Visitor visa · applying from United States of America
Canada visitor visa processing time from United States of America
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
18 days
about 2½ 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 11, 2026.
In plain English
- 8 in 10 visitor visa applications from United States of America were decided within 18 days, counted from the day IRCC had a complete application.
- Waits are getting shorter. The figure was 27 days in July.
- The wait from United States of America is shorter than in 87% of the other 169 countries IRCC lists. The typical (middle) country's figure is 38 days.
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 10 days (September 2018) to 181 days (March 2022).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for visitor visa applications from United States of America at each update.
In days. Each point is an IRCC update. Lower means a shorter wait.
Every published figure
| IRCC update | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| October 1, 2026 | 18 days | +1 day |
| September 22, 2026 | 17 days | −4 days |
| August 19, 2026 | 21 days | −6 days |
| July 22, 2026 | 27 days | −2 days |
| July 7, 2026 | 29 days | +9 days |
| March 12, 2025 | 20 days | −8 days |
| May 28, 2024 | 28 days | +5 days |
| October 31, 2023 | 23 days | −1 day |
| October 24, 2023 | 24 days | −15 days |
| September 6, 2022 | 39 days | +2 days |
| August 30, 2022 | 37 days | +4 days |
| August 23, 2022 | 33 days | +4 days |
| August 16, 2022 | 29 days | −1 day |
| August 9, 2022 | 30 days | −6 days |
| August 2, 2022 | 36 days | +1 day |
| July 26, 2022 | 35 days | −4 days |
| July 19, 2022 | 39 days | +1 day |
| July 12, 2022 | 38 days | −8 days |
| June 28, 2022 | 46 days | +4 days |
| June 21, 2022 | 42 days | +12 days |
| June 15, 2022 | 30 days | +5 days |
| June 8, 2022 | 25 days | −2 days |
| June 1, 2022 | 27 days | −5 days |
| May 24, 2022 | 32 days | −23 days |
| May 17, 2022 | 55 days | −16 days |
| May 11, 2022 | 71 days | −110 days |
| March 22, 2022 | 181 days | +6 days |
| March 16, 2022 | 175 days | +32 days |
| March 8, 2022 | 143 days | +5 days |
| March 1, 2022 | 138 days | +14 days |
| February 22, 2022 | 124 days | +6 days |
| February 16, 2022 | 118 days | −19 days |
| February 8, 2022 | 137 days | −18 days |
| February 1, 2022 | 155 days | +44 days |
| January 25, 2022 | 111 days | +26 days |
| January 18, 2022 | 85 days | −85 days |
| February 2, 2021 | 170 days | +160 days |
| September 4, 2018 | 10 days | first figure |
How United States of America compares
Shorter bars mean shorter waits. The typical country is the middle of all 170 countries with a figure.
Other applications from United States of America
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 United States of America take?
IRCC's latest figure, from October 21, 2026, is 18 days (about 2½ weeks). That means 8 in 10 recent visitor visa applications from United States of America were decided within that time. Some were faster and some took longer.
Is the wait from United States of America getting shorter?
Waits are getting shorter. The figure was 27 days in July.
How does United States of America compare with other countries?
The wait from United States of America is shorter than in 87% 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.