Government-assisted refugees · applying from Ethiopia
Canada government-assisted refugee processing time from Ethiopia
Refugees referred to Canada by the UN Refugee Agency or another referral organization and resettled with government support.
Current processing time
18 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 April 2028.
In plain English
- 8 in 10 government-assisted refugee cases from Ethiopia were decided within 18 months, counted from the day IRCC had a complete application.
- Waits are getting shorter. The figure was 24 months in July.
- The wait from Ethiopia is longer than in 67% of the other 15 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 15 months.
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 18 months (August 2026) to 61 months (March 2025).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for government-assisted refugee cases from Ethiopia 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 | 18 months | −6 months |
| July 7, 2026 | 24 months | −37 months |
| March 12, 2025 | 61 months | +11 months |
| May 28, 2024 | 50 months | +2 months |
| October 24, 2023 | 48 months | +7 months |
| September 6, 2022 | 41 months | +6 months |
| August 23, 2022 | 35 months | −1 month |
| August 2, 2022 | 36 months | +1 month |
| July 12, 2022 | 35 months | −1 month |
| June 1, 2022 | 36 months | −1 month |
| May 11, 2022 | 37 months | −2 months |
| January 18, 2022 | 39 months | – |
| February 2, 2021 | no published time | – |
| September 4, 2018 | 40 months | first figure |
How Ethiopia compares
Shorter bars mean shorter waits. The typical country is the middle of all 16 countries with a figure.
Other applications from Ethiopia
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 government-assisted refugee application from Ethiopia take?
IRCC's latest figure, from October 21, 2026, is 18 months. That means 8 in 10 recent government-assisted refugee cases from Ethiopia were decided within that time. Some were faster and some took longer.
Is the wait from Ethiopia getting shorter?
Waits are getting shorter. The figure was 24 months in July.
How does Ethiopia compare with other countries?
The wait from Ethiopia is longer than in 67% of the other 15 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 15 months. The shortest right now is Thailand (7 months) and the longest is Tanzania (60 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.