With just sixteen weeks until Canada hosts 13 matches of the men’s FIFA World Cup, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is grappling with sharp increases in visa-processing times across multiple categories. A Buffalo Toronto Public Media investigation, cited by The Economic Times on 17 February 2026, attributes the delays to a 20 % staffing cut initiated during last year’s cost-saving drive and to heightened security screening for a projected 20 million visitors.
Official timelines show federal skilled-worker processing extended by one month, while spousal sponsorship and work-permit extensions have doubled or tripled in some cases. Visitor-visa wait-times for World Cup participants are particularly acute: applicants from Côte d’Ivoire face 292-day queues, and those from Senegal wait 203 days—well beyond the June tournament start.
![FIFA 2026 visa surge strains IRCC processing times months before kick-off]()
Immigration lawyers fear the bottleneck could deter fans, media and commercial delegates, undercutting Canada’s goal of parlaying the World Cup into a tourism and investment windfall. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says it is coordinating with host cities on expedited lanes, but IRCC has yet to issue formal guidance on prioritising World Cup-related applications.
Businesses supplying hospitality, transport and event services are being advised to begin labour-market impact assessments and temporary-foreign-worker applications immediately, and to counsel prospective visitors to apply for Electronic Travel Authorisations rather than visas wherever eligible.
Official timelines show federal skilled-worker processing extended by one month, while spousal sponsorship and work-permit extensions have doubled or tripled in some cases. Visitor-visa wait-times for World Cup participants are particularly acute: applicants from Côte d’Ivoire face 292-day queues, and those from Senegal wait 203 days—well beyond the June tournament start.
Immigration lawyers fear the bottleneck could deter fans, media and commercial delegates, undercutting Canada’s goal of parlaying the World Cup into a tourism and investment windfall. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says it is coordinating with host cities on expedited lanes, but IRCC has yet to issue formal guidance on prioritising World Cup-related applications.
Businesses supplying hospitality, transport and event services are being advised to begin labour-market impact assessments and temporary-foreign-worker applications immediately, and to counsel prospective visitors to apply for Electronic Travel Authorisations rather than visas wherever eligible.
Source: The Economic Times
