Dependent child sponsorship · applying from Canada
Canada dependent child sponsorship processing time from Canada
For Canadian citizens and permanent residents sponsoring a dependent child who lives outside Canada.
Current processing time
17 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 March 2028.
In plain English
- 8 in 10 dependent child sponsorship applications from Canada were decided within 17 months, counted from the day IRCC had a complete application.
- Waits are steady. The figure was 18 months in July.
- The wait from Canada is about in the middle of the countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 17 months.
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 9 months (September 2018) to 21 months (August 2022).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for dependent 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 |
|---|---|---|
| August 19, 2026 | 17 months | −1 month |
| July 7, 2026 | 18 months | +8 months |
| March 12, 2025 | 10 months | −1 month |
| May 28, 2024 | 11 months | +1 month |
| October 24, 2023 | 10 months | −9 months |
| September 6, 2022 | 19 months | −2 months |
| July 12, 2022 | 21 months | +1 month |
| June 15, 2022 | 20 months | +1 month |
| June 1, 2022 | 19 months | −2 months |
| May 17, 2022 | 21 months | +1 month |
| May 11, 2022 | 20 months | +2 months |
| January 18, 2022 | 18 months | +2 months |
| February 2, 2021 | 16 months | +7 months |
| September 4, 2018 | 9 months | first figure |
How Canada compares
Shorter bars mean shorter waits. The typical country is the middle of all 10 countries with a 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 a dependent child sponsorship application from Canada take?
IRCC's latest figure, from October 21, 2026, is 17 months. That means 8 in 10 recent dependent 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 steady. The figure was 18 months in July.
How does Canada compare with other countries?
The wait from Canada is about in the middle of the countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 17 months. The shortest right now is India (8 months) and the longest is Haiti (32 months).
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.