IRCC Significantly Reduces Immigration Backlog

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has achieved a noteworthy milestone, as its backlog of immigration applications has fallen below one million for the first time in months. By the end of December 2024, the number of pending applications in IRCC’s backlog dropped to 942,300, down from 1,006,500 at the end of November. This represents a significant decrease of 6.38%.

Understanding the Backlog

A backlog consists of applications that have not been processed within IRCC’s standard timelines. For instance, Express Entry applications typically have a service standard of six months, while family sponsorship applications have a 12-month timeline. If applications remain unprocessed beyond these timeframes, they are considered part of the backlog.

Breaking Down the Numbers

As of December 31, 2024, IRCC’s inventory for permanent residence programs included 836,900 applications. Of these, 59% (492,200) were processed within the service standard, leaving 344,700 in the backlog. The backlog for Express Entry applications was around 18%, meeting IRCC’s service standard of processing 80% within six months. Meanwhile, 25% of Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applications were in the backlog, a slight increase from the previous month.

The family sponsorship backlog stood at 15%, which aligns with IRCC’s projected backlog rate.

Temporary Resident Applications

Temporary resident applications, which cover work permits, study permits, and visitor visas, showed higher backlog percentages. As of December 31, only 47% (493,800) of the 1,050,800 temporary resident applications were processed within service standards. This left 557,000 applications in the backlog.

Visitor visas (TRVs) had the highest backlog percentage, with 75% of applications remaining unprocessed within the expected timeline. For study permits, the backlog rose sharply to 43%, up from 36% the previous month, and significantly above the projected 26%. Work permits also saw an increase in backlog, reaching 57% compared to 51% in November.

Citizenship Applications

On a more positive note, citizenship application backlogs remain low. Of the 232,300 citizenship applications in the system, 83% (191,600) were processed within service standards, leaving only 17% in the backlog.

Efforts to Reduce the Backlog

IRCC has introduced several measures to address the backlog. For instance, the department is prioritizing applications from essential workers and leveraging advanced analytics and automated tools to speed up family sponsorship processing times. Furthermore, the recently announced Immigration Levels Plan 2025-27 aims to lower permanent resident admissions, which may help reduce the backlog over time.

However, IRCC’s decision to cut approximately 3,300 jobs over the next three years, coupled with the suspension of invitations to sponsor parents and grandparents in 2025, has raised questions about how these changes will impact processing times. The full effect of these measures on the backlog remains to be seen.

What’s Next?

While IRCC’s backlog numbers have significantly improved, the department is still working through a substantial volume of applications. Ongoing efforts to streamline processing and reduce delays will be critical to maintaining progress and meeting service standards in the future.