Canadian Citizenship Processing Times 2026 (Updated Monthly)
The processing times IRCC publishes for Canadian citizenship, checked every month. Each figure carries IRCC's date and the date we checked it.
Last check of IRCC's figures:
Processing time published by IRCC
Citizenship grant
about 12 months
322,700 people waiting
IRCC figure of October 9, 2026 β checked October 23, 2026 β unchanged since July 7, 2026
How the wait time changed over the past year
- Citizenship grant: stable, between 12 and 14 months throughout the period.
- For you: IRCC shows about 12 months for a citizenship application, and the citizenship test happens during that time β worth starting to study early. Take a free practice test
See the month-by-month data (13 readings)
| IRCC date | Grant | Proof | Waiting (grant) | Waiting (proof) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 9, 2026checked October 23, 2026 | 12 months | 34 months | 322,700 | 130,700 | Proof +1 month |
| September 3, 2026checked September 9, 2026 | 12 months | 33 months | 327,100 | 136,000 | Proof +8 months |
| August 10, 2026checked August 11, 2026 | 12 months | 25 months | 328,200 | 121,800 | Proof +6 months |
| July 7, 2026checked July 8, 2026 | 12 months | 19 months | 326,200 | 99,500 | Grant β1 month, Proof +4 months |
| June 8, 2026checked June 14, 2026 | 13 months | 15 months | 326,400 | 82,000 | Proof +3 months |
| May 12, 2026checked May 15, 2026 | 13 months | 12 months | 321,100 | 70,400 | Grant +1 month, Proof +2 months |
| April 7, 2026checked April 12, 2026 | 12 months | 10 months | 313,200 | 56,300 | Grant β1 month |
| March 9, 2026checked March 13, 2026 | 13 months | 10 months | 320,300 | 50,900 | Grant β1 month, Proof β1 month |
| February 12, 2026checked February 13, 2026 | 14 months | 11 months | 313,000 | 47,900 | Grant +1 month, Proof +1 month |
| January 14, 2026checked January 19, 2026 | 13 months | 10 months | 305,400 | 42,400 | Proof +1 month |
| December 9, 2025checked December 10, 2025 | 13 months | 9 months | 297,000 | 40,400 | Times unchanged |
| November 6, 2025checked November 6, 2025 | 13 months | 9 months | 290,700 | 39,000 | Proof +1 month |
| October 9, 2025checked October 10, 2025 | 13 months | 8 months | 283,700 | 35,400 | β |
Rows up to September 9, 2026: archived copies of IRCC's public file (Internet Archive). Later rows: our own monthly check of the same file.
Fees and test format (rarely change)
Fees
- Citizenship application, adult (18 and over)
- $653 (includes the $123 right of citizenship fee)
- Minor (under 18)
- $100
- Citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship)
- $75
- Search of citizenship records
- $75
- Resumption of citizenship
- $530 (18 and over), $100 (under 18)
- Renunciation of citizenship
- $100
IRCC fee page modified September 21, 2026 β checked October 2, 2026 Β· IRCC fee list
The citizenship test
- 20 questions, multiple choice or true/false IRCC
- Length: 45 minutes IRCC
- To pass: at least 15 correct answers out of 20 IRCC
- In French or English IRCC
- Required from 18 to 54 years old (your age on the day you sign your application) IRCC
- Up to 3 chances to pass within a 30-day test period IRCC
- After 3 failed attempts: a hearing of 30 to 90 minutes with a citizenship official IRCC
- The ceremony invitation is sent at least 1 week before the ceremony IRCC
IRCC pages modified March 31, 2026 (study guide, how the test works, results), June 12, 2026 (ceremony) β checked October 2, 2026
What IRCC does not publish
- Wait between the test and the ceremony: IRCC publishes no official figure; numbers you see online are estimates.
- Wait between applying and the test invitation: no official figure is published; online estimates do not come from IRCC.
- Waits by province: IRCC's tool gives one national figure for citizenship.
- Pass rate: IRCC publishes no regular, up-to-date pass rate, so we quote none.
How we check
Each month we read the public data files behind IRCC's processing-times tool and copy their figures as they are, with their date. Rows before October 2026 come from archived copies of those files (Internet Archive). CanCitiPrep is not affiliated with the Government of Canada.
Cite this page: CanCitiPrep, "Canadian Citizenship Processing Times", checked October 23, 2026, https://cancitiprep.ca/en/blog/canadian-citizenship-processing-times Β· Reuse allowed if you credit CanCitiPrep with a link (CC BY 4.0 licence).