Individuals seeking work permit extensions and post-graduation work permits (PGWPs) can now access personalized processing time estimates based on their application dates.

These customized processing estimates were introduced following an update to the immigration department’s processing times webpage in late September 2026.

Visitors to the government webpage can now select ‘Temporary residence’ as their application type and choose ‘Work permit extension in Canada’ from the drop-down menu to view an estimated remaining wait time in weeks based on their application date.

Additionally, visitors can see the number of work permit applicants ahead of them and the total number of applicants awaiting decisions, with approximately 202,900 applicants awaiting decisions as of Sept. 26, 2026.

The estimated wait time can also be viewed by those who have not yet applied, providing insight into the expected processing time at the time of inquiry.

This estimate is specifically available for in-Canada applicants extending existing work permits or applying for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) as an international student graduate.

Among those included in the extensions are in-Canada work permit holders seeking to modify the conditions of their current permits.

Prior to the update, the page only offered a single drop-down selection for ‘Work permit in Canada,’ providing a processing time estimate based on the inquiry time.

The ‘Work permit in Canada’ option is now exclusively applicable to non-PGWP applicants applying for their initial work permit within Canada.

Applicants who submit a work permit application in Canada before their current permit expires can benefit from maintained status, allowing them to work under their existing permit conditions until a decision is reached on their extension application.

Maintained status, previously known as implied status, grants legal authorization to work in Canada if the current permit expires before the new one is issued, as long as the applicant remains in Canada.