Visitor visa · applying from Sri Lanka
Canada visitor visa processing time from Sri Lanka
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
41 days
about 6 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 4, 2026.
In plain English
- 8 in 10 visitor visa applications from Sri Lanka were decided within 41 days, counted from the day IRCC had a complete application.
- Waits are steady. The figure was 40 days in July.
- The wait from Sri Lanka is longer than in 57% of the other 169 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 38 days.
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 20 days (February 2021) to 218 days (March 2025).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for visitor visa applications from Sri Lanka at each update.
In days. Each point is an IRCC update. Lower means a shorter wait.
Every published figure
| IRCC update | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2026 | 41 days | −3 days |
| October 14, 2026 | 44 days | −5 days |
| October 7, 2026 | 49 days | +3 days |
| October 1, 2026 | 46 days | +2 days |
| September 22, 2026 | 44 days | +7 days |
| August 19, 2026 | 37 days | −3 days |
| July 22, 2026 | 40 days | +3 days |
| July 7, 2026 | 37 days | −181 days |
| March 12, 2025 | 218 days | +139 days |
| May 28, 2024 | 79 days | +15 days |
| October 31, 2023 | 64 days | −4 days |
| October 24, 2023 | 68 days | −124 days |
| September 6, 2022 | 192 days | +13 days |
| August 30, 2022 | 179 days | +1 day |
| August 23, 2022 | 178 days | +58 days |
| August 16, 2022 | 120 days | +19 days |
| August 9, 2022 | 101 days | +21 days |
| August 2, 2022 | 80 days | +18 days |
| July 26, 2022 | 62 days | +7 days |
| July 19, 2022 | 55 days | +2 days |
| July 12, 2022 | 53 days | +2 days |
| June 28, 2022 | 51 days | −2 days |
| June 21, 2022 | 53 days | +1 day |
| June 8, 2022 | 52 days | −2 days |
| May 24, 2022 | 54 days | −2 days |
| May 17, 2022 | 56 days | −1 day |
| May 11, 2022 | 57 days | +12 days |
| March 22, 2022 | 45 days | +1 day |
| March 16, 2022 | 44 days | +4 days |
| March 1, 2022 | 40 days | −2 days |
| February 22, 2022 | 42 days | +1 day |
| February 16, 2022 | 41 days | −4 days |
| February 8, 2022 | 45 days | +1 day |
| February 1, 2022 | 44 days | −6 days |
| January 25, 2022 | 50 days | −1 day |
| January 18, 2022 | 51 days | +31 days |
| February 2, 2021 | 20 days | −3 days |
| September 4, 2018 | 23 days | first figure |
How Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka take?
IRCC's latest figure, from October 21, 2026, is 41 days (about 6 weeks). That means 8 in 10 recent visitor visa applications from Sri Lanka were decided within that time. Some were faster and some took longer.
Is the wait from Sri Lanka getting shorter?
Waits are steady. The figure was 40 days in July.
How does Sri Lanka compare with other countries?
The wait from Sri Lanka is longer than in 57% 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.