IRCC’s backlog shrinks for the first time in months

As of October 31, there were 1,056,100 applications in Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s backlog.

This is a decrease of 3.73% from the 1,097,000 applications that remained in the backlog as of September 30.

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As per the data, the total number of applications in all IRCC inventories is 2,406,000, with 1,349,900 being processed within service standards.

This shows that the number of total applications has reduced (from 2,450,600), as has the number of applications being processed within service standards (from 1,353,600), as of September 30.

IRCC’s backlog had been steadily increasing since May 2024, making this the first time in months that the backlog has dropped month-over-month.

What is a backlog?

An application is considered part of the backlog if it exceeds IRCC’s published service standards.

These standards represent the timelines IRCC considers suitable for processing applications.

IRCC aims to process 80% of applications within its service standards. However, the department notes that if the number of applicants exceeds the available spots, it may not meet this target, leading to longer processing times in certain categories.

Permanent resident applications

As of October 31, IRCC had 830,300 total applications for permanent residence in its inventory.

Out of this, 519,200 (63%) were processed within service standards. That means 311,100 applications remained in the 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 (except Quebec).

IRCC doesn’t supply exact figures but has stated that the backlog for Express Entry applications at the end of October was 19%, an increase from the previous month’s 17%.

This is also higher than the percentage of projected backlog, which is 15%, but still within the service standard backlog of 20%.

Express Entry aligned PNP, on the other hand, increased to 25% against a projected 20%, showing a slightly larger backlog.

For spouses, partners, and children (except for Quebec), the backlog remained steady at 15% of applications, which is on par with the projected backlog.

Temporary residence applications

For temporary residents, out of 1,351,600 applications, 644,900 (or 48%) were processed within service standards.

Broken down by program, the percentage of temporary resident status applications has risen yet again, from 72% in September, to 74% as of October.

For study permits, the backlog decreased to 33% (it was previously 36%) while the work permit backlog also decreased marginally (from 47% to 46%).

Citizenship Grant

Since November 2023, the citizenship applications backlog is the only one that remains steady within the target percentage.

As of October, it remains steady at 17% — the same as at the end of September.

How is IRCC reducing the backlog?

In October, the federal government released the Immigration Levels Plan announcing a reduction in targets for permanent resident admissions over the next three years.

This Immigration Levels Plan also included targets for temporary resident admissions in the upcoming years.

Having lower targets in the upcoming years could help IRCC reduce its existing backlog.

The department has been undertaking other measures such as virtual citizenship ceremonies, and adding online portals for checking application statuses, to streamline processes.

In October, Canada’s Federal Court also announced the Study Permit Pilot Project to streamline the process of requesting judicial review for rejected study permit applications, reducing wait times from 14-18 months to under five months.

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