I've heard it takes "about six months". My wife got the ITA on May 4th as lead applicant, we are preparing the papers, and we are wondering what to do about my daughter's school for next term. Is it possible she could start school in Canada in September? Or is this unrealistic?
Hi,
6 months is the average time for processing around 80% cases that IRCC receives, but it's highly dependant on the stream of applicant, e.g. CEC (fastest), FSW (Medium) or PNP (slowest) as of now. Also it highly depends on individual cases whether or not IRCC wants to know any extra info from the applicant.
The 6 months processing time starts when you submit your full app with all the docs & fees, and receive your AOR (Acknowledgement of Receipt).
It has nothing to do with just having an ITA. After ITA, one has 90 days to submit the full application.
Considering your case, it seems you are an FSW Outland applicant. So, in my opinion, at present, you should focus on getting AOR.
Once you get it, you should expect at least 6 months to have final decision on your file and receive visa. Anything less than 6 months will be your bonus.
In my opinion, in September, you should be ready to have your child admitted in your homeland only.