IRCC backlog rises in July

As of July 31, there were 901,700 applications in Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) backlog.

This marks the third month in a row with an increase in the backlog, compared to the months prior.

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Here’s a look at the backlog over the last six months.

Month	Immigration backlog	Change relative to preceding month
February, 2025	821,200	-7.95%
March, 2025	779,900	-5.03%
April, 2025	760,200	-2.53%
May, 2025	802,000	+5.5%
June, 2025	842,800	+5.02%
July, 2025	901,700	+6.98

The total number of applications in all IRCC inventories was 2,226,600, with 1,324,900 processed within service standards, as of July 31.

What is IRCC's backlog?

IRCC considers applications part of its backlog if it exceeds published service standards.

The department aims to finalize immigration applications within these service standards. For example, the immigration department seeks to process Express Entry applications within six months, whereas family sponsorship applications have a service standard of 12 months.

When an application isn’t finalized within these service standards, it is classified as part of the backlog.

IRCC aims to process 80% of applications within its standard processing times. However, more complex applications that need extra documentation may take longer than the usual time frame.

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Permanent Resident applications

As of July 31, IRCC had a total of 892,400 applications in its inventory for permanent residence (PR) immigration programs. These include Express Entry, Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams, and family sponsorship applications.

Out of this, around half (448,900 applications) were processed within IRCC’s service standards. This leaves 443,500 applications as part of the backlog, an increase from the number of applications at the end of June (415,800).

While the immigration department doesn’t provide specific figures, they noted that 21% of Express Entry applications were considered backlog – an uptick from the previous month’s 20%.

When it comes to PNP applications through Express Entry, the percentage of applications in the backlog remained mostly unchanged compared to the prior month – moving from 48% to 49%. It's worth noting that this percentage has shot up since the end of last year when it was just 25% (in December 2024).

As of June 2025, the family sponsorship backlog was at 15%, an uptick from the previous month’s 14%. 

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 Temporary resident permit applications

As of July end, there were 1,079,300 applications for temporary residence in IRCC’s inventory. Of these, 669,900 (62%) were processed within service standards. This is a drop compared to the previous month, when 64% of applications were processed within service standards.

That leaves 409,400 applications in the backlog.

This category consists of work permits, study permits, and visitor visas.

When it comes to work permits, the percentage of applications in the backlog increased to 46%, compared to the end of June when it was 40%.

Meanwhile, the percentage of study permit applications in the backlog rose to 23%, compared to June’s 18%.

Finally, the percentage of applications in the backlog for visitor visas has also increased from 53% at the end of June to 56% at the end of July.

Citizenship Grants

The citizenship applications backlog remains consistent within the target percentage remaining at 19% - the same as the end of June.

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