Canada Immigration Backlog: High Demand, Persistent Delays

Canada immigration backlog has decreased for several months, reaching a total number of 760,200 as of 30 April 2025 across all IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) inventories. While the overall backlog is going down, some specific programs still face significant challenges and long processing times, especially temporary residence, study permits, work permits, and the Start-up Visa (SUV).

Considering that a couple of months prior, on 28 February, 821,200 applicants were in backlog, the IRCC has kept its inventories below the one million mark. This means more applications are processed within the expected timeframes.

Immigration policies in Canada grant foreigners the right to enter, live, work, or study within its borders. This immigration system is key to Canada’s economic strategy, business opportunities, and investment expansion. In this article, you can find out how the current backlog is affecting applicants, its potential causes, and future projections.

Read more about:

• Reasons for Canada Processing Delays
• How long is the Canada immigration backlog?
• What to expect in the future?

What is a backlog?

Canada has a queue of immigration applications that takes longer to process with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Applications in the inventory become part of the backlog when they exceed the department’s service standards.

Applicants in backlog face longer processing times, resubmissions, and renewals. This could happen for several reasons, such as a high volume of applicants, policy changes, incomplete documentation, complex cases, and external factors.

Current Canada Immigration Backlog: Overview

As of 30 April 2025, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had 2,041,800 applications across all inventories. About 1,281,600 are within service standards, and 760,200 are in backlog or exceeding service standards. In 2024, the IRCC processed over seven million applications in all its programs.

The number of applications stuck in the backlog is steadily decreasing, currently below one million. However, the Canadian immigration backlog faces higher processing times in some categories, especially temporary visas and business immigration.

Here is a breakdown of backlog percentages as of April 2025:

• Federal High-Skilled (Express Entry): This category had 22 percent of applications backlogged, higher than IRCC’s estimated target of 20 percent.
• Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry): This category has a much higher backlog, at 49 percent, compared to 35 percent of initial admission targets.
• Spouses, partners, and children (except Quebec): The family sponsorship backlog is performing relatively well, with only 14 percent of applications in backlog, which aligns with the IRCC’s target of 15 percent.
• Temporary Resident Visas (TRV): The temporary residency category has the highest backlog of applications, at 54 percent, compared to the initial target of 38 percent.
• Study permits: Study permit applications face long processing times, with 30 percent of applicants in backlog compared to the 15 percent target range.
• Work permits: This category has one of the longest queues, with 36 percent of backlog applicants versus the 26 percent of admission targets.
• Citizenship Grants: This category has a relatively stable queue with 19 percent of backlog applications as opposed to the 17 percent target range.

Reasons for Canada Processing Delays

The persistent backlog happens for several reasons, such as:

• Too many applications: Canada admits more immigrants per capita than most countries. Because of the sheer number of people applying for immigration applications, you are more likely to wait longer and face significant delays.
• 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.
• Policy changes: Immigration laws and regulations are constantly changing. For example, the Canada Startup Visa recently added changes to annual application caps, limiting applications to ten startups per designated organization.
• 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 and the Start-up Visa.
• 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.

How long is the Canada immigration backlog?

As of 30 April 2025, the total Canada immigration backlog is 760,200 in all inventories. About 594,200 applications for temporary residence are within service standards, which is 65 percent of the total applications.

“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.

Statistics for permanent residency applications

Between January and April 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) finalized 156,450 decisions and offered permanent residence to 132,100 people.

In January 2025, processing times decreased for the Federal High-Skilled (Express Entry) programs. Over the next two months, more immigration applications were backlogged, causing longer wait times. In April, the queue came closer to the projected backlog range.

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) through Express Entry faced significantly longer processing times than some other immigration pathways. With backlogs ranging from 30 to 49 percent, people are more likely to end up in a queue when applying for permanent residence with PNPs.

Family sponsorship applications are doing relatively well. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) processes permanent resident admissions very quickly for dependent family members who don’t intend to live in Quebec. The family sponsorship backlog remained low in the last four months.

Statistics for temporary residency applications

Many foreigners who apply for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) face long wait times. Current queues are significantly higher than the projected backlog target range and keep increasing.

International students often struggle with long processing times when applying for study permits. In April, 30 percent of study permits applications were backlogged, as opposed to the 15 percent target range.

In January 2025, work permits in Canada seemed to be getting closer to the projected backlog target range. But backlogs drastically increased in March (42 percent) and April (36 percent), causing many workers to wait before employment.

Statistics for Canadian citizenship applications

In 2025, Canada approved 20,000 new citizens. Citizenship grants are processed at a relatively moderate pace with lower wait times.

What to expect in the future?

You can expect a positive backlog trend in the next three years as officials prioritize efficiency. The goal of the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is to process 80 percent of applications within their service standards.

But, despite significant efforts to reduce backlogs, it’s difficult for all immigration systems to meet the IRCC’s published service standards.

Study permit applications may continue to face challenges with application backlogs due to imposed caps. For 2025, the IRCC intends to issue up to 437,000 study permits, which is ten percent lower than the 2024 cap.

Canada’s most recent Immigration Levels Plan (2025-2025) drastically lowered the permanent resident targets: 395,000 (for 2025), 380,000 (for 2026), and 365,000 (for 2027). Officials believe that accepting fewer permanent residents can improve processing times and simplify the decision making process.

Frequently Asked Questions About Canada Immigration Backlog

Why does Canadian immigration take so long?

The IRCC usually takes longer if you didn’t properly fill out your application, use a correct payment method, or forgot to include important documents. Other things can cause delays, such as security or medical screenings, personal interviews, and many new applications.

How many backlogs are allowed in Canada?

Canada doesn’t have a fixed amount of backlogs. The IRCC has service standards and internal processing targets. For 2025, their goal is to process 80 percent within their published service standards, which means they expect about 20 percent to fall into the projected backlog.

Why is immigration process so slow in Canada?

Canada has high standards, many people applying, complex cases, and strict immigration programs to process. Projected backlogs often happen because of high demand, thorough security checks, and incomplete documentation.

How long does it take to get approved for immigration to Canada?

Every immigration program has different processing times. For example, if you are applying for the SUV program, the average processing takes about 40 months. You can check your application status on the Canada Startup Visa official website.

Is Canada still looking for immigrants?

Yes, Canada welcomes immigrants of all nationalities. However, the country faces a projected backlog in various immigration applications, including visitor visa applications, work permits, and permanent residence through Express Entry and the Start-up Visa. Efforts are ongoing to streamline processes and reduce wait times across all immigration applications.

How hard is it for an American to move to Canada?

US citizens have a great chance of moving to Canada, especially through the program Express Entry. Although there is an application backlog across all immigration applications, Express Entry applications for permanent residence often get processed in about five to six months. You have a strong chance of getting approved if you have in-demand skills, experience, or knowledge.

Can you immigrate to Canada if you are over 55?

It’s not impossible, but it will be very difficult. Immigration programs in Canada are designed to attract younger people. They use a point-based immigration system to assess, manage application backlog, and choose applicants. You get extra points for education, experience, language, and skills. But you can lose points due to old age. You can explore options like the Start-up Visa, Express Entry, work permits, or visitor visa applications.

Is the family sponsorship backlog impacting immigration levels?

Yes, the family sponsorship backlog affects how quickly family sponsorship applications are processed within service standards. While immigration levels have targets for applications submitted annually, not all applications submitted reach the ideal processing time within a couple of months and can take longer.

Does the Federal government manage work permit backlogs?

Yes, the Federal government actively aims to manage inventories of work permits and Express Entry applications. While application caps sometimes exist, especially for the Start-up Visa, the goal is to have most applications, including Express Entry, processed within service standards.