Canada’s estimated processing time for a proof of citizenship certificate has climbed to 33 months, according to the latest figures published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and updated September 3, 2026 — an eight-month jump from the 25-month estimate posted in August, and the largest single monthly increase recorded in this category, per Business Today and ProPakistani. Roughly 136,000 applications are currently awaiting a decision, and about 14,200 were added to the queue in under a month, ProPakistani reported.
The wait has grown sharply and repeatedly since the start of the year: IRCC’s published estimate stood at 10 months in January, then rose to 12 months in May, 15 months in June, 19 months in July, and 25 months in August before reaching 33 months in September — a 21-month increase since May alone, according to both outlets. ProPakistani linked the surge in applications to Canada’s removal, on December 15, 2025, of the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent, which expanded eligibility to people born outside Canada who can establish an unbroken line of descent to a Canadian ancestor. Business Today noted that someone filing an application today could expect a decision only around mid-2029 at the current estimate.
Applicants living outside Canada and the United States should add another three to four months to account for mail delivery, IRCC said, per Business Today; for online applications the processing clock starts when the application is submitted, while mailed applications are timed from when they reach IRCC’s mailroom, and incomplete submissions can be delayed or returned. IRCC has separately flagged that applications tied to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda may take longer still because of local conditions, Business Today reported. Applicants who need proof of citizenship urgently — for reasons including education, employment, certain travel emergencies, statelessness, moving a minor child to Canada, or accessing social benefits — can request expedited processing, though meeting the criteria does not guarantee the underlying citizenship claim will be approved, ProPakistani said.
On what happens next, IRCC said its processing-time estimates are recalculated monthly based on the size of the existing queue, available staffing, and the volume of new applications it expects under Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan, meaning the estimate can move in either direction, Business Today reported. IRCC added that an individual applicant’s remaining wait will generally shorten as their file moves through the queue, but stressed that its published projections reflect current operating conditions only and are not guarantees.
References
ProPakistani – Canada Citizenship Certificate Wait Time Jumps to Nearly 3 Years / Business Today – Canadian citizenship certificate wait jumps to 33 months from 12 months as 136,000 applications remain pending: Here’s what applicants need to know
