IRCC’s total backlog hits new highs, as Express Entry inventory plummets
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC’s) application backlog as of December 31, 2025, reached the highest level seen all year, following a relatively steady month-by-month increase since May of last year.
By 2025's end, the overall application backlog reached 1,014,700 applications.
The most notable change seen from IRCC’s recent update is attributable to the declining Express Entry backlog, which fell to 20% (compared to 32% the month prior).
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Overall, there were a total of 2,127,500 applications in IRCC’s inventories as of December 2025’s end, consisting of permanent residence (PR), temporary residence, and citizenship grant applications.
Of this total, 1,112,800 applications were being processed within service standards.
The table below provides a year-in-review snapshot, showing how the backlog as of December 31 compares to backlog levels throughout 2025.
| Month | Immigration backlog | Change relative to preceding month |
|---|---|---|
| January, 2025 | 891,100 | -5.33% |
| 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% |
| August, 2025 | 958,850 | +6.33% |
| September, 2025 | 996,700 | +3.95% |
| October, 2025 | 1,006,700 | +1.00% |
| November, 2025 | 1,005,800 | - 0.09% |
| December, 2025 | 1,014,700 | +0.88% |
Permanent residence applications
IRCC had a total of 973,800 PR applications in its inventory as of December 31. This is an increase of 32,200 applications compared to November 2025.
The following application types are counted in under this category:
- Express Entry applications;
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applications (enhanced); and
- Family sponsorship applications.
Of this total, 446,300 (46%) applications were processed within service standards, meaning 527,500 applications were considered backlogged.
Of the Express Entry applications, 20% were designated as backlog (down from 32% the month prior). This is well within IRCC’s projected December backlog of 30% for such applications.
The percentage of enhanced PNP applications deemed to be backlog also declined, from 53% as of November 2025’s end prior to 48% by the end of December—this is below IRCC’s projection for the month (55%).
As for the family sponsorship applications, the backlog increased modestly to 21% (up from 20% the month prior). The projected backlog for December 2025 was 20%.
Over the course of 2025, IRCC assessed 441,000 PR applications, and welcomed 393,500 new PRs into Canada.
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Temporary residence applications
The latest figures released by IRCC show that as of December 31, the department had 910,900 temporary resident applications in its inventory (a decrease of 31,100 applications from the month prior).
IRCC counts work permits and study permits (including extensions), and visitor visas as part of this category.
Of the total temporary residence applications, 483,000 (53%) were processed within service standards—resulting in 427,900 applications deemed backlog.
As of December 31, the work permit backlog was at 46%, down from 49% as of November 30. While declining, it still exceeds the projected backlog for the month: 43%.
The study permit backlog, on the other hand, has remained the same as the month prior: 36% (well within the 43% projected backlog for this application type).
For visitor visas, the percentage of such applications considered backlog dropped slightly to 56% as of December 31 compared to 57% as of November’s end. This figure was within the 61% projected backlog for the month.
In 2025, the immigration department finalized 605,900 study permit applications, and 328,900 work permit applications.
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Citizenship grants
As of December 31, IRCC had 242,800 citizenship grant applications in its inventory—4,300 less than it did compared to November 30.
Of this total, 183,500 (76%) were being processed within service standards, leaving 59,300 citizenship grant applications designated as backlog.
As such, 24% of applications were backlogged (compared to the prior 23%), slightly exceeding the projected backlog for December 2025: 23%.
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About IRCC’s service standards
IRCC uses service standards as internal performance targets to track how long different types of applications should take to process.
These standards set the expected time frame for finalizing most files in each category.
For instance, IRCC aims to process Express Entry applications in about six months, while family sponsorship files are generally targeted for completion within 12 months.
When a file exceeds the applicable service standard without a final decision, IRCC categorizes it as part of the backlog.
IRCC aims to finalize 80% of applications within these timelines, while accepting that roughly 20% will require additional time because they may be more complex, require further documentation, or involve extra screening and verification.
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