The IRCC processing times page changed in late September 2026. If you applied for a work permit extension, a PGWP or a study permit extension, you can now learn more about your application than you could a month ago.

1. An estimate based on your own date

For work permit extensions, the page now asks whether you have already applied. If you answer yes, it asks for the date and tells you how much time is left.

An example: if you apply for a work permit extension today, the page estimates 12 weeks. If you have already applied, instead of that number you see how much time you have left.

Why it helps: you no longer see a general average. You see an estimate based on the date you applied.

2. The PGWP now has a place

The page now states explicitly that the work permit extension option includes three kinds of application:

• new post-graduation work permits (PGWPs)
• bridging open work permits
• change of conditions to a work permit

Why it helps: if you applied for your PGWP from inside Canada, the option that applies to you is “Work permit extension in Canada”.

3. Study permit extensions too

The same feature exists for study permit extensions. About 26,200 people are waiting for a decision, and an application submitted today would take 8 weeks.

4. How many people are waiting

For the first time, the page shows the total number of people waiting for a decision on these two applications: about 202,900 for work permit extensions and about 26,200 for study permit extensions.

Why it helps: along with the time left, the page tells you how many people are ahead of you, in other words where you are in the line.

5. An estimate that looks forward

For work permit extensions and study permit extensions, the page explains that the published time is how long IRCC expects to take with an application received today. It is based on the applications in its inventory and the staff processing them, and it is updated every week. It also includes the time to give biometrics.

Why it helps: the number can change from one week to the next. The page itself warns that the time you have left will generally decrease, but can also increase.

How to use it

What the tool does not tell you

• It is not a guarantee. The page says so: the times are not a maximum or a commitment.
• It may not give you an estimate. For some dates the answer is “We need more time to process your application”. The page explains this can happen when an application is complex or when more checks are needed for security reasons.
• Very recent applications do not appear yet. The data runs up to the week of the last update.
• It does not replace your application status. Your online account is still the place for that.
• A first work permit application from inside Canada does not have this feature. That option, “Work permit in Canada”, shows a single number for everyone.

While you wait

What you can do while IRCC decides depends on the application. The rules are not the same for all three.

If you applied for a work permit extension

• If IRCC received your application before your permit expired, you can legally stay in Canada until a decision is made.
• If your permit expires while you wait, you have maintained your status and you can keep working until a decision is made, even though the permit has expired. This applies only as long as you do not leave Canada.
• You must keep working under the same conditions as your current permit. With an employer-specific work permit, that means the same employer, the same job and the same work location.
• With an open work permit, you can usually change employers, jobs or locations, unless your permit lists specific conditions.
• If you applied online, IRCC puts a letter in your account that serves as proof that you are authorized to keep working under the same conditions as your original permit until your application is processed. IRCC issues this letter for work permit extensions, not for PGWP applications.
• While on maintained status, you usually will not be able to renew documents issued by your province or territory, such as your driver’s licence or health card. Make sure they are valid before your work permit expires.
• Your SIN expires on the same date as your work permit. You can keep working with an expired SIN until a decision is made on your application, and you can apply for or update it only once you receive the new permit.

If you applied for a PGWP

You can work full time until a decision is made only if you meet these three conditions:

• you had a valid study permit when you submitted your application,
• you completed your study program,
• you were eligible to work off campus without a work permit while studying and you did not work more hours than you were allowed to.

If you do not meet all three, you must wait until your work permit arrives to start working. Working in Canada without authorization is illegal.

If IRCC refuses the application, you must stop working the day you are notified.

If you applied for a study permit extension

If you applied before your permit expired, you can keep studying under the same conditions until a decision is made. This only applies as long as you stay in Canada.

If you plan to leave Canada

• A work permit is not a travel document. Depending on your nationality and how you travel, you may need a visitor visa or an eTA, and having one does not guarantee that you can re-enter.
• With a work permit extension in process: if your application is still being processed when you return, you may be allowed to re-enter as a visitor. In that case you cannot work until the extension is approved.
• With a PGWP in process: you need a valid visitor visa or eTA to return, and without one you may not be let back in. If you were already authorized to work full time while you wait, leaving and re-entering does not take that authorization away.