IRCC reports a backlog of 1,844,424 people across all lines of business as of mid-March.
As of mid-March, the IRCC’s inventory contained 1.84 million persons awaiting determinations.
Through a media request, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) gave the most recent inventory data to CIC News. Future Canadian citizens, permanent residents, international students, temporary workers, and visitors have all submitted applications to the database.
Since the summer, the backlog has progressed as follows:
On the 15th and 17th of March, 2022, 1,844,424 people will be present.
1,815,628 people on February 1, 2022
1,813,144 people on December 15, 2021
1,792,404 people on October 27, 2021
1,447,474 people on July 6, 2021
Comment on data reporting
The figures represent the number of people who are currently awaiting IRCC processing.
CIC News is providing the information as it was provided by IRCC. The data for permanent residence inventory is from March 15, while the data for temporary residence inventory is from March 17. The reason for the discrepancy is that the “visitor record” data was absent when IRCC initially delivered the March 15 temporary residence data. The media representatives were unable to verify the March 15 visitor record data since IRCC does not preserve snapshots of their inventory until specifically requested. When requested, the data for the temporary dwelling on March 17 was provided.
The February 1 comparison data is identical to what IRCC provided at the time. IRCC did not provide information in several cases, marked “N/A.”
What progress has the IRCC achieved since last month?
Applications for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) are making significant progress. Only 10,400 CECs remain to be processed, indicating that IRCC may be able to clear the backlog by the spring. Meanwhile, significant development on FSWP applications is being made. IRCC has processed more FSWP candidates in the last two weeks than it did in a seven-month period in 2021. Between February 28 and March 15, the agency processed 4,000 FSWP applicants. At this rate, the department may be able to complete the FSWP backlog by the end of the year.
Express Entry inventory
| Immigration Category | Persons as of Mar. 15 | Persons as of Feb. 1 | Difference |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (EE) | 41336 | 497510 | -8.415 |
| Canadian Experience Class (EE) | 10.388 | 15.139 | -4.751 |
| Provincial Territorial Nominees (EE) | 36.590(EE) + 34.621(No EE) | 68.682 (EE + No EE) | +2.529 |
| Federal Skilled Trades program (EE) | 589 | 805 | -216 |
| Grand Total | 123.524 | 134.337 | -10.813 |
In the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), as well as the humanitarian and caring category, the family class inventory has shown some progress. Despite some rise in the categories of spouses, partners, children, and others, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has stated that new application processing standards have returned to the 12-month standard. Spousal sponsorship applicants can use a service provided by the government to track the status of their applications.
Family class immigration
| Immigration Category | Persons as of Mar. 15 | Persons as of Feb. 1 | Difference |
| FCH-Family relations – H&C | 3.32 | 3.35 | -30 |
| Parents and Grandparents | 35.324 | 36.046 | -722 |
| Spouses, partners, children, other family | 55.301(spouses) + 9.166(Children and other) | 62.826 | +1.641 |
| Grand Total | 103.112 | 102.222 | +890 |
What has happened to the backlog since February?
The citizenship inventory was at 453,265 at the end of February 2022. All potential, mailroom estimates, and unopened electronic applications are included in this number.
The backlog for citizenship applicants was estimated to reach around 448,000 on December 31, 2021, according to the IRCC.
When compared to the end of December, there were around 5,000 more citizenship applications in the inventory at the end of February.
A total of 5,400 people applied for the Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence (TR2PR) programme. IRCC received all applications for this programme between May 6 and November 5, 2021, but they were saved in a cloud environment and were not yet deemed part of the inventory, according to an IRCC representative. After that, the applications were transmitted to the Global Case Management System and inventoried. For the TR2PR programme, IRCC received around 91,000 applications in total. The inventory contained 35,341 people as of March 15.
The paper-based Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), the Caring for Children Program, and the Quebec Skilled Worker Program all saw considerable growth in their permanent residency programme inventory.
Permanent residence
| Immigration category | Persons as of Mar. 15 | Persons as of Feb. 1 | Difference |
| Economic Class | 230,767 | 230,573 | +194 |
| Family class | 103,112 | 102,222 | +890 |
| Humanitarian and compassionate/public policy | 27,218 | 27,436 | -218 |
| Permit holders class | 18 | 21 | -3 |
| protected persons | 157,552 | 158,778 | -1,226 |
| Grand Total | 518,667 | 519,030 | -363 |
Economic class immigration
| Immigration category | Persons as of Mar. 15 | Persons as of Feb. 28 | Persons as of Feb. 1 | Difference From earliest avilable date |
| Agri-food pilot program | 649 | 653 | N/A | -4 |
| Atlantic immigration pilot programs | 2,672 | 2,577 | N/A | +95 |
| Canadian experience class (EE) | 10,388 | 12,088 | 15,139 | -4,751 |
| Canadian experience class (No EE) | 107 | 84 | N/A | +23 |
| Caring form children program | 17,585 | 16,316 | 16,085 | +1500 |
| Fedral self employed | 5,263 | 5,181 | 5,396 | -133 |
| Fedral skilled Workers(C-50) | 190 | 197 | N/A | -7 |
| Fedral skilled Workers(EE) | 41,336 | 45,437 | 49,751 | -8,415 |
| Fedral skilled Workers(Pre C-50) | 23 | 23 | N/A | 0 |
| High Medical needs program | 16 | 15 | N/A | +1 |
| Live-in Caregiver Program | 1,268 | 1,328 | N/A | -60 |
| Provincial/Territorial Nominees(EE) | 36,590 | 37,484 | 68,682(EE+NO EE) | -894 |
| Provincial/Territorial Nominees(NO EE) | 34,621 | 32,106 | N/A | +2,515 |
| Quebec entrepreneur | 408 | 146 | N/A | -8 |
| Quebec Investor | 14,309 | 13,845 | 14,117 | +464 |
| Quebec self employed | 121 | 89 | N/A | +32 |
| Quebec skill workers | 26,997 | 26,217 | 25,263 | +1,734 |
| Rural and Northem Immigration pilot | 870 | 897 | N/A | -27 |
| Skilled Trader(EE) | 589 | 632 | 723 | -134 |
| Skilled Trader(NO EE) | 3 | 3 | N/A | +126 |
| Start-up Business | 1,421 | 1,295 | N/A | +126 |
| TR to PR | 35,341 | 34,304 | 29,864 | +5,477 |
| Ministrial Instuction Economic Programs | N/A | N/A | 5,553 | N/A |
| Total Economic Class | 230,67 | 231,187 | 230,573 | +194 |
There was also a rise in the number of applications for temporary residency. Between February 1 and March 17, the number of work permits increased by around 14,700. Work and study permit extensions, as well as visitor records, were all on the upswing.
Temporary residence
| TR Category | Persons as of Mar.17 | Persons as of Feb.1 | Difference |
| Studey Permit | 111,192 | 112,185 | -993 |
| Studey Permit Extension | 30,533 | 26,479 | +4,054 |
| Temporary Resident Visa | 419,243 | 420,097 | -854 |
| Visitor Record | 68,528 | 65,093 | +3,435 |
| Work Permit | 100,205 | 85,526 | +14,679 |
| Work Permit Extension | 142,791 | 139,218 | +3,573 |
| Grand Total | 872,492 | 848,598 | +23,894 |
Since the autumn of 2021, there have been significant developments.
Since the fall of 2021, IRCC has stopped holding Express Entry lotteries for CEC candidates, and since December 2020 for FSWP candidates. The rationale for this was to clear out a big backlog of applications that were causing processing times to lengthen. Because the Express Entry draws for these programmes have been paused, no new applications have been received, allowing officers to work through the backlog. IRCC, on the other hand, has been hosting biweekly PNP draws in record numbers.
Express Entry drawings for FSWP and CEC candidates are expected to begin in 2022, according to public IRCC data, once backlogs are eliminated and the six-month processing norm can restart.
Canada budgeted $85 million in the 2021 Budget to decrease processing times across all IRCC lines of business. Minister Fraser has stated that by the end of the year, Canada will be able to resume processing service requirements for study permits, work permits, and permanent residence card renewals. The temporary reduction in Express Entry admissions is to allow IRCC to complete its TR2PR program processing.
In February, Canada issued its Immigration Levels Plan for the years 2022-2024. For the following three years, the government intends to welcome a record number of newcomers each year. For 2022 and 2023, the Express Entry targets are drastically reduced, but for 2024, they are increased to over 110,000 immigrants.
The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) is an expedited temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians fleeing conflict. These particular safeguards for Ukrainians, according to the IRCC, will have no influence on the processing of refugee applications.