Travel agents and visa companies are grappling with unprecedented delays in securing Canadian visas, with reported processing times now exceeding 568 days (as of February 6).
A university representative interviewed by Travel News highlighted the severe impact of these delays. “We have 11 lecturers who urgently require visas for essential training in Canada,” the representative stated. “This training is crucial for the success of a critical university project, but the current 568-day processing time is just unacceptable. Despite contacting Canadian authorities through our colleagues in Ontario, we have been unable to find a resolution.”
Backlog
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is responsible for processing applications for visitor visas, study permits, work permits, permanent immigration, refugees and more. At any given time, IRCC manages over two million applications.
A Business Standard report confirmed that any application exceeding IRCC’s published service standards was classified as part of the backlog. While the department aims to process 80% of applications within these standards, increasing demand continues to outstrip capacity. The standard processing time for a Canadian visitor visa or electronic travel authorisation (eTA) is 14 days.
However, as of December 2024, IRCC’s total application inventory had ballooned to 2 406 000 cases. Delays are affecting applicants worldwide, with average global wait times exceeded 212 days for those requiring a visa to enter Canada.
Industry frustration
Johan Pretorius, a consultant at Midlands Visa, has stopped accepting Canadian visa applications due to the extreme delays. “Over the past three years Canadian immigration has deteriorated to such an extent that the processing time on 29 January 2025 hit an all-time low of 568 days. They do not give a reason for the delay. I have two applicants who applied a year ago and their visas still have not been processed.”
Attempts to reach the Canadian Embassies in South Africa and IRCC in Canada for comment were unsuccessful.
