The most recent data released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sheds light on the growing number of applications in inventory since April. As of May 31, the inventory contained 2,248,000 applications across all lines of business, surpassing the 2,006,000 recorded on April 30.
The backlog of applications, referring to those that do not meet service standards, has also experienced a slight increase from just over 800,000 to 820,000.
Applications in inventory represent submissions to the IRCC awaiting finalization. In the previous year, the IRCC concluded over 5.2 million applications.
Reasons for the increase in backlog
The rise in the backlog can be partly attributed to the labour disruption caused by the strike of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which occurred between April 19 and May 1. Following the resolution of the strike, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser acknowledged that approximately 100,000 applications could not be processed during the disruption.
Additionally, the summer months typically witness a surge in applications for visitor visas, study permits, and work permits.
To maintain efficiency, IRCC aims to process 80% of all applications within the specified service standards. These standards vary depending on the type and complexity of each application.
For instance, IRCC strives to process all Express Entry permanent resident (PR) applications within six months and family class sponsorship applications within 12 months. Temporary residence permits have service standards ranging from 60 to 120 days, depending on whether they are for work or study purposes.
Applications that surpass the expected processing time are classified as backlog.
IRCC’s Immigration Backlog Projections
Permanent Residence
As of May 31, the data reveals a total of 640,000 permanent residence applications in inventory. Out of these, 52% (332,000) were being processed within service standards, while 48% (308,000) were not.
The increase in the total number of PR applications for May is only 8,000 compared to the April 30 data, which indicated 632,000 permanent resident applications in inventory. Furthermore, the number of PR applications in backlog has reduced from 51% (322,000) as of April 30.
Surprisingly, the number of PR applications in backlog falls below the projected estimates. IRCC anticipated a 20% backlog for all PR applications through the Federal High Skilled Program (Express Entry programs) in May 2023, yet the actual percentage is 15%.
Applications for spouses and partners of Canadian citizens and permanent residents also demonstrated a lower backlog rate of 20%, indicating a three-percentage point decrease compared to the April data.
However, the number of Provincial Nominee Program applicants (through Express Entry) slightly exceeds the projected 28% backlog, currently standing at 30%.
Citizenship
According to the latest data, the inventory contains 308,000 citizenship grant applications. Among these, 73% (225,000) were being processed within service standards, while 27% were not.
This figure represents a decrease from the April 30 data, which showed 294,000 citizenship applications in inventory, with 75% processed within service standards.
The number of processed citizenship applications slightly falls short of IRCC’s projections, with 23% instead of the anticipated 24%.
Temporary Residence
Temporary resident visas constitute the majority of applications in inventory, encompassing temporary resident (visitor) visas, study permits, and work permits.
Between April 30 and May 31, the number of temporary resident applications increased from 1,080,000 to 1.3 million applications in inventory.
Out of these, 871,000 were being processed within service standards, while 429,000 were not.
IRCC exceeded its projected target for processing study permits in May, achieving a rate of 17% within service standards, compared to the projected 15%.
Temporary resident permits experienced faster processing in May, reducing the backlog from 50% to 45%. Nevertheless, this falls slightly short of the projected 42%.
Work Permits
Work permits, on the other hand, saw an increase in applications not meeting service standards, with 27% falling into this category for May, compared to April’s 22%. The projected backlog rate for work permits in May was 24%.
It is worth noting that approximately 72% of work permits in the May inventory originated from the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program. This program enables displaced Ukrainians to visit Canada while concurrently applying for work permits, without any associated fees.
Recent CUAET data reveals that between March 2022 and June 2, 2023, IRCC received 1,059,154 applications for the program.
(Source: CIC News, edited by Travelobiz staff)
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