Canada's immigration backlog drops by 6.5%, permanent residency rises by 8%

As Canada entered 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reported a significant reduction in its immigration backlog. Between November and December 2024, the number of applications under processing dropped by 64,200, from 2,267,700 to 2,119,900.

 

What is a backlog?

 

An application is considered part of the backlog if it exceeds the IRCC's published service standards. These standards represent the ideal processing time the department aims to meet. While IRCC strives to process 80% of applications within these standards, a higher number of applicants can lead to longer processing times, especially if demand outpaces capacity.

 

By December 31, 2024, Canada had 836,900 permanent residency applications under processing, putting the country on track to meet its target of welcoming 775,000 permanent residents between 2025 and 2026.

 

Breakdown of Canada’s immigration backlog data

 

The backlog varied across different types of applications:

 

Citizenship: The backlog increased by 3.84%, reaching 40,600 applications, reflecting a rise in new applications.

Permanent Residency: There was an 8.4% increase in the backlog, bringing the total to 344,700, indicating some categories are still under pressure.

Temporary Residency: This category saw a notable reduction of 14.23%, with the backlog dropping to 557,000, showing that IRCC has made headway in managing high-demand categories like work and study permits.

 

The overall backlog dropped by 6.4%, from 1,006,500 to 942,300 applications.

 

Applications processed within service standards

 

For applications processed within the department’s service standards:

 

Citizenship: There was a modest increase of 1.19%, with 191,600 applications processed within standards.

Permanent Residency: Applications meeting the service standards decreased by 3.6%, dropping to 492,200.

Temporary Residency: The sharpest drop occurred here, with a 12.22% decline, bringing the number processed within standards to 493,800.

 

Overall, the number of applications processed within standards fell by 6.63%, from 1,261,200 to 1,177,600.

 

IRCC's 2025 backlog projections

 

Looking ahead, the IRCC has projected continued progress in reducing backlogs. The following projections were made for 2025:

 

Citizenship: The backlog is expected to hover around 17%, with slight improvement.

Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): Both are projected to maintain a 20% backlog.

Spousal Sponsorship: The backlog is expected to remain steady at 15%.

Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs): The backlog, currently at 75%, is expected to decrease to 50% by February 2025.

Study and Work Permits: Both are set to see a decrease in backlog, with targets of 24% and 32%, respectively.

 

How is IRCC reducing the backlog?

 

Several strategies are being used to reduce the backlog. In October 2024, the federal government released its Immigration Levels Plan, which lowered targets for permanent resident admissions over the next three years. This, along with targeted reductions in temporary resident admissions, is expected to help streamline processing.

 

Other measures include virtual citizenship ceremonies and online portals for checking application statuses. Additionally, Canada's Federal Court introduced the Study Permit Pilot Project, which has cut wait times for judicial reviews of rejected study permit applications from 14-18 months to under five months.