IRCC Backlog Surges Past One Million Mark

Canada’s immigration system closed 2025 with its highest backlog of the year, as the number of pending applications continued to climb month after month.

By December 31, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reported a total backlog of 1,014,700 applications. The figure reflects a steady rise that began in May and continued through the end of the year.

At the same time, Express Entry applications showed a sharp improvement. The share of Express Entry files considered backlogged dropped to 20 per cent in December, down from 32 per cent the previous month.

Overall Application Numbers

IRCC held 2,127,500 applications in its inventory at the end of December. These included permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship grant applications.

Of that total, officers processed 1,112,800 applications within the department’s service standards. The remaining files made up the backlog.

The year began with 891,100 backlogged applications in January. The number fell steadily until April, reaching 760,200. After May, the trend reversed. The backlog climbed each month, passing one million in October and ending the year above that mark.

Permanent Residence Applications

As of December 31, IRCC had 973,800 permanent residence applications in its inventory. This marked an increase of 32,200 compared to November.

Permanent residence files include Express Entry, enhanced Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and family sponsorship applications. Of the total, 446,300 files moved within service standards. The remaining 527,500 counted as backlog.

Express Entry showed the strongest improvement. Only 20 per cent of those applications remained backlogged, well below the department’s projected 30 per cent for December.

Enhanced PNP applications also improved. Their backlog rate fell from 53 per cent in November to 48 per cent in December, lower than the projected 55 per cent.

Family sponsorship applications moved in the opposite direction. Their backlog rate rose slightly to 21 per cent, compared to 20 per cent the month before.

During 2025, IRCC reviewed 441,000 permanent residence applications and admitted 393,500 new permanent residents.

Temporary Residence Applications

Temporary residence files showed a slight monthly decline. IRCC reported 910,900 temporary resident applications at the end of December, down by 31,100 from November.

This category includes work permits, study permits, and visitor visas. Of these applications, 483,000 met service standards, while 427,900 remained backlogged.

Work permit backlog stood at 46 per cent, down from 49 per cent in November. Study permit backlog held steady at 36 per cent. Visitor visa backlog dropped slightly to 56 per cent.

In 2025, IRCC finalized 605,900 study permits and 328,900 work permits.

Citizenship Applications

Citizenship grant applications showed a small decrease. IRCC held 242,800 citizenship applications at the end of December, 4,300 fewer than in November.

Officers processed 183,500 of these within service standards. The remaining 59,300 formed the backlog, representing 24 per cent of citizenship files.

What Service Standards Mean

IRCC uses service standards to track processing times. These targets outline how long most applications should take. For example, Express Entry applications usually aim for completion within six months, while family sponsorship applications often target 12 months.

When processing times exceed these targets, IRCC counts those files as backlog. The department aims to finalize 80 per cent of applications within set timelines, while allowing extra time for more complex cases.