The situation
The current processing time for Trusted Partner Initiative employment permit applications is over five weeks, up from the typical two to four weeks. Standard Employment Permit applications are currently taking over twelve weeks to process, up from the usual seven to nine weeks.
Impact
In many cases, start dates may need to be delayed due to the longer processing times. Affected employers and foreign nationals should start the Employment Permit application document gathering process earlier than usual to prevent further delays.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
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Blog post
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Media mentions
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Awards
Partner Julia Onslow-Cole is recognised in the Spears 500 guide to leading private client advisers, reflecting her experience advising high-net-worth individuals, families and global businesses on complex UK and European immigration and mobility strategies.
Media mentions
Partner Abeer Al Husseini discusses increased scrutiny of Saudi business visas in AGBI, highlighting stricter review of short-term entry used for operational work and the implications for regional employers.
Awards
Australia and New Zealand Managing Partner Teresa Liu, Partner Charles Johanes, Practice Leaders Hedvika and Leader Ben Lear and Senior Associate Hannah Scanlan are recognized in the 2026 edition of Doyle’s Guide as leading immigration practitioners in Australia.
Awards
Fragomen is ranked Band 1 for Immigration: Business in the Chambers Global 2026 Guide, marking two decades of recognition since 2006. The firm is also the only firm ranked Band 1 in the Global: Multi-Jurisdictional Immigration category and receives additional individual recognitions in the USA: Business Immigration rankings.
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Partner Rick Lamanna provides insight to Buffalo Toronto Public Media on potential IRCC processing challenges as Canada prepares for increased visa demand ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Blog post
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