Canada faces visa delays ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is facing mounting visa processing delays months before Canada hosts 13 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June, according to a report by Buffalo Toronto Public Media. The agency is managing higher application volumes after cutting 20% of its staff, raising concerns about longer wait times as more than 20 million international visitors are exp…

We saw massive jumps in certain application types. One, for example, was spousal sponsorship,” he said. “Those jumped almost double — in some cases, tripled. Another one is work permit extensions. Those processing times are unfortunately accurate, and they’re over 200 calendar days.”

Citizenship applications officially remain at 13 months, according to IRCC’s published data. However, citizenship.

Ivory Coast, right now, is listed at 292 days. Senegal, 203 days, this is to get a visitor visa to Canada,” Lamanna said. “I’m very interested to see when these folks are able to come into Canada, if they’re if they have yet to apply for their visa. Because the schedule for the World Cup was only released in the beginning of December.”

Security and screening concerns
Observers have also raised concerns about security screening, potential misrepresentation in FIFA-related travel scams and a possible increase in fraudulent asylum claims.

Lamanna said IRCC may prioritise applications linked to the tournament but added there is no official guidance confirming this approach.