IRCC applications at a glance: Inventories and backlogs
To meet our annual immigration targets and help us increase processing capacity and efficiency, it’s important to have an inventory of applications for our programs. An inventory contains all applications received for a program that have not yet been finalized. This includes those that are processed within our service standards, as well as a backlog of applications that have been in our inventories longer than our service standards.
At any given time, IRCC is managing over 2 million applications from our inventories. In 2023, we finalized more than 7.3 million decisions across our lines of business.
Information on this page is up to date as of . Data is approximate and subject to change.
total applications in all IRCC inventories
Service Standards
Temporary residence
applications are within service standards
This is % of
total applications for temporary residence.
Permanent residence
applications are within service standards
This is % of
total applications for permanent residence.
Citizenship
applications are within service standards
This is % of
total citizenship applications.
Backlog
Temporary residence
in backlog (exceeding service standards)
This is % of
total applications for temporary residence.
Permanent residence
in backlog (exceeding service standards)
This is % of
total applications for permanent residence.
Citizenship grant
in backlog (exceeding service standards)
This is % of
total applications for grant of citizenship.
Managing the backlog
Our goal is to process 80% of applications within our service standards. This allows for expected delays in some very complex cases or when we need more information from our clients before we can finalize their files.
However, if there are more people who apply than available spaces, it may not be possible to achieve this goal and processing times may increase in some categories.
Our projections are estimates based on current operating conditions and may change. They don’t account for sharp increases in received applications, urgent shifts in priorities, or other unforeseen circumstances affecting our operations.
Permanent residence
Our performance
We made 477,440 decisions and welcomed 414,600 new permanent residents from January 1 to October 31, 2024.
Backlog: Permanent residence applications
Federal high-skilled (Express Entry)
Note
- This includes candidates who are eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
2022-2024 Percentage of backlog of federal high-skilled (Express Entry) applications – Actual and projected
2022-2024 Percentage of backlog of federal high-skilled (Express Entry) applications – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 89% | - |
| Feb 22 | 92% | - |
| Mar 22 | 98% | - |
| Apr 22 | 99% | - |
| May 22 | 100% | - |
| Jun 22 | 100% | - |
| Jul 22 | 99% | - |
| Aug 22 | 90% | 86% |
| Sep 22 | 68% | 72% |
| Oct 22 | 45% | 59% |
| Nov 22 | 31% | 46% |
| Dec 22 | 22% | 20% |
| Jan 23 | 20% | 20% |
| Feb 23 | 20% | 20% |
| Mar 23 | 18% | 20% |
| Apr 23 | 17% | 20% |
| May 23 | 15% | 20% |
| Jun 23 | 17% | 20% |
| Jul 23 | 16% | 20% |
| Aug 23 | 12% | 20% |
| Sep 23 | 12% | 20% |
| Oct 23 | 13% | 20% |
| Nov 23 | 16% | 11% |
| Dec 23 | 17% | 10% |
| Jan 24 | 17% | 15% |
| Feb 24 | 17% | 15% |
| Mar 24 | 16% | 15% |
| Apr 24 | 14% | 15% |
| May 24 | 15% | 15% |
| Jun 24 | 16% | 15% |
| Jul 24 | 17% | 15% |
| Aug 24 | 16% | 15% |
| Sep 24 | 17% | 15% |
| Oct 24 | 19% | 15% |
| Nov 24 | - | 20% |
| Dec 24 | - | 20% |
Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry)
2022-2024 Percentage of backlog Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry) applications – Actual and projected
2022-2024 Percentage of backlog Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry) applications – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 56% | - |
| Feb 22 | 55% | - |
| Mar 22 | 54% | - |
| Apr 22 | 51% | - |
| May 22 | 47% | - |
| Jun 22 | 45% | - |
| Jul 22 | 43% | - |
| Aug 22 | 42% | 39% |
| Sep 22 | 40% | 35% |
| Oct 22 | 42% | 31% |
| Nov 22 | 42% | 28% |
| Dec 22 | 41% | 20% |
| Jan 23 | 38% | 40% |
| Feb 23 | 32% | 39% |
| Mar 23 | 30% | 32% |
| Apr 23 | 28% | 30% |
| May 23 | 30% | 28% |
| Jun 23 | 33% | 24% |
| Jul 23 | 29% | 22% |
| Aug 23 | 27% | 21% |
| Sep 23 | 27% | 20% |
| Oct 23 | 24% | 20% |
| Nov 23 | 22% | 20% |
| Dec 23 | 20% | 20% |
| Jan 24 | 19% | 20% |
| Feb 24 | 20% | 20% |
| Mar 24 | 21% | 19% |
| Apr 24 | 23% | 19% |
| May 24 | 24% | 20% |
| Jun 24 | 25% | 20% |
| Jul 24 | 23% | 20% |
| Aug 24 | 22% | 20% |
| Sep 24 | 23% | 20% |
| Oct 24 | 25% | 20% |
| Nov 24 | - | 20% |
| Dec 24 | - | 20% |
Spouses, partners and children (except for Quebec)
2022-2024 Percentage of backlog of spouses, partners and children (except for Quebec) applications – Actual and projected
2022-2024 Percentage of backlog of spouses, partners and children (except for Quebec) applications – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 34% | - |
| Feb 22 | 32% | - |
| Mar 22 | 30% | - |
| Apr 22 | 29% | - |
| May 22 | 27% | - |
| Jun 22 | 27% | - |
| Jul 22 | 26% | - |
| Aug 22 | 25% | 24% |
| Sep 22 | 25% | 23% |
| Oct 22 | 24% | 22% |
| Nov 22 | 24% | 20% |
| Dec 22 | 24% | 19% |
| Jan 23 | 24% | 24% |
| Feb 23 | 23% | 24% |
| Mar 23 | 24% | 24% |
| Apr 23 | 23% | 24% |
| May 23 | 20% | 24% |
| Jun 23 | 19% | 24% |
| Jul 23 | 18% | 24% |
| Aug 23 | 17% | 24% |
| Sep 23 | 16% | 24% |
| Oct 23 | 16% | 24% |
| Nov 23 | 15% | 16% |
| Dec 23 | 15% | 16% |
| Jan 24 | 14% | 15% |
| Feb 24 | 15% | 15% |
| Mar 24 | 14% | 15% |
| Apr 24 | 14% | 15% |
| May 24 | 14% | 15% |
| Jun 24 | 14% | 15% |
| Jul 24 | 14% | 15% |
| Aug 24 | 14% | 15% |
| Sep 24 | 15% | 15% |
| Oct 24 | 15% | 15% |
| Nov 24 | - | 15% |
| Dec 24 | - | 15% |
Citizenship
Our performance
We welcomed 226,100 new citizens from April 1 to October 31, 2024.
Backlog: Citizenship grant applications
Citizenship grants
2022-2024 Percentage of backlog of citizenship grant applications – Actual and projected
2022-2024 Percentage of backlog of citizenship grant applications – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 46% | - |
| Feb 22 | 45% | - |
| Mar 22 | 42% | - |
| Apr 22 | 40% | - |
| May 22 | 39% | - |
| Jun 22 | 37% | - |
| Jul 22 | 35% | - |
| Aug 22 | 30% | 30% |
| Sep 22 | 30% | 30% |
| Oct 22 | 28% | 28% |
| Nov 22 | 29% | 27% |
| Dec 22 | 28% | 26% |
| Jan 23 | 27% | 26% |
| Feb 23 | 26% | 25% |
| Mar 23 | 25% | 24% |
| Apr 23 | 25% | 24% |
| May 23 | 23% | 24% |
| Jun 23 | 24% | 24% |
| Jul 23 | 21% | 24% |
| Aug 23 | 21% | 26% |
| Sep 23 | 21% | 26% |
| Oct 23 | 21% | 19% |
| Nov 23 | 20% | 19% |
| Dec 23 | 19% | 18% |
| Jan 24 | 19% | 17% |
| Feb 24 | 18% | 17% |
| Mar 24 | 18% | 17% |
| Apr 24 | 18% | 18% |
| May 24 | 17% | 17% |
| Jun 24 | 16% | 17% |
| Jul 24 | 17% | 10% |
| Aug 24 | 17% | 11% |
| Sep 24 | 17% | 16% |
| Oct 24 | 17% | 17% |
| Nov 24 | - | 16% |
| Dec 24 | - | 16% |
Temporary residence
Our performance
We finalized 722,800 study permit applications (including extensions) and 1,081,000 work permit applications (including extensions) from January 1 to October 31, 2024.
Backlog: Temporary residence applications
Temporary resident visas (TRV)
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of temporary resident visas (TRV) – Actual and projected
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of temporary resident visas (TRV) – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 70% | - |
| Feb 22 | 74% | - |
| Mar 22 | 55% | - |
| Apr 22 | 55% | - |
| May 22 | 56% | - |
| Jun 22 | 71% | - |
| Jul 22 | 67% | - |
| Aug 22 | 71% | 68% |
| Sep 22 | 74% | 71% |
| Oct 22 | 74% | 70% |
| Nov 22 | 70% | 67% |
| Dec 22 | 70% | 77% |
| Jan 23 | 68% | 68% |
| Feb 23 | 64% | 68% |
| Mar 23 | 61% | 65% |
| Apr 23 | 50% | 56% |
| May 23 | 45% | 42% |
| Jun 23 | 46% | 42% |
| Jul 23 | 46% | 42% |
| Aug 23 | 50% | 43% |
| Sep 23 | 56% | 36% |
| Oct 23 | 58% | 34% |
| Nov 23 | 59% | 71% |
| Dec 23 | 61% | 66% |
| Jan 24 | 62% | 70% |
| Feb 24 | 61% | 68% |
| Mar 24 | 56% | 62% |
| Apr 24 | 57% | 61% |
| May 24 | 58% | 60% |
| Jun 24 | 62% | 58% |
| Jul 24 | 64% | 60% |
| Aug 24 | 71% | 43% |
| Sep 24 | 72% | 60% |
| Oct 24 | 74% | 61% |
| Nov 24 | - | 59% |
| Dec 24 | - | 61% |
Study permits
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of study permits – Actual and projected
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of study permits – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 42% | - |
| Feb 22 | 34% | - |
| Mar 22 | 27% | - |
| Apr 22 | 32% | - |
| May 22 | 31% | - |
| Jun 22 | 30% | - |
| Jul 22 | 31% | - |
| Aug 22 | 38% | 39% |
| Sep 22 | 31% | 42% |
| Oct 22 | 26% | 33% |
| Nov 22 | 28% | 31% |
| Dec 22 | 32% | 33% |
| Jan 23 | 35% | 36% |
| Feb 23 | 29% | 34% |
| Mar 23 | 23 % | 25% |
| Apr 23 | 18% | 22% |
| May 23 | 17% | 15% |
| Jun 23 | 15% | 15% |
| Jul 23 | 16% | 15% |
| Aug 23 | 25% | 19% |
| Sep 23 | 30% | 17% |
| Oct 23 | 25% | 9% |
| Nov 23 | 24% | 16% |
| Dec 23 | 18% | 18% |
| Jan 24 | 23% | 34% |
| Feb 24 | 43% | 32% |
| Mar 24 | 46% | 22% |
| Apr 24 | 31% | 19% |
| May 24 | 19% | 13% |
| Jun 24 | 17% | 7% |
| Jul 24 | 24% | 12% |
| Aug 24 | 32% | 18% |
| Sep 24 | 36% | 30% |
| Oct 24 | 33% | 32% |
| Nov 24 | - | 37% |
| Dec 24 | - | 26% |
Work permits
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of work permits – Actual and projected
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of work permits – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 48% | - |
| Feb 22 | 51% | - |
| Mar 22 | 29% | - |
| Apr 22 | 23% | - |
| May 22 | 26% | - |
| Jun 22 | 28% | - |
| Jul 22 | 28% | - |
| Aug 22 | 34% | 29% |
| Sep 22 | 27% | 35% |
| Oct 22 | 23% | 49% |
| Nov 22 | 24% | 55% |
| Dec 22 | 25% | 60% |
| Jan 23 | 26% | 26% |
| Feb 23 | 23% | 28% |
| Mar 23 | 18 % | 28% |
| Apr 23 | 22% | 26% |
| May 23 | 27% | 24% |
| Jun 23 | 27% | 22% |
| Jul 23 | 25% | 22% |
| Aug 23 | 37% | 22% |
| Sep 23 | 55% | 20% |
| Oct 23 | 57% | 20% |
| Nov 23 | 53% | 37% |
| Dec 23 | 49% | 33% |
| Jan 24 | 43% | 47% |
| Feb 24 | 37% | 36% |
| Mar 24 | 41% | 29% |
| Apr 24 | 49% | 35% |
| May 24 | 53% | 45% |
| Jun 24 | 46% | 46% |
| Jul 24 | 43% | 28% |
| Aug 24 | 47% | 22% |
| Sep 24 | 47% | 14% |
| Oct 24 | 46% | 7% |
| Nov 24 | - | 44% |
| Dec 24 | - | 40% |
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