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Canada’s Immigration Backlog Continues to Improve: Inventory Drops to 892,000 in the First Month of 2025
Published Date: March 6, 2025

Total Backlog Stays Below One Million for Two Consecutive Months

According to data released by IRCC on January 31, 2025, the total immigration backlog stood at 892,000 cases, down 5.33% from 942,000 at the end of December 2024. Since August 2024, the backlog has decreased by a total of 17.3%. During the same period, IRCC’s total inventory of applications fell from 2.119 million to 2.076 million, with the number of applications processed within service standards increasing from 1.177 million to 1.184 million.

Definition and Classification of Backlogs

IRCC defines a “backlog” as applications that exceed its published service standards. For example, Express Entry applications exceeding six months and family sponsorship applications exceeding 12 months are considered backlogged. The latest data shows significant differences across application categories.

Permanent Resident Programs: Surge in Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Backlogs

As of the end of January 2025, there were 839,000 permanent residence applications, with 58% processed within service standards and a backlog rate of 42%.

  • Express Entry: 20% of applications exceeded processing time limits (80% still met the six-month processing target).
  • Provincial Nominee Program (PNP, Express Entry stream): The backlog rate increased from 25% in December 2024 to 30%.
  • Family Sponsorship: The backlog rate remained stable at 15%, aligning with expectations.

Temporary Resident Programs: Visitor Visa Backlog Hits 71%

Among 998,000 temporary resident applications, only 504,000 (51%) were processed on time, leaving a backlog of 493,000 cases. There were stark differences across categories:

  • Visitor visas: 71% of applications were backlogged, 9 percentage points above expectations.
  • Study permits: The backlog rate increased from 43% to 45%.
  • Work permits: The backlog rate dropped sharply from 57% to 42%, indicating a significant improvement in processing efficiency.

Citizenship Applications: 82% Processed on Time

Among 238,000 citizenship applications, 82% met service standards, with a backlog rate of just 18%—the lowest among all categories.

Policy Adjustments and Potential Challenges

To further address backlog issues, the Canadian government released the 2025-27 Immigration Levels Plan in October 2024, which aims to reduce permanent residence intake targets over the next three years and set caps on certain immigration programs.

At the beginning of 2025, the government implemented intake caps for study permits and permanent residence applications under the Agri-Food Pilot; the latter has already reached its annual quota and is no longer accepting new applications. Additionally, IRCC has announced plans to cut approximately 3,300 jobs over the next three years, raising concerns about processing efficiency and potential delays. Balancing process optimization and human resource adjustments will be a key challenge for Canada’s future immigration management.

  • Study permit application caps for 2025
  • Permanent residence application limits under the Agri-Food Pilot
  • Planned reduction of approximately 3,300 jobs over the next three years

Conclusion

IRCC has recently made progress in reducing application volumes and improving processing efficiency, but key areas such as PNP, visitor visas, and study permits continue to face significant pressure. Moving forward, how the Canadian government manages both job cuts and lower immigration targets will directly impact immigration and study permit processing efficiency as well as applicant experience.

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