Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s backlog has been steadily increasing over the last few months.
According to the latest data released on November 4, there were 1,097,000 applications in the backlog as of September 30, 2024. That is an increase of 1.73% from the previous month.
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As of August 31, there were 1,078,300 applications in the backlog; while as of July 31, there were 1,002,400 applications in the backlog. The July backlog was already notable since it was the first time in months that the number had jumped to over a million.
The data also shows that the current inventory includes a total of 2,450,600 applications, with 1,353,600 applications being processed within service standards.
This is higher than the number of applications being processed in August (1,342,500), showing a 0.83% improvement by IRCC, even if the backlog continues to grow.
Defining the backlog
IRCC defines an application as part of the backlog if it hasn’t been processed within their published service standards. These standards represent the timelines IRCC considers suitable for processing each type of application, varying based on the pathway and the application’s specifics.
For instance, IRCC’s target is to process most Express Entry applications within six months of receiving a completed application.
The department says it aims to process 80% of its applications within service standards. However, IRCC also states that if there are more people who apply than available spaces, it may not be possible to achieve this goal and processing time can increase in certain categories.
Permanent resident applications
As of September 24, IRCC had 816,000 total applications for permanent residence in its inventory.
Out of this, 510,800 (63%) were processed within service standards. The remaining 305,200 were considered backlog.
This includes Express Entry programs, Express Entry-aligned streams of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and family sponsorship programs for spouses, partners, and children.
According to IRCC, 17% of Express Entry applications were considered backlog, which is lower than its target backlog of 20% but higher than its 15% projected backlog.
Express Entry aligned PNP was 23% against a projected 20%, showing a slightly larger backlog.
Finally, for spouses, partners, and children (except for Quebec), there was a backlog of 15% of applications, which is on par with the projected backlog.
Temporary residence applications
In sharp contrast, the percentage of backlog of temporary resident status applications has been increasing drastically over the last few months.
Out of 1,411,700 applications, only 658,000 were processed according to service standards. That brings the backlog percentage of temporary resident applications to 72%, a huge jump from the 49% backlog in July.
Broken down by program, the percentage of backlog for study permits was 36% while that for work permits was 47%.
Citizenship Grant
Since November 2023, the citizenship applications backlog is the only one that remains steady within the target percentage.
As of September 24, the percentage remains the same as August’s 17%.
How is IRCC reducing the backlog?
This is the first update to the processing times following the Immigration Levels Plan that was released on October 24 announcing a reduction in targets for permanent resident admissions over the next three years.
This Immigration Levels Plan is also historic for being the first to include targets for temporary resident admissions in the upcoming years. Lower targets might help IRCC reduce the existing backlog of temporary resident applications.
In October, Canada’s Federal Court also announced the Study Permit Pilot Project to streamline the process of requesting judicial review in cases of rejected study permit applications.
While the current processing time for judicial review is 14 to 18 months, those who apply under this pilot can complete the entire procedure in under five months.
IRCC says that other steps it has taken to reduce the backlog include prioritizing applications from workers in essential occupations and extending the validity of Post Graduation Work Permits for master’s degree graduates from two years to three years.
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