Express Entry Backlog Drops to Record Low

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has reported another drop in its application backlog, with Express Entry delays reaching their lowest level since the department began publishing this data.

According to the latest figures, which cover the period ending March 31, 2026, IRCC had 2,154,300 applications in its total inventory. Of these, 1,219,300 were being processed within official service standards, while 935,000 were considered backlogged.

An application is counted as backlogged when it has not been finalized within the department’s expected processing time.

Overall Backlog Continues to Ease

Canada’s total immigration backlog has been slowly falling in recent months. In October 2025, IRCC reported 1,006,700 backlogged applications. That number stayed nearly unchanged in November before rising slightly in December to 1,014,700.

The backlog then began to fall in 2026. It dropped to 990,300 in January, then to 941,400 in February. By the end of March, it had fallen again to 935,000.

The latest monthly decline was smaller than the drop seen in February, but it still shows continued progress in reducing delayed files.

Permanent Residence Files See Mixed Movement

IRCC had 1,019,200 permanent residence applications in its inventory as of March 31. This was a 1.17 per cent increase compared with the end of February.

Out of these applications, 477,100 were being processed within service standards. The remaining 542,100 were considered part of the backlog.

The permanent residence category includes Express Entry, enhanced Provincial Nominee Program applications, and family sponsorship applications outside Quebec.

Express Entry showed the strongest improvement. Its backlog fell to 10 per cent in March, down from 11 per cent in February. This is the lowest level on record and far below IRCC’s projected backlog of 20 per cent for the month. It is also a sharp improvement from November 2025, when the Express Entry backlog stood at 32 per cent.

Enhanced PNP applications also improved. The backlog dropped to 38 per cent from 40 per cent in February. Family sponsorship remained unchanged at 22 per cent, below IRCC’s projected 25 per cent.

From January 1 to March 31, 2026, IRCC made 112,600 decisions on permanent residence applications and welcomed 83,000 new permanent residents.

Temporary Residence Backlog Shows Pressure

Temporary residence files moved in a different direction. IRCC had 865,000 temporary residence applications in its inventory at the end of March, an increase of 40,500 from February.

Of those, 533,600 were processed within service standards, while 331,400 were backlogged.

Work permit delays increased noticeably. The work permit backlog rose to 34 per cent, up from 27 per cent in February. This was also higher than IRCC’s projected 21 per cent backlog for March.

Study permit applications improved, with the backlog falling to 40 per cent from 46 per cent. However, this remained above the projected 31 per cent. Visitor visa delays eased slightly, falling to 46 per cent from 48 per cent.

Between January and March 2026, IRCC finalized 467,500 work permit applications and 106,800 study permit applications, including extensions.

Citizenship Backlog Holds Steady

Citizenship grant applications stood at 270,100 by the end of March, up by 9,300 from February. Of these, 208,600 were processed within service standards, while 61,500 were backlogged.

The citizenship backlog remained at 23 per cent, the same as the previous month. However, it has gradually increased since August 2025, when it stood at 20 per cent.

From April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, Canada welcomed 285,500 new citizens.