Visitor visa · applying from Hong Kong SAR
Canada visitor visa processing time from Hong Kong SAR
A visitor visa lets you come to Canada for a holiday, to see family or for a short business trip, if your passport needs one.
Current processing time
21 days
about 3 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 November 14, 2026.
In plain English
- 8 in 10 visitor visa applications from Hong Kong SAR were decided within 21 days, counted from the day IRCC had a complete application.
- Waits are getting shorter. The figure was 39 days in July.
- The wait from Hong Kong SAR is shorter than in 80% of the other 169 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 38 days.
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 9 days (September 2018) to 163 days (January 2022).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for visitor visa applications from Hong Kong SAR at each update.
In days. Each point is an IRCC update. Lower means a shorter wait.
Every published figure
| IRCC update | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2026 | 21 days | +1 day |
| October 1, 2026 | 20 days | +1 day |
| September 22, 2026 | 19 days | −17 days |
| August 19, 2026 | 36 days | −3 days |
| July 7, 2026 | 39 days | +3 days |
| March 12, 2025 | 36 days | +7 days |
| May 28, 2024 | 29 days | −24 days |
| October 24, 2023 | 53 days | +7 days |
| September 6, 2022 | 46 days | −1 day |
| August 30, 2022 | 47 days | +4 days |
| August 23, 2022 | 43 days | −1 day |
| August 16, 2022 | 44 days | −4 days |
| August 9, 2022 | 48 days | −2 days |
| August 2, 2022 | 50 days | +1 day |
| July 26, 2022 | 49 days | −2 days |
| July 19, 2022 | 51 days | −4 days |
| July 12, 2022 | 55 days | +1 day |
| June 28, 2022 | 54 days | −1 day |
| June 21, 2022 | 55 days | +4 days |
| June 15, 2022 | 51 days | +3 days |
| June 8, 2022 | 48 days | +2 days |
| June 1, 2022 | 46 days | −1 day |
| May 24, 2022 | 47 days | +1 day |
| May 11, 2022 | 46 days | +19 days |
| March 22, 2022 | 27 days | +1 day |
| March 16, 2022 | 26 days | −3 days |
| March 8, 2022 | 29 days | −110 days |
| March 1, 2022 | 139 days | −15 days |
| February 22, 2022 | 154 days | +3 days |
| February 16, 2022 | 151 days | +1 day |
| February 8, 2022 | 150 days | −10 days |
| February 1, 2022 | 160 days | −1 day |
| January 25, 2022 | 161 days | −2 days |
| January 18, 2022 | 163 days | +15 days |
| February 2, 2021 | 148 days | +139 days |
| September 4, 2018 | 9 days | first figure |
How Hong Kong SAR compares
Shorter bars mean shorter waits. The typical country is the middle of all 170 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 visitor visa application from Hong Kong SAR take?
IRCC's latest figure, from October 21, 2026, is 21 days (about 3 weeks). That means 8 in 10 recent visitor visa applications from Hong Kong SAR were decided within that time. Some were faster and some took longer.
Is the wait from Hong Kong SAR getting shorter?
Waits are getting shorter. The figure was 39 days in July.
How does Hong Kong SAR compare with other countries?
The wait from Hong Kong SAR is shorter than in 80% of the other 169 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 38 days. The shortest right now is Palestine (Gaza) (1 day) and the longest is Eswatini (804 days).
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.