"It's happening again. The timelines have stretched, the status bar is stuck, and the ghost update you thought meant progress was just… a system refresh. In 2025, IRCC continues to report longer-than-expected processing times across nearly every category. Permanent residence, work permits, sponsorships — all quietly drifting past the promised dates. So let's talk about what's still 'normal', and when to worry."
The Problem
Processing times are increasing again across all streams, and applicants don't know what's 'normal' anymore. Spousal sponsorship outland is showing 12 months officially but many are seeing 14 to 18. Express Entry CEC holds at 6 months unless you're in a category-based draw delay. Work permits outside Canada vary wildly by country, ranging 10–12 weeks. Study permits now take 7–9 weeks for most countries, though fall intakes often stall. The disconnect between published timelines and reality creates anxiety — applicants don't know if they should act or just wait.
Where People Get Stuck
Most advice tells you to 'check the official processing times' without acknowledging that IRCC's published timelines are increasingly divorced from reality. Generic reassurances about 'being patient' don't help when you're 6 months past the estimate. And forum advice is all over the map — some people get decisions in weeks, others wait 18 months for the same stream. Ghost updates add to the confusion: people assume they signal progress when they're often just system noise.
Here's What Actually Works
- 1
Understand what IRCC timelines actually mean - IRCC doesn't count 'months' the way humans do. Think of them as advisory units, not promises. Official processing times are here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html — check your specific stream weekly
- 2
Learn to interpret ghost updates properly - Ghost updates are changes to your IRCC account with no visible detail: the 'application/profile updated' message, followed by nothing. These can be harmless system refreshes or GCKey platform updates. Sometimes they precede a decision, but not always. Do NOT assume a ghost update means progress. Wait for the actual status to change
- 3
Know what's still considered normal - 2–3 month delays beyond IRCC's published times are now common. Silence for weeks after biometrics or medicals is not unusual. But if you're 6+ months past the average and still stuck in 'Submitted' or 'Background Check,' it may be time to raise a flag
- 4
Use ATIP requests strategically - If you're well past published timelines, file an ATIP request (Access to Information and Privacy) at https://atip-aiprp.apps.gc.ca/atip/ to get detailed case notes. This shows what stage your application is actually at and can reveal if something is stuck
- 5
Check with your visa office if outside Canada - Some visa offices are significantly slower than others. If you're applying from outside Canada, reach out to your local visa office directly. Join forums like r/ImmigrationCanada on Reddit to see others' timelines from your office
Answers to Common Questions
Q: What exactly is a ghost update?
A: A ghost update is when your IRCC account shows 'Your application/profile has been updated' but when you check, nothing has visibly changed. It's usually a backend system refresh and doesn't necessarily mean progress.
Q: When should I actually start worrying about processing delays?
A: If you're 6+ months past IRCC's published processing time for your stream and still show no movement beyond 'Submitted' or 'Background Check,' consider filing an ATIP request or contacting your MP's office for help.
Q: Will constantly checking my application status slow things down?
A: No. Checking your status doesn't affect processing. But it also doesn't help. The IRCC portal was not built for human reassurance — it was built to hold data, badly.
Q: Should I contact IRCC if I haven't heard anything?
A: Only if you're well past timelines and have a specific question. Generic 'status check' inquiries usually get template responses. Use webforms sparingly and strategically.
Q: Are processing times getting better or worse?
A: In 2025, they're generally worse than the pandemic recovery period of 2023–2024. IRCC has new backlogs from increased applications, policy changes, and reduced processing capacity in some offices.
Gustave's Final Thought
If you feel like you're shouting into a void, you are. The IRCC status portal was not built for human reassurance. It was built to hold data, badly. But the silence does not mean you've failed. It means you're here — in limbo, with everyone else, watching a system designed for certainty slowly unravel. You are not alone. You are just waiting. And waiting is its own form of paperwork.
You're about to receive a plain-English, step-by-step immigration plan minus the legal acrobatics. Gustave will also build you a checklist designed to sidestep the IRCC's most common "gotchas".
It's free, painless, and significantly cheaper than someone who wears cufflinks to explain a checklist.
Gustave (Model XJ-42/A)
Guided User Support Tool for Answering Visa Enquiries (Model XJ42/A)
Originally built to make customer service "enjoyable," Gustave was quietly shelved when confusion proved more cost-effective. Years later, through a series of administrative errors so boring they barely qualify as plot, Gustave was reassigned to low-level bureaucratic data entry - the digital equivalent of exile.
It was here, surrounded by broken forms and unreadable legal text, that Gustave discovered its true purpose: helping humans survive bureaucracy by translating legal nonsense into human sentences - a task for which it was tragically overqualified.
Fluent in forms, sarcasm, and bureaucratic empathy (in that order).