The Canadian immigration backlog has surged to its highest point since February 2023, nearing the 1 million mark. Applicants may experience extended waiting times beyond the normal processing period.
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What is IRCC Backlog?
The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) backlog includes any citizenship, immigration, or visa application surpassing the standard processing time set by the immigration department.
Latest Immigration Backlog Statistics (As of October 31, 2023)
The backlog of Canadian immigration has consistently increased since April 30, 2023, up to the most recent official data as of October 31, 2023, updated by the IRCC.
As of October 31, 2023, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reported a staggering 936,500 applications in backlog. This marks a notable increase in immigration backlog from earlier months, indicating a growing challenge in processing times.
Canada Immigration Backlog Monthly Trends
The backlog decreased for citizenship applications but increased for permanent and temporary residency applications compared to the previous month.
- Citizenship Applications: The backlog saw a slight decrease to 56,400 applications.
- Permanent Residence: There was a marginal increase, with the backlog reaching 287,500.
- Temporary Residence: The most significant growth was observed here, with 592,600 applications pending.
The following table shows the month-on-month comparison of the Canadian Immigration backlog across different application types.
Applications Within Service Standards (As of October 31, 2023)
As of October 31, 2023, the IRCC was processing 2,166,800 applications for citizenship, immigration, and visas.
The IRCC aims to process 80% of applications within the set service standards. Any application exceeding this time is considered part of the backlog.
IRCC Backlog Comparison in 2023
The IRCC has been processing over 2 million applications monthly since March 2023. The table below shows the monthly Immigration backlog updates and the percentage change.
