This is always a big question. "Once I submit the application, how long until I come to Canada?" The answer varies from country to country, application to application - a range of anywhere from months to years.  (And if you read in Dari:  جدول زمانی برای حمایت خصوصی - though note we need to update this with 2026 timelines). 

Each country has a slightly unique process, and follows its own schedule.  According to RSTP, the wait times listed on the typical wait times website are an indication of what 80% of refugees experienced in the past 6 months. And times change, as Canadian immigration clears the backlog of old cases, or gets a wave of new cases.

The good news is, you'll get an email to indicate each new stage of the process. And both the sponsors and the refugee will get that email. So there's not really much point in obsessively checking the 'Check application status' website (once you have your G number) to see if there's any update. And that website doesn't seem to work at all for applications that were submitted through the 'portal' system introduced in late 2025. 

There's also an immigration website where you can check the status of your application - or add new forms. There's also a phone number where you can make enquiries: 613-321-4243. But try not to abuse it with questions you can find through an online search - or by reading this guide.

Below is a timeline based on recent applications. Remember, it's a very rough schedule and it mostly represents timelines for people in Indonesia. It's an average,  and not true for each person. If your friends are moving faster through the process, remember there are probably just as many friends who are moving slower - they're just not telling you, because they have no news to share. 

These timelines keep changing, usually for the worse, and as of 2026, the total wait time as listed on Immigration's check processing times website is 58 months - 29 months to sponsor approval and 29 months to the end - for privately sponsored refugees in Indonesia. In our own experience, the total wait time is 53 months, but we may have to adjust in the future to match Immigration's 58 months. Watch that page (and this one!) to keep up with the latest information.

Typical questions:

1) I submitted a long time ago. Do the timelines apply to me?

Answer: The timelines reflect the people arriving now, whose applications were submitted about 56 months ago. We will continue to update them over time, to reflect the timelines of those who enter at that time. Both change constantly, in usually in small ways. We've indicated below when there's a new change to the process.

2) My friends whose applications were submitted before me are getting processed faster. That seems unfair.

Answer: Timelines vary, not according to when yours was submitted, but according to the visa officer assigned to your file, who may work faster or slower than average. Canadian immigration is not like UNHCR, where there's an exact relation between your intake and when you get your result. Also, probably there are many other people who are moving at the same speed or even slower than you: everyone thinks their case is the slowest.

3) Is there any way to speed up my process?

No. You can write to immigration and they will ignore you. You can ask your sponsors to contact their Member of Parliament for an update, but you'll probably get the same information you already know. Even an MP cannot speed up the process. If your timeline is dramatically slower than what's listed here - if you're at 56 months without a G number, for example - your sponsors can contact a lawyer, but a lawyer will only take on extreme cases, where it's clear that the file has been neglected or forgotten. That kind of case is so rare it's almost one in a thousand. Also, lawyers are expensive.

With all that said, let's consider a typical timeline.

Month 1: Application submitted

Hurray!!! That was a lot of work and you should feel proud of yourself and your hard-working sponsor team for making it this far.

Month 1-12: The long, boring wait

At this point comes a long wait, where nothing much happens. 

If you're the refugee, you could spend this time worrying or driving your sponsors crazy by asking them when you'll get an update. OR you can spend this time wisely by getting ready to come to Canada. Some good and helpful things you can do while you wait:

• Get to know your sponsor team better - you will be very close to them when you arrive.

• Learn about Canada!

• Brush up on English!

• Pursue online education!

Your sponsors can be a big help during this time, by hosting weekly online chats to practise English and get to know Canada and each other.

So much better than worrying. Remember, if you have a sponsorship to Canada, you are definitely one of the lucky ones. So enjoy the ride!

SOMETIMES: Month 12 - 16: AOR (acknowledgement of receipt) request and G number

In 2026, we saw two big changes. One is that the email providing the G number stopped coming. People had to wait until the 'sponsor approval' email to come before they could learn what their G number was. For many of these people, they actually did have a G number but Immigration didn't tell them. We found out when one of the sponsors contacted their member of Parliament to ask.

The other thing that started around April 2026 is that AI took over reviewing the documents. And under AI, we don't get a G number email. Instead we get an email called "AOR" or "acknowledgement of receipt" This email contains the refugee's G number, and lists any corrections that are needed to their original application. Typical requests are to add a signature to the refugee or sponsor documents, or fix an email address or other contact info.

In other words, you will likely only find out your G number of the AI bot finds something missing in your file. About half the time, there was nothing wrong with the original document (the AI bot is not very sophisticated yet) and so we can just resend it back again. If the AI bot likes your documents, you won't hear from it again until the sponsor approval stage.

Month 25-29: 'Sponsorship approval'

The next email that the sponsors and refugees from immigration is to indicate you have earned 'sponsor approval'. This means that immigration (actually an AI bot) has looked closely at your application and found everything to be in good shape - specifically with regard to the sponsor and funding documents.

This milestone is in some ways a bigger deal than getting a G number, since when applications run into trouble, it's usually at this stage - because there was a police check that was expired at the time of submission, or not enough funds in the trust account, or some other problem. (Once again, SAHs tend to get 'sponsor approval much faster, within a few months of submission, but that's because they have done a LOT of paperwork in the past to show they are capable and worthy of carrying the weight of private sponsorship). 

'Sponsor approval' also means your file is now being sent from the immigration office in Ottawa to the overseas embassy.

Month 26-34: Biometric appointment

Often around this time you will get an email from the IOM with the "biometric instructions form", called IMM5756. That email invites you to do your biometrics and provides a link to search the nearest office nearest to you.  This is the link. 

What are biometrics? It means Immigration needs to confirm your identity by collecting specific physical identifiers. The process is standardized and the same for most immigration and refugee applicants. Biometrics for Canadian immigration consist of two elements:

• Fingerprints — all ten fingerprints are taken electronically using a digital scanner. 

• A digital photograph — a facial image captured at the appointment. 

These two pieces of information are used to verify identity, check for previous immigration history, and run security and criminality checks.

Month 32-44: Another boring wait

See month 1-14 on more of this and how to spend the time wisely.

Here's a guide for the process by AURA, the SAH. You can also view the chart online.

Month 44: Interview request, document update

Most people need to be interviewed before being accepted to come to Canada. This is done at a Canadian embassy in some countries. Between 2021 and 2026, most Hazaras didn't need to do an interview, since they were considered in danger just by being Hazaras. Starting in the summer of 2026, however, nearly everyone needs to do an interview. 

The invitation to do the interview comes in the form of an email with a PDF attachment that explains when and where the interview will take place.  Sometimes the IOM will call the refugee to tell them they have an interview, before the official invitation is sent by email.

The same email that invites you to the interview also provides you with documents to update. There is a lot of redundancy and repetition in these documents, so get ready for a lot of copy/paste.

• IMM5406 - Additional family information. This is all the same 'additional family information' found on Schedule 2

• Information sharing form. This used to be called 'authority to disclose'. It means you agree to let Immigration access your files from any country where you lived before. You need to add your name and sign this electronically

• Schedule A, updated. So a new dates in the signature area and in Question 7 and 12. Also, since May 2026, the Singapore embassy has asked that you take the dates all the way back to when the person turned 18, rather than just the past 10 years

• Supplementary information form - travel history and active social networks. Travel history repeats what's on Schedule A, Question 11, and 'active social networks' - the only new information on any of these, really, shows your WhatsApp number and social media accounts. 

• Contact Information of relatives in Canada - this is where you list all the people you know in Canada. For most people, it's a copy/paste of their sponsor details from the original settlement plan.

And in some countries:

• Military experience/history

Note: these documents all have file size limits and need to be sent electronically, so if you don't have a computer, ask help from someone who does. That's probably a sponsor or the same person who wrote your application in the first place.

Month 45: Interview

Now's the big day! Here's some tips on how to do a successful interview. 

About 10% of people will be told they are approved to come to Canada in the interview itself. Usually, however, the interviewer will say something less clear, like "You will hear from us soon." That means in a couple days you will start getting more PDFs about your process (medical and so on - see below). 

If you're unlucky, you will get a procedural fairness letter, stating they had some doubts about your interview and you have 30 days to respond. If you do get a PFL, hire a lawyer to help you craft the best answer.

Other people (one in 100) actually fail their interview, and are told that in an email from immigration. Again, if this happens, hire a good Canadian immigration lawyer.

Month 46: Pre-arrival services

About 20% of people who finish their interview start getting a bunch of documents right after, relating to settling in Canada. The rest might wait up to 5 months for these. The first of these follow-up PDFs is usually: 

• IMM5801 - Pre-arrival services. 

This one is kind of useless and nothing is required of you. Here's the link of these services. What's important about this document is that it's unofficial proof that you're coming to Canada. 

Month 46: Medical check

Medical used to happen long before the interview. Starting in 2026, it often comes right after the interview. 

For medical, you will receive the following by email:

• IMM1017 - Medical examination instructions. This PDF tells you how to book your medical, and includes a link to find the late

• IMM5695 - IFHP: This is your interim federal healthcare healthcare paper. You need it to get the medical test for free. It also gives you extra medical coverage in Canada

Remember to bring your IFHP print out, which you will receive at the same time you are invited to do your medical check.

If you're scared of the medical, don't worry. It's very hard to 'fail' it, even with some serious conditions. The only risk is if you have a communicable disease, like tuberculosis. And some people have had their files delayed because they had scars of long-ago cases of tuberculosis on their lungs. It's ok to be HIV positive though.

Month 46: Biometric

Starting in 2026, biometric often happens at the same time as medical, as one of the post-interview processing.

Month 47 - 48: Vaccinations

You're going to need four rounds of vaccinations, so this can take a couple months.

In the past (before 2026), this post-interview time was also when Immigration would do a security or background check. That's where they contact - through a mysterious third party organization - the governments of all the countries where you lived or travelled to in the past, to see if you have a criminal history. Nowadays, however, the security check starts at the time of sponsor approval.

For that reason, if you have a security check problem, you'll probably hear about it in the interview. 

Month 49: Visa approval

This is step really just started happening in 2023. It's an email to basically state that they're preparing your flight for you. It's sent to the 'main sponsor' rather than the rest of the sponsor team, or the use of representative person - or even the person being sponsored, for some reason. This is the key message in the text: 

STATUS UPDATE:  NOTICE OF VISA APPROVAL. 

A permanent resident visa has now been issued for the above mentioned principal applicant and their accompanying family members. A request has been sent to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to proceed with final resettlement arrangements. This includes contacting and enrolling the applicants in the Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) program as applicable, assisting with any exit permit procedures, and booking travel. It is estimated that these applicants will arrive in Canada within seven to twelve weeks of the date of this notice.

Issuing of the visa is handled by VFS Global.

Month 49: Flight booking

About a month after the visa approval email, you'll get another email with your flight details. It's sent to the refugee and the sponsors, and the flight is usually booked about 4-5 weeks after the email arrives

Month 50: Orientation

Days before you fly to Canada, you'll be invited to a hotel in the capital city of the country where you're living. The IOM also arranges you to bring you to the hotel for this orientation (arranging transportation and even flights, if you're on a different island than the capital city).

During those three days, you'll be taught all about Canada, the history and culture in this country, and get the first of your Canadian paperwork. This Orientation occurs a few weeks before the flight, in places like Indonesia, or immediately before flying in Turkey, for example.

Either way, this is the last stage before you come to Canada. Enjoy it.

Month 50: Fly to Canada

After the hotel stay, the IOM gets you on your flight to Canada. Your flight is financed through a loan from the Canadian government, which you will have to start repaying in instalments after you've been in Canada for one year. And no, it's not a good idea to book your own flight (to save money or time) because that puts you out of the protection of the IOM, which you will definitely need as a semi-stateless person. The risk of going it alone includes being thrown into an airport prison during a connecting stop.

Also, as part of this process, you're given important papers, like the first (paper-based) version of your permanent residence ID for Canada, a temporary heath plan, and so on. The IOM is there to bring you to Canada safely, and they will be with you every step of the way, until your sponsors greet you at the airport and sign another paper to release you into their care. 

Which is good! That's what private sponsorship is all about. Enjoy the process, knowing that you are finally on your way to somewhere safe, where you can build a future, and where you'll have your sponsor team to help you each step of the way - for your first year, and if you get along, maybe longer.

In Conclusion

The wait to Canada can take longer than what's described here, or it may come faster. The key thing is not to stress about it, but spend that time wisely, by preparing for the future ahead.