IRCC’s total application backlog drops to lowest level since July 2025
The immigration department's total application backlog has continued to shrink, with newly released figures for April 2026 showing it reached its lowest level since July 2025.
The most notable changes seen in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC’s) backlog update include:
- A record low of 9% for the Express Entry backlog;
- A 5% decrease in the study permit backlog; and
- A 3% increase in the work permit backlog.
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In total, there were 2,153,900 applications in IRCC's inventories as of April 30, of which 1,231,200 were processed within service standards, and 922,700 were deemed backlogged.
The table below allows for comparison of IRCC’s total application backlog since July 2025:
| Month | Total immigration backlog | Change relative to preceding month |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| January, 2026 | 990,300 | -2.41% |
| February, 2026 | 941,400 | -4.94% |
| March, 2026 | 935,000 | -0.68% |
| April, 2026 | 922,700 | -1.32% |
Permanent residence applications
As of April 30, there were 1,038,100 permanent residence (PR) applications in the immigration department’s backlog—an 18,900 month-over-month increase.
IRCC processed 480,400 (46%) of these applications within service standards, leaving 557,700 designated as backlog. This represents an increase in the number of applications processed within service standards, compared to the month prior (477,100).
In this category, IRCC includes Express Entry, enhanced Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and family sponsorship (outside Quebec) applications.
By April’s end, the Express Entry backlog was the lowest it's been since the department first began publishing these figures—9%, compared to a high of 32% seen just five months ago. For reference, the projected backlog for April was 20%.
The backlog for enhanced PNP applications continued its five-month decline, sitting at 37% as of April 30—down from 38% as of the end of March. This is within the projected backlog of 40% for the month, and the lowest level seen since February 2025.
For family sponsorship applications, the backlog rose slightly from 22% the month prior to 23% in April (against a projected backlog of 25%). This marks the highest backlog reported for this application type since April 2023.
From January 1 to April 30, the immigration department finalized 155,500 PR applications and welcomed 112,900 new PRs to Canada.
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Temporary residence applications
Canada’s immigration department ended April with 842,000 temporary residence applications in its inventory, 23,000 fewer than at the end of March.
Of these, IRCC processed 548,900 (64%) within its service standards, leaving 293,100 in the backlog.
For this category, IRCC counts initial work permits and study permits, as well as visitor visa applications.
The work permit backlog reached 37% as of April 30, up from 34% one month earlier and considerably higher than the projected backlog of 29%.
On the other hand, the study permit backlog dropped from 40% (March's end) to 35% by the end of April—despite this drop, the backlog was still higher than projections (27%).
The visitor visa backlog saw a modest decline, dropping to 45%—down from 46% the month prior.
Between January 1 to April 30, IRCC finalized a total of 145,000 study permit applications and 618,500 work permit applications—extensions included.
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Citizenship grants
By April’s end, IRCC has a total of 273,800 citizenship grant applications in its inventory—3,700 more than it did the month prior.
The department processed 211,900 (77%) of these within service standards, meaning 61,900 (23%) were designated as backlog—well within the projected backlog (25%).
This is the third consecutive month in which 23% of the department’s citizenship grant inventory has remained backlogged.
In April 2026, the department welcomed 24,200 new citizens to Canada.
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About IRCC’s service standards
IRCC’s service standards serve as internal benchmarks for how long different application types should normally take to process.
These standards define the typical time frame for finalizing most cases (80%) within each category. Applications that fall outside this threshold may involve more complex circumstances, incomplete documentation, or the need for further screening or verification.
Express Entry applications, for instance, are expected to be finalized within six months, while family sponsorship applications carry a service standard of 12 months.
Applications that exceed these timelines without a final decision are counted in the backlog.
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