IRCC’s Backlog Continues to Shrink in 2025

Canada’s Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is making steady progress in reducing its application backlog. As of January 31, 2025, the number of applications in the backlog had dropped to 892,100. This marks the second consecutive month that the backlog has stayed below one million. Compared to the end of December 2024, when the backlog was 942,300, there’s been a notable decrease of 5.33%.

Here’s how the immigration backlog has changed over the past six months:

• August 2024: 1,078,300
• September 2024: 1,097,000
• October 2024: 1,056,100
• November 2024: 1,006,500
• December 2024: 942,300
• January 2025: 892,100

In addition to shrinking the backlog, IRCC has reduced the total number of applications in its inventory. From December 2024 to January 2025, the overall inventory dropped from 2,119,900 to 2,076,600 applications. At the same time, applications processed within service standards increased slightly—from 1,177,600 to 1,184,500.

Understanding the Backlog

Applications fall into the backlog if they are not processed within IRCC’s published service standards. These standards vary by application type; for instance, Express Entry applications are expected to be processed within six months, while family sponsorship applications have a 12-month service standard. If processing times exceed these limits, the application is considered part of the backlog.

Permanent Resident Applications

As of January 31, 2025, IRCC had 839,900 permanent residence applications in its inventory. Of these, 58% (or 483,500 applications) were processed within service standards, leaving 356,400 applications in the backlog. Notably, only 20% of Express Entry applications were considered backlog, meeting IRCC’s target of processing 80% of these applications on time.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applications through Express Entry saw an increase in backlog from 25% to 30% month-over-month, while the family sponsorship backlog remained stable at 15%.

Temporary Resident Applications

Temporary resident permits, which include work permits, study permits, and visitor visas, continued to have a higher backlog. As of January 31, only 51% of these applications were processed within service standards, leaving 493,700 applications in the backlog.

Visitor visas faced the highest backlog rate at 71%, up from the projected 62%. Study permit backlogs also rose from 43% to 45%. On a brighter note, work permit backlogs decreased significantly, dropping from 57% to 42% over the same period. This indicates IRCC’s increased focus on work permit processing.

Citizenship Grants

The backlog for citizenship applications remained relatively low. Of the 238,600 citizenship applications in inventory as of January 31, 2025, 82% were processed on time, leaving only 18% in the backlog.

How IRCC is Reducing the Backlog

Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan for 2025-27, released in October 2024, set lower permanent residence admission targets for the next three years. The government also introduced application caps, such as the recent cap on study permit applications and the Agri-Food Pilot. By restricting intake and adjusting targets, IRCC is working to manage its application inventory more effectively.

In January 2025, IRCC also announced plans to reduce its workforce by approximately 3,300 positions over three years. While this could raise concerns about processing delays, IRCC has stated that the cuts align with lower immigration targets. It remains to be seen how these adjustments will impact the overall backlog.