Visitor visa · applying from Japan
Canada visitor visa processing time from Japan
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
55 days
about 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 18, 2026.
In plain English
- 8 in 10 visitor visa applications from Japan were decided within 55 days, counted from the day IRCC had a complete application.
- Waits are getting longer. The figure was 46 days in July.
- The wait from Japan is longer than in 70% of the other 169 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 38 days.
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 13 days (September 2018) to 325 days (February 2021).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for visitor visa applications from Japan 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 | 55 days | −1 day |
| September 22, 2026 | 56 days | +4 days |
| August 19, 2026 | 52 days | +6 days |
| July 22, 2026 | 46 days | +1 day |
| July 7, 2026 | 45 days | +26 days |
| March 12, 2025 | 19 days | −61 days |
| May 28, 2024 | 80 days | +38 days |
| October 24, 2023 | 42 days | −22 days |
| September 6, 2022 | 64 days | +11 days |
| August 30, 2022 | 53 days | +15 days |
| August 23, 2022 | 38 days | −4 days |
| August 16, 2022 | 42 days | +8 days |
| August 9, 2022 | 34 days | −7 days |
| August 2, 2022 | 41 days | −26 days |
| July 26, 2022 | 67 days | +4 days |
| July 19, 2022 | 63 days | −2 days |
| July 12, 2022 | 65 days | −4 days |
| June 15, 2022 | 69 days | −3 days |
| June 8, 2022 | 72 days | +30 days |
| May 24, 2022 | 42 days | +6 days |
| May 17, 2022 | 36 days | +1 day |
| May 11, 2022 | 35 days | −22 days |
| March 22, 2022 | 57 days | −2 days |
| March 16, 2022 | 59 days | +2 days |
| March 1, 2022 | 57 days | +14 days |
| February 22, 2022 | 43 days | +14 days |
| February 16, 2022 | 29 days | +2 days |
| February 8, 2022 | 27 days | +8 days |
| February 1, 2022 | 19 days | −2 days |
| January 18, 2022 | 21 days | −304 days |
| February 2, 2021 | 325 days | +312 days |
| September 4, 2018 | 13 days | first figure |
How Japan compares
Shorter bars mean shorter waits. The typical country is the middle of all 170 countries with a figure.
Other applications from Japan
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 Japan take?
IRCC's latest figure, from October 21, 2026, is 55 days (about 8 weeks). That means 8 in 10 recent visitor visa applications from Japan were decided within that time. Some were faster and some took longer.
Is the wait from Japan getting shorter?
Waits are getting longer. The figure was 46 days in July.
How does Japan compare with other countries?
The wait from Japan is longer than in 70% 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.