PR & Citizenship Update — October 5, 2026
Monday, October 5, 2026
As of September 3, 2026, processing times for Federal Skilled Worker Program (Express Entry) applications rose by 1 month to 7 months, while spousal sponsorship outside Canada and search of citizenship records also increased by 1 month each.
Processing times improved by 1 month for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) and for spousal sponsorship within Canada (outside Quebec).
Canadian Experience Class (CEC) processing times held steady at 6 months despite 800 applications being processed since August 10, while the FSWP inventory grew by 1,400 applications.
What You Should Do
- If you have a FSWP (Express Entry) application in progress, check your current processing time estimate at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html — times are now 7 months as of September 3, 2026.
- If you are a PR applicant living in Canada with a work permit expiring soon, check your eligibility for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) before your current permit expires — apply through your IRCC online account at canada.ca.
- If you applied for spousal sponsorship outside Canada (outside Quebec), update your timeline expectations to account for a 1-month increase in processing times as of September 3, 2026.
- If you are approaching your citizenship ceremony, review the three required elements (Oath of Citizenship, national anthem, and signing the Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship form) and confirm your ceremony format (virtual or in-person) from your IRCC invitation letter.
Sources
Topics Covered
Spousal Sponsorship Processing Improvements: Spousal sponsorship processing times diverged: times rose 1 month for outside-Canada applicants but fell 1 month for applicants already residing in Canada (outside Quebec) as of September 3, 2026.
Citizenship Processing Improvements: Search of citizenship records processing times increased by 1 month as of September 3, 2026, indicating some strain in citizenship processing despite no changes reported to grant processing times.
CRS Cutoff Trends: FSWP Express Entry inventory grew by 1,400 applications between August 10 and September 3, 2026, pushing processing times up by 1 month to 7 months total.
More PR & Citizenship Updates
PR & Citizenship Update — October 1, 2026
Oct 1, 2026
PR & Citizenship Update — September 24, 2026
Sep 24, 2026
PR & Citizenship Update — September 17, 2026
Sep 17, 2026
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