Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Nigerians seeking to study, visit or reunite with family in Canada are facing longer waits for visa approvals, following the latest weekly update from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which shows processing times climbing across several temporary residence categories.
According to the September 16, 2026, update compiled by CIC News, the estimated processing time for a Canadian study permit submitted from Nigeria has risen to ten weeks, up from nine weeks the previous week. The wait for visitor visas has also increased, moving from 84 days to 87 days. Super visa applicants in Nigeria now face a 46-day wait, up from 44 days, while work permit processing remains unchanged at ten weeks. The figures are estimates of how long a newly submitted application may take to finalise and are not fixed deadlines or guarantees. IRCC updates its temporary residence processing estimates weekly, and the department has consistently cautioned that individual applications may take longer or shorter than the published figures depending on application volumes, complexity, requests for additional documents and other checks.
The increases are part of a broader trend that has seen processing times for Nigerians climb steadily through 2026. In August, visitor visa waits rose from 68 days to 76 days, while study permit processing moved from six weeks to nine weeks over the same period. Work permits increased from seven to nine weeks before stabilising at ten weeks. Super visa processing, which stood at 43 days in early August, climbed to 53 days by mid-month before settling at 46 days in the latest update. The fluctuations reflect the weekly nature of IRCC's reporting, but the direction of travel has been unmistakable: Nigerian applicants are waiting longer than they did at the start of the year, when visitor visa processing stood at 40 days and study permits were being processed in five to eight weeks.
The delays are unfolding against the backdrop of sweeping changes to Canada's immigration policy. Under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, IRCC will accept a maximum of 309,670 study permit applications for processing from students requiring provincial attestation letters, a cap expected to result in the issuance of up to 180,000 study permits. The overall target for 2026 is 408,000 permits, including 155,000 for new international students and 253,000 for extensions. The cap follows a multi-year effort to reduce Canada's temporary resident population, which has already seen the country's international student numbers drop by nearly 300,000. Since September 1, 2026, prospective students must also show C$23,448 in living expenses, excluding tuition and travel costs, up from the previous requirement. Provinces and territories have been assigned quotas, adding another layer of control over who can apply.
For Nigerian students, the combined effect of higher financial requirements, capped application volumes and longer processing times has created a significantly more challenging environment. Nigeria has historically been one of Canada's largest source countries for international students, and the demand for study permits from Nigeria remains high despite the policy shifts. The 2026 intake cap has introduced an element of uncertainty, as applications are now subject to quotas that vary by province and institution. Students applying to institutions in provinces with smaller allocations face the prospect of being shut out entirely, regardless of their qualifications. The longer processing times add a further burden, as prospective students must plan their finances, accommodation and travel around timelines that can shift week to week.
The Nigerian government has been actively engaging Canada on the issue. In early September, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, met with Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lena Metlege Diab, in Abuja, where both sides agreed to establish a joint technical working group to address persistent delays in the processing of Canadian visa applications by Nigerians. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Magdalene Ajani, noted that prolonged visa processing times have affected Nigerians, including students, and explained that some Nigerian students had missed academic sessions due to delays. The joint working group is expected to develop a framework for addressing the delays, alongside cooperation on migration management and the removal of persons without legal status in Canada. The agreement signals a recognition on both sides that the current situation is untenable, but it does not yet offer a timeline for improvement.
For Nigerian applicants, the practical implications are significant. Students must now factor ten weeks of processing time into their plans, on top of the time required to obtain a provincial attestation letter, secure admission, arrange funding and complete biometrics. Visitor visa applicants face nearly three months of waiting, making it increasingly difficult to plan family visits, business trips or tourism around the Canadian calendar. Super visa applicants, who are typically parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, face a relatively shorter wait of 46 days, but the uncertainty remains. Work permit applicants, whose processing times have held steady at ten weeks, are similarly affected by the broader slowdown in temporary residence processing.
IRCC has consistently stated that its processing times are not service standards, which are targets for how quickly it aims to process applications under normal circumstances. The department has also pointed to the high volume of applications it is handling. In the first seven months of 2026, IRCC processed 1,832,065 applications, with more than 394,000 still awaiting finalisation as of July 31. The combination of reduced immigration targets, capped application volumes and elevated demand has created a system operating under sustained pressure, and the processing times reflect that reality.
The increases are not unique to Nigeria. Applicants from Pakistan saw visitor visa processing rise from 73 to 75 days, while super visa processing for applicants in the United States jumped from 66 to 116 days. India and the Philippines experienced modest improvements in some categories. But Nigeria's position as one of the largest source countries for Canadian temporary residents, combined with the diplomatic attention the issue has received, makes the latest figures particularly consequential. As Canada continues to tighten its immigration system and Nigeria pushes for faster processing through the newly established joint working group, the coming months will determine whether the delays are a temporary consequence of policy transition or a more permanent feature of the Canada-Nigeria migration relationship.
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