IRCC’s Backlog Drops Below One Million as Work Permit Waits Ease

Canada’s immigration system continues to show signs of improvement, with the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) revealing a significant reduction in its application backlog. As of January 31, 2026, the total backlog has fallen to 990,300, marking the first time since October 2025 that the number of applications waiting to be processed has dropped below one million.

Steady Progress in Backlog Reduction

The reduction in the total backlog is an important milestone for Canada’s immigration system. Compared to December 31, 2025, the overall backlog decreased by 2.4%, with a drop of 24,400 applications. This marks a steady pace in addressing the high volume of applications, a trend that is expected to continue in the coming months.

However, there have been varying trends within different categories of applications. For example, while the work permit backlog decreased by 8%, the study permit backlog rose sharply by 14%, indicating some challenges in specific areas of the immigration system.

Permanent Residence Applications

In terms of permanent residence (PR) applications, IRCC’s inventory stood at 995,500 by January 31. This represents an increase of 21,700 applications from the previous month. Of these, 460,200 were processed within the expected service standards, meaning 535,300 applications remained in the backlog. Notably, the Express Entry backlog has continued to decrease, with only 15% of these applications now classified as backlog, compared to 20% in December.

Family sponsorship applications, however, saw a modest increase in backlog, rising to 22% of the total applications, slightly above the department’s target of 20%. Despite this, the backlog in Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applications continued to fall, with only 42% of such applications remaining in the backlog, well below the 55% mark predicted by IRCC.

In January 2026, IRCC processed 32,400 PR applications and welcomed 24,100 new permanent residents to Canada.

Temporary Residence Applications

For temporary residence applications, IRCC’s total inventory at the end of January stood at 845,400. This marked a decrease of 65,500 applications from the previous month. While the work permit backlog dropped from 46% in December to 38% in January, the study permit backlog rose significantly to 50%, surpassing the department’s projected backlog of 38%. This increase is the highest since IRCC began publishing these statistics in 2022.

The backlog for visitor visas also saw an increase, with 54% of applications marked as backlogged by the end of January, higher than the expected 47%. However, this figure represents the lowest visitor visa backlog since June 2025.

In total, IRCC processed 136,700 work permit applications and 34,200 study permit applications in January 2026.

Citizenship Grants and Service Standards

As of January 31, there were 251,100 citizenship grant applications in the IRCC’s inventory. The department processed 190,800 of these applications within service standards, leaving 60,300 applications as backlog. This backlog was consistent with IRCC’s projected 24% backlog for citizenship grants.

Since April 1, 2025, Canada has granted citizenship to 227,300 individuals.

Understanding Service Standards

IRCC’s service standards are internal targets that set expectations for how long different types of applications should take to process. For instance, Express Entry applications are usually processed within six months, while family sponsorships are typically completed within 12 months. If an application takes longer than expected to process, it is classified as part of the backlog. While IRCC aims to process 80% of applications within the standard timeframe, around 20% may require more time due to added complexity or additional documentation.