Study permit · applying from China (People’s Republic of)
Canada study permit processing time from China (People’s Republic of)
A study permit lets you study at a school, college or university in Canada, usually for a program longer than six months.
Current processing time
8 weeks
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 December 19, 2026.
In plain English
- 8 in 10 study permit applications from China (People’s Republic of) were decided within 8 weeks, counted from the day IRCC had a complete application.
- Waits are getting longer. The figure was 3 weeks in July.
- The wait from China (People’s Republic of) is longer than in 78% of the other 91 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 6 weeks.
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 3 weeks (September 2018) to 36 weeks (February 2021).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for study permit applications from China (People’s Republic of) at each update.
In weeks. Each point is an IRCC update. Lower means a shorter wait.
Every published figure
| IRCC update | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2026 | 8 weeks | +2 weeks |
| October 14, 2026 | 6 weeks | +2 weeks |
| August 19, 2026 | 4 weeks | +1 week |
| July 7, 2026 | 3 weeks | −2 weeks |
| March 12, 2025 | 5 weeks | −1 week |
| May 28, 2024 | 6 weeks | −4 weeks |
| October 31, 2023 | 10 weeks | −1 week |
| October 24, 2023 | 11 weeks | +3 weeks |
| August 23, 2022 | 8 weeks | +1 week |
| August 9, 2022 | 7 weeks | +1 week |
| June 15, 2022 | 6 weeks | −1 week |
| June 8, 2022 | 7 weeks | −1 week |
| May 11, 2022 | 8 weeks | −7 weeks |
| March 16, 2022 | 15 weeks | +1 week |
| March 8, 2022 | 14 weeks | +1 week |
| February 22, 2022 | 13 weeks | +1 week |
| February 16, 2022 | 12 weeks | +2 weeks |
| February 8, 2022 | 10 weeks | +1 week |
| February 1, 2022 | 9 weeks | +1 week |
| January 18, 2022 | 8 weeks | −28 weeks |
| February 2, 2021 | 36 weeks | +33 weeks |
| September 4, 2018 | 3 weeks | first figure |
How China (People’s Republic of) compares
Shorter bars mean shorter waits. The typical country is the middle of all 92 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 study permit application from China (People’s Republic of) take?
IRCC's latest figure, from October 21, 2026, is 8 weeks. That means 8 in 10 recent study permit applications from China (People’s Republic of) were decided within that time. Some were faster and some took longer.
Is the wait from China (People’s Republic of) getting shorter?
Waits are getting longer. The figure was 3 weeks in July.
How does China (People’s Republic of) compare with other countries?
The wait from China (People’s Republic of) is longer than in 78% of the other 91 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 6 weeks. The shortest right now is Denmark (2 weeks) and the longest is Iran (21 weeks).
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.