Canada Immigration Backlog 2026: High Demand, Persistent Delays  

As of 31 May 2026, IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) reported 705,315 permanent residence applications, 404,070 temporary residence applications and 408,385 citizenship applications not yet finalized. 

This figure represents permanent residence, temporary residence, and Canadian citizenship applications still pending processing and finalization by an immigration officer.  

Note that as of 21 July 2026, IRCC no longer provides the proportion of the inventory that is being processed within service standards, either overall or by category. Now, applications that are not yet finalized are split into “in processing” and “waiting for space under yearly targets” segments. This applies to the permanent residence categories shown by IRCC.  

The latest update shows that between 1 January 2026 and 31 May 2026, IRCC finalized a total of 1,648,965 applications across different categories.  In this article, you can find out how the current backlog is affecting applicants, its potential causes, and what to expect between 2026 to 2028.  

Note: This data was last checked: 28 July 2026 – IRCC data as of 31 May 2026 

Canada Immigration Backlog – Key Takeaways

Canada has a backlog of immigration applications that take longer to process with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). 

As of 31 May 2026, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had 1,517,770 applications across all inventories: 705,315 permanent residence applications, 408,385 citizenship applications, and 404,070 temporary residence applications. 

The delays are uneven. As of 31 May 2026, 25 percent of Economic applications were waiting for admission spaces, against 40 percent for Family and 46 percent for Protection. 

Canada’s admission targets are fixed through 2028 at 380,000 permanent residents a year, so applications beyond that ceiling are put on the waitlist. 

Canada has a queue of immigration applications waiting to be processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The department calls this queue its inventory: Every application it has received but not yet approved, refused, or withdrawn. 

In the past, an application counted as backlogged once it exceeded IRCC’s service standard – the timeframe the department aims to decide within. IRCC still sets service standards and still reports processing performance for individual programs, but it no longer publishes how much of its inventory falls outside those standards. So, currently, the backlog refers to the inventory as a whole. 

Applicants in the queue face longer processing times, resubmissions, and renewals. This could be due to a high volume of applicants, limited admission spaces, policy changes, incomplete documentation, complex cases, and other external factors.

As of 31 May 2026, 1,517,770 applications were awaiting a final decision across all IRCC inventories. IRCC no longer publishes how many of these fall inside or outside its service standards, but it does report processing performance for individual programs. 

• Express Entry: About 79 percent of Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class applicants received a decision within the six-month service standard between June 2025 and May 2026, and about 50 percent within four months or less 
• Spouses, partners and children outside Quebec: About 14 months over the same period 
• International adoptions: at least two years, even when everything goes smoothly 

Some applicants move faster. IRCC has introduced two-week processing for study permit applicants at the PhD level, and 14-day work permit processing for up to 5,000 licensed doctors with job offers nominated through the Provincial Nominee Program. For program-specific estimates, IRCC’s check processing times tool is updated more frequently than these figures. 

“We are seeing steady progress in application processing for high-net worth investors, but public service cuts always hurt the most vulnerable population, leaving countless workers and students in limbo”, says Jelena Sivcev, Strategy and Business Developer at Global Citizen Solutions. Application processing varies across citizenship grants, temporary, and permanent resident programs. 

As of 31 May 2026, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had 1,517,770 applications across all inventories: 705,315 permanent residence applications, 408,385 citizenship applications, and 404,070 temporary residence applications.  

Between 1 January and 31 May 2026, the department finalized 1,648,965 applications across all its programs. IRCC’s inventory page now splits applications into two groups:  

• Those actively in processing, and  
• Those waiting for available admission spaces under the annual targets in the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.  

This means, as an applicant concerned about processing times, your application can be waiting simply because spaces have run out for the year, not because an officer hasn’t gotten to it yet. Applications also face higher processing times in some categories, especially temporary visas and business immigration.  

Here is a breakdown of backlog counts as of 31 May 2026: 

Permanent residence 

Economic 

This category covers Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, the Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots, and the federal business programs. It had 238,335 applications awaiting a decision. 75 percent were in processing, and 25 percent were waiting for space. IRCC finalized 111,000 economic applications between January and May. 

Family 

The family category has 159,765 applications waiting to be completed by IRCC: 60 percent were processing, and 40 percent were waiting for space. The department finalized 45,900 applications in the first five months of the year. This category covers family reunification and international adoption, including sponsorship of spouses, partners, and dependent children, and the Parents and Grandparents Program. 

Protection 

This is the largest permanent residence queue, at 307,215 applications. It covers protected persons in Canada, government-assisted refugees, privately sponsored refugees, and those on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. This category is also the one most affected by admission spaces; 54 percent were in processing, while 46 percent were waiting for space. IRCC completed 42,800 applications here between January and May.  

Temporary residence (new applications only, not extensions) 

Visitor visas 

This category has by far the longest queue, with 337,365 applications awaiting a decision. It is also the highest-volume one by a wide margin: IRCC finalized 1,073,755 visitor visa applications between January and May. 

Work permits 

35,040 applications were awaiting finalization, with 140,775 completed since 1 January. 

Study permits 

31,665 applications were awaiting finalization, with 74,370 finalized since 1 January. Volumes here fluctuate seasonally, as most international students begin studies in the fall or winter. 

Citizenship 

Citizenship grants 

326,365 applications were awaiting a final decision, while IRCC welcomed 131,420 new citizens between January and May. 

Proof of citizenship 

Now reported separately for the first time, this category had 82,020 applications awaiting finalization, with 28,940 certificates issued since 1 January. 

Looking to invest and immigrate? Read our ultimate guide on Canada Business Immigration. 

The persistent backlog happens for several reasons, such as:

• Limited admissions spaces: The Immigration Levels Plan caps the number of people Canada admits each year, and divides those spaces across categories. IRCC states that when it receives more applications for a program than there are spaces available, some must wait until space opens in a future year, which increases processing times.  
• Incorrect or incomplete documentation: If your application is incomplete, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) spends more time reviewing, requesting, and processing your data. 
• Strict screening process: The government only accepts the most qualified individuals to come to the country who can benefit the economy and fill labor shortages, mainly for economic class programs. 
• Background and security checks: If you have moved a lot in the last couple of years, have court backlogs, or verification issues, you can face a longer application backlog. 

The Canada 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets the number of people Canada will admit each year. The plan runs for three years and decides how much space each immigration category gets. The official 2026 targets are: 

• Economic: 239,800 
• Family: 84,000 
• Refugees and Protected Persons: 49,300 
• Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other: 6,900.  

All targets are measured in people. 

Based on the plan, permanent residence stays flat at 380,000 for all three years. Temporary residents fall, and the cut lands almost entirely on Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-based work permits: The Temporary Foreign Worker Program drops from 60,000 to 50,000, while the International Mobility Program holds steady at 170,000. 

The temporary category targets cover only new students and workers. They do not apply to visitor visas, electronic travel authorizations, permit extensions, applications made from inside Canada, or asylum claimants. Post-Graduation Work Permits are also excluded, because IRCC treats them as an extension rather than a new arrival. 

Also, the 2027 and 2028 figures are notional. IRCC confirms or adjusts them by 1 November each year, when the next plan is tabled.