Government-assisted refugees · applying from Iraq
Canada government-assisted refugee processing time from Iraq
Refugees referred to Canada by the UN Refugee Agency or another referral organization and resettled with government support.
Current processing time
27 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 January 2029.
In plain English
- 8 in 10 government-assisted refugee cases from Iraq were decided within 27 months, counted from the day IRCC had a complete application.
- Waits are steady. The figure was 26 months in July.
- The wait from Iraq is longer than in 93% of the other 15 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 15 months.
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 17 months (September 2018) to 32 months (May 2024).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for government-assisted refugee cases from Iraq 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 | 27 months | −3 months |
| August 19, 2026 | 30 months | +4 months |
| July 7, 2026 | 26 months | – |
| March 12, 2025 | not enough data | – |
| May 28, 2024 | 32 months | – |
| May 11, 2022 | not enough data | – |
| March 1, 2022 | 31 months | +1 month |
| January 18, 2022 | 30 months | – |
| February 2, 2021 | no published time | – |
| September 4, 2018 | 17 months | first figure |
How Iraq compares
Shorter bars mean shorter waits. The typical country is the middle of all 16 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 government-assisted refugee application from Iraq take?
IRCC's latest figure, from October 21, 2026, is 27 months. That means 8 in 10 recent government-assisted refugee cases from Iraq were decided within that time. Some were faster and some took longer.
Is the wait from Iraq getting shorter?
Waits are steady. The figure was 26 months in July.
How does Iraq compare with other countries?
The wait from Iraq is longer than in 93% 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.