processing times fall into two categories. Historical processing times are based on how long it took to process 80% of applications of a particular type in the past. Forward-looking processing times are projections based on IRCC’s current inventory and anticipated rate of decisions.
Service standards, by contrast, are internal benchmarks set by IRCC for how long it should take to process a given application type. These reflect the target for 80% of applications, with the remaining 20% accounting for more complex cases.
