Adopted child sponsorship · applying from Canada
Canada adopted child sponsorship processing time from Canada
For Canadian citizens and permanent residents bringing home a child adopted outside Canada.
Current processing time
23 months
IRCC figure, update of October 21, 2026. Check IRCC's tool
If you apply today
If IRCC keeps this pace, 8 in 10 applications sent today would be decided by about September 2028.
In plain English
- 8 in 10 adopted child sponsorship applications from Canada were decided within 23 months, counted from the day IRCC had a complete application.
- Waits are getting longer. The figure was 20 months in July.
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 20 months (July 2026) to 47 months (May 2024).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for adopted child sponsorship applications from Canada at each update.
In months. Each point is an IRCC update. Lower means a shorter wait.
Every published figure
| IRCC update | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2026 | 23 months | −1 month |
| September 22, 2026 | 24 months | +2 months |
| August 19, 2026 | 22 months | +2 months |
| July 7, 2026 | 20 months | −9 months |
| March 12, 2025 | 29 months | −18 months |
| May 28, 2024 | 47 months | – |
| October 24, 2023 | not enough data | – |
| August 2, 2022 | no published time | – |
| July 12, 2022 | 36 months | +1 month |
| June 1, 2022 | 35 months | +1 month |
| May 11, 2022 | 34 months | −3 months |
| March 22, 2022 | 37 months | −2 months |
| March 8, 2022 | 39 months | +2 months |
| March 1, 2022 | 37 months | −2 months |
| February 1, 2022 | 39 months | −1 month |
| January 18, 2022 | 40 months | – |
| February 2, 2021 | no published time | – |
| September 4, 2018 | 23 months | first figure |
What does this number mean?
It looks back, not forward
IRCC's figure is how long it took to decide 8 in 10 of the applications of this kind that it finished recently. The other 2 in 10 took longer.
The clock starts with a complete application
It counts from the day IRCC had a complete application to the day it made a decision.
It changes often
IRCC revises the figure regularly, usually every week. A single application can be faster or slower.
Common questions
How long does an adopted child sponsorship application from Canada take?
IRCC's latest figure, from October 21, 2026, is 23 months. That means 8 in 10 recent adopted child sponsorship applications from Canada were decided within that time. Some were faster and some took longer.
Is the wait from Canada getting shorter?
Waits are getting longer. The figure was 20 months in July.
Is this an official government website?
No. Canada Visa Wait is an independent site and is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. The figures are IRCC's own. Before you rely on a date, check IRCC's official processing-times tool.