IRCC reports progress on clearing immigration backlog
The backlog at Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been steadily decreasing in recent months.
The total number of applications in the department’s backlog was 821,200 as of February 28.
Consult with an experienced immigration representative
Considering that just a month prior the backlog was at 892,100, this shows a reduction of a noticeable 7.95%.
Coupled with the fact that this marks the third consecutive month the backlog has remained below the 1 million mark, it signals consistent progress in application processing by the IRCC.
For further context, here is a look at the overall immigration backlog as of the final day of each of the last six months:
| Month | Immigration Backlog | Change relative to preceding month |
| September, 2024 | 1,097,000 | +1.73% |
| October, 2024 | 1,056,100 | -3.73% |
| November, 2024 | 1,006,500 | -4.70% |
| December, 2024 | 942,300 | -6.38% |
| January, 2025 | 892,100 | -5.33% |
| February, 2025 | 821,200 | -7.95% |
As of February 28, IRCC has 2,029,400 applications, in total, in its inventory. Of these, 1,208,200 applications were processed within service standards.
What is a backlog?
Applications are considered part of the backlog if they are not processed within IRCC’s published service standards. These standards are the timeline that IRCC considers reasonable for processing an application.
The service standard varies depending on the type of application. For example, Express Entry applications have a service standard of six months while family sponsorship applications have a service standard of 12 months.
Therefore, Express Entry applications that take over six months or family sponsorship applications that take over 12 months to process are considered part of the backlog.
IRCC says it is committed to processing 80% of all applications within service standards. The remaining 20% are applications deemed more complex, or requiring additional time.
Current backlog
Permanent resident applications
As of February 28, 2025, IRCC had 842,600 applications in total in its inventory for permanent residence immigration programs. This includes the Express Entry program, Express Entry-aligned streams of the Provincial Nominee Program, and the family sponsorship programs.
Of these 478,600 (or 57%) were being processed within service standards, leaving 364,000 applications in the backlog.
The department doesn’t supply exact figures but noted that 25% of Express Entry applications were considered backlog, higher than the department’s target backlog of 20%.
As for Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) applications (through Express Entry), the backlog rose significantly to 36% as of the end of February 2025 (compared to 30% as of the previous month).
This suggests a rising percentage of PNP applicants in Express Entry awaiting decisions on their applications.
On the other hand, family sponsorship backlog remains well within the projected range. As of the end of February 2025, it stands at just 14% — down from 15% the previous month.
Temporary resident permit applications
As of February end, 56% of applications for temporary residency were being processed within service standards. This includes work permits, study permits, and visitor visas.
Out of 947,200 applications in the inventory, only 532,700 were processed within service standards.
That leaves 414,500 applications in the backlog.
Breaking it down by program, visitor visas have the highest percentage of applications in the backlog.
As of February 28, 65% of all visitor visa applications were in the backlog, against a projected backlog of 50%.
For study permits, the backlog stayed consistent with last month at 45%, although the projected backlog fell to 24%
On the other hand, the percentage of work permits in the backlog has been decreasing rapidly, signalling that IRCC is prioritizing these applications. As of February 28, only 34% of applications remained in the backlog – the lowest this figure has dropped since July 2023.
Citizenship grants
As with last month, citizenship applications remain within the threshold of the projected backlog.
Citizenship still has the smallest backlog, with only 239,600 applications in total. Of these, 196,900 (or 82%) were processed within service standards.
That leaves only 18% as the backlog.
How is IRCC reducing the backlog?
IRCC has been working towards reducing its backlog. Some factors that have helped:
Technological enhancements: In a notice released in November 2024, the department announced that it would be using advanced analytics and automation to improve processing times. These new technologies were implemented to assist with routine decisions, sort applications, identify cases needing further checks, and summarize information for officers.
Application caps: Implementing caps on certain immigration programs – for example, study permit applications – can help the department better manage inventories.
Lower immigration targets: The Immigration Levels Plan 2025-27, released on October 24, 2024, outlines a reduction in PR admission targets over the next three years. Lower immigration targets can also help the department manage application inventories more efficiently.
Consult with an experienced immigration representative
- Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
- Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
