Work permit · applying from Costa Rica
Canada work permit processing time from Costa Rica
A work permit lets you work in Canada. This figure is for work permits applied for from outside Canada.
Current processing time
No current figure
IRCC's latest update has no figure for this. The last published figure was 4 weeks, on August 19, 2026.
IRCC figure, update of October 21, 2026. Check IRCC's tool
In plain English
- Since 2018, the figure has ranged from 4 weeks (August 2026) to 17 weeks (September 2022).
Is it getting faster or slower?
IRCC's figure for work permit applications from Costa Rica at each update.
In weeks. Each point is an IRCC update. Lower means a shorter wait.
Every published figure
| IRCC update | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| September 22, 2026 | no published time | – |
| August 19, 2026 | 4 weeks | −1 week |
| July 22, 2026 | 5 weeks | – |
| July 7, 2026 | no published time | – |
| March 12, 2025 | 14 weeks | +9 weeks |
| May 28, 2024 | 5 weeks | −2 weeks |
| October 24, 2023 | 7 weeks | −10 weeks |
| August 23, 2022 | 17 weeks | +1 week |
| August 9, 2022 | 16 weeks | +1 week |
| August 2, 2022 | 15 weeks | +1 week |
| July 19, 2022 | 14 weeks | +1 week |
| July 12, 2022 | 13 weeks | +1 week |
| June 21, 2022 | 12 weeks | +1 week |
| June 15, 2022 | 11 weeks | +1 week |
| June 8, 2022 | 10 weeks | −1 week |
| June 1, 2022 | 11 weeks | +1 week |
| May 11, 2022 | 10 weeks | −2 weeks |
| March 22, 2022 | 12 weeks | −1 week |
| March 16, 2022 | 13 weeks | +5 weeks |
| March 8, 2022 | 8 weeks | −2 weeks |
| March 1, 2022 | 10 weeks | −1 week |
| February 22, 2022 | 11 weeks | −2 weeks |
| January 18, 2022 | 13 weeks | +3 weeks |
| February 2, 2021 | 10 weeks | +5 weeks |
| September 4, 2018 | 5 weeks | first figure |
Other applications from Costa Rica
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
Is the wait from Costa Rica getting shorter?
There is not enough history yet to say.
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.