As of February 1st, the IRCC’s immigration applications backlog stands at 1.8 million people, but the federal department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) is showing significant improvement in processing immigration and study permit applications.
As per IRCC, this backlog includes applications from candidates among different immigration categories, including future citizens, temporary residents, permanent residents, international students, and visitors. A total of 1,815,628 persons are waiting for IRCC’s decision on their applications if we add applications from all the above-mentioned categories. This backlog stood at 1,813,1444 persons in December 2021, which means that in a duration of 48 days, the backlog has increased by 0.1 percent (that is, 2,484 persons).
On the other hand, the IRCC reported a backlog of 1,791,936 persons in October 2021, which increased by 1 percent between October and December; thus, it is safe to conclude that the backlog appears to be reducing. Prior to October, the backlog was reported around 1,448,000.
Data Reporting (in this article)
The data shown below demonstrates the number of people who are still waiting for IRCC to process their applications.
The February 1st data that is being reported in this article is mentioned accurately as it was released by the federal department of IRCC. This updated data released by the IRCC does not show the breakdown of inventory under different economic, refugee, family, as well as humanitarian class programs.
Permanent residence inventory reduced by more than 29,000 persons compared to October inventory.
Since October 2021, the backlog of permanent residence applications has been down by 29,615 persons.
The maximum improvement has been seen under the processing of applications under the economic class, which has experienced a reduction of more than 25,000 persons in the inventory, followed by the family class inventory, which is down by 9,200 persons.
| Immigration category | Inventory reported on February 1 | Inventory reported on December 15 | Inventory reported on October 27 | Difference (October 27 – February 1) |
| Economic Class | 230,573 | 234,770 | 255,587 | -25,014 |
| Family Class | 102,222 | 105,298 | 111,443 | -9,221 |
| Humanitarian and Compassionate/Public Policy | 27,436 | 27,520 | 28,319 | -883 |
| Permit Holders Class | 21 | 24 | 19 | +2 |
| Protected Persons | 158,778 | 157,658 | 152,827 | +5,951 |
| Total (in Persons) | 519,030 | 525,270 | 548,195 | -29,165 |
Permanent Residence pendency reduced compared to December 2021 inventory.
If we compare the February Permanent Residence inventory with the December numbers, it can be seen the immigration backlog has reduced by 6,240 persons, indicating the progress made by the IRCC within the span of 48 days.
Within this duration, the economic class experienced a reduction of around 4,200 persons in its inventory while the family class experienced a drop of about 3,100 persons.
| Immigration category | Inventory reported on February 1 | Inventory reported on December 15 | Difference (December 15 – February 1) |
| Economic Class | 230,573 | 234,770 | -4,197 |
| Family Class | 102,222 | 105,298 | -3,076 |
| Humanitarian and Compassionate/Public Policy | 27,436 | 27,520 | -84 |
| Permit Holders Class | 21 | 24 | -3 |
| Protected Persons | 158,778 | 157,658 | +1,120 |
| Total (in Persons) | 519,030 | 525,270 | -6,240 |
IRCC is now improving FSWP applications processing.
They are now processing around 800 applications per week.
IRCC has started to process the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) applications at a higher rate.
In December 2021, the federal department of IRCC reported that they are finalizing only 600 FSWP applications in a month. This is important to note, as, since 1967, the FSWP has been the major economic immigration pathway to Canada among skilled workers. Furthermore, effective June 2021, Canada had eliminated the travel restrictions, which gives extra motivation to the IRCC to start with the processing of additional FSWP applications.
However, the rationale that the federal department has provided for processing a small number of FSWP applications throughout the last year was that it prioritized landing maximum in-Canada applicants to help achieve the goal of landing 401,000 new immigrants in 2021.
The updated data released by the IRCC indicates that the department has again shifted its focus on FSWP applications, as the FSWP backlog has reduced by around 4,800 persons since December 2021. This indicates that since the last six weeks, the department has been processing around 800 applications a week on an average, which is significantly higher as compared to the previous average of 150 applications per week.
The fact that IRCC processing slows down in December owing to the winter holidays may also be another reason giving hope to FSWP candidates. In other words, it means that IRCC will be in a better position to continue processing FSWP applications at a faster rate through this year.
Unsurprisingly, the inventory for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants is significantly lower now compared to the backlogs in October 2021. The backlog for CEC applicants stood at 48,225 persons in October 2021, which decreased to 24,675 persons in December. The backlog further fell down to 15,100 persons in February, meaning a reduction of more than 9,500 persons since December.
The above number indicates that at this rate, the federal department will soon be able to eliminate the CEC backlogs within the next few months. The low inventory of CEC candidates is the result of IRCC prioritizing their applications throughout the last year in order to meet its target of landing 401,000 new immigrants. In addition, starting September, IRCC has temporarily halted the Express Entry invitations to CEC candidates as an effort to reduce inventory and restore its processing service standards for Express Entry applicants.
Sean Fraser, the immigration minister of Canada, has frequently stated that the halting of issuing Express Entry invitations to both CEC and FSWP candidates (which has been in place since December 2020) is temporary, and these invitations will resume issuing invitations to candidates under both programs once the department is more comfortable in managing the existing backlogs.
It is notable that since December, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Caregiver Program have been the key contributors in the increasing inventory among economic class candidates. The increasing inventory through PNP is explainable, as both IRCC and the provinces and territories continued have been issuing invitations to PNP applicants during the pandemic to support the economic requirements of different Canadian regions. Express Entry has been issuing invitations to PNP candidates on a bi-weekly basis, generally on Wednesday, and Canadian provinces are still conducting draws for PNP at regular intervals, which varies with every province (as some provinces hold once a week, some hold several times a month, and some hold in every few months).
On the other hand, the increasing inventory in the Caregiver Program is explainable as in January; the IRCC reopened two Caregiver pilot streams. These two streams take up to 2,750 applications each, and considering the popularity; these streams tend to quickly fill up once the IRCC reopens these at the beginning of every year.
| Immigration category | Inventory reported on February 1 | Inventory reported on December 15 | Difference (December 15 – February 1) |
| Canadian Experience Class (EE) | 15,139 | 24,675 | -9,536 |
| Federal Skilled Workers (EE) | 49,751 | 54,529 | -4,778 |
| Federal Self-Employed (Federal Business) | 5,396 | 4,999 | +397 |
| Caregiver Program (Caring For Children Program) | 16,085 | 12,539 | +3,546 |
| Provincial/Territorial Nominees (EE) | 68,682 | 39,325 (EE) + 27,421 (no EE) | +1,936 |
| Quebec Skilled Workers | 25,263 | 27,048 | -1,785 |
| Quebec Business (Quebec Investor) | 14,117 | 14,610 | -493 |
| Total Inventory in Economic Class | 230,573 | 234,770 | -4,197 |
Inventory under Family Class reduced by 9,200 applications compared to October inventory.
Compared to the October 2021 numbers, the backlogs of family class applications have reduced by more than 9,200 persons. A majority of the decrease has been seen in the Parents and Grandparents Program inventory.
Over the last few years, IRCC held a PGP lottery, and then the invited candidates are required to submit their complete PGP applications within the given time frame. The federal department of IRCC takes the remaining of the year to process these applications, and once these PGP applications are processed, IRCC opens a new intake. No information has been shared on the PGP 2022 until now, but we are aware the department aims to land 23,500 immigrants under this program this year.
Furthermore, the inventory of applications for partners, spouses, and children has also seen a little reduction, as the backlog decreased by 1,700 persons as compared to the inventory in October 2021. The possible explanation for IRCC facing challenges in reducing this backlog is that the department receives these applications on a recurring basis.
According to the IRCC, the processing standards for new spousal applications are back on track to 12 months. Furthermore, the department has also recently introduced a new online portal that enables spousal and child sponsors as well as the applicants to track the status of their applications.
| Immigration category | Inventory reported on February 1 | Inventory reported on December 15 | Inventory reported on October 27 | Difference (October 27 – February 1) |
| FCH-Family relations – H&C | 3,350 | 3,465 | 3,719 | -369 |
| Parents and Grandparents | 36,046 | 38,122 | 43,223 | -7,177 |
| Spouses, partners, children, other family | 62,826 | 63,711 | 64,501 | -1,675 |
| Total Inventory in Family Class | 102,222 | 105,298 | 111,443 | -9,221 |
Backlog for Temporary Residence applications increased by about 73,000 persons compared to October numbers.
The backlog for study permit applicants has decreased by 9,600 persons since October 2021. However, the total temporary residence inventory increased by around 73,000 persons within the same duration.
The possible explanation behind the increasing inventory is that the IRCC accepts these applications on a continuous basis. Moreover, throughout the pandemic, the demand for certain categories of temporary residence applications has gone up. For example, the demand for work permits is more considering a number of reasons, including the growing workforce requirements of Canada, the huge number of foreign students transiting to Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders, and existing work permit holders applying for the extension of their legal status in Canada.
One of the major reasons that have significantly contributed to the rising temporary residence inventory is the temporary pause in CEC invitations, due to which candidates willing to pursue CEC are considering extending their temporary stay in the country waiting for CEC invitations to resume so that they can submit their immigration application.
Overall, during the pandemic, Canada introduced additional temporary residence measures to enable in-Canada candidates to maintain their legal status so that these candidates can apply for permanent residence, support Canada’s economy, and are not forced to leave the country.
January is one of the busiest months for foreign students arriving in Canada enrolling in the winter academic sessions, which could explain the improvement in the inventory of study permits.
| TR category | Inventory reported on February 1 | Inventory reported on December 15 | Inventory reported on October 27 | Difference (October 27 – February 1) |
| Study Permit | 112,185 | 122,476 | 121,806 | -9,621 |
| Study Permit Extension | 26,479 | 24,461 | 24,551 | +1,928 |
| Temporary Resident Permit | N/A | 6,726 | N/A | N/A |
| Temporary Resident Visa | 420,097 | 403,752 | 384,733 | +35,364 |
| Visitor Record | 65,093 | 60,499 | 59,589 | +5,504 |
| Work Permit | 85,526 | 78,080 | 73,177 | +12,349 |
| Work Permit Extension | 139,218 | 123,880 | 111,885 | +27,333 |
| Total (in Persons) | 848,598 | 819,874 | 775,741 | +72,857 |
The increased number of applications for Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), work permit, and extension have been among the most noticeable changes since December 2021. As of September 2021, Canada eliminated all travel restrictions, which is one of the possible explanations for the increasing TRV inventory. As previously stated, the increase in the work permit and extension applications can be driven by labour market shortages and the increased number of temporary residence applications amid the pandemic.
| TR category | Inventory reported on February 1 | Inventory reported on December 15 | Difference (December 15 – February 1) |
| Study Permit | 112,185 | 122,476 | -10,291 |
| Study Permit Extension | 26,479 | 24,461 | +2,018 |
| Temporary Resident Permit | N/A | 6,726 | N/A |
| Temporary Resident Visa | 420,097 | 403,752 | +16,345 |
| Visitor Record | 65,093 | 60,499 | +4,594 |
| Work Permit | 85,526 | 78,080 | +7,446 |
| Work Permit Extension | 139,218 | 123,880 | +15,338 |
| Total (in Persons) | 848,598 | 819,874 | +28,724 |
The citizenship backlog has increased by 20,000 persons.
On December 31st, 2021, the IRCC reported a backlog of nearly 448,000 citizenship applicants, while this inventory stood over 468,000 citizenship applications on October 31st of last year. The backlog of citizenship applications went up by 20,000 persons within 61 days.
IRCC stated that last year, Canada processed over 206,000 citizenship applications, while the department processed only 80,000 citizenship applications in 2020.
IRCC is working to improve the processing times and client experience
In a press release on January 31st, Minister Fraser suggested that Canada aims to finalize 147,000 permanent residence applicants in the first quarter of this year, which is twice the number from the same period last year. Fraser also stated that a budget of $85 million had been allocated to IRCC to restore the processing service standards to normal for applications by the end of 2022 under various categories, including work permits, study permits, as well as renewals of permanent resident cards.
Within the next few days, Minister Fraser will make an announcement regarding Canada’s new Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024, which will give us a better insight into the IRCC’s priorities regarding permanent residence under different immigration categories.
