IRCC’s total application backlog fell again in April 2026, reaching its lowest level since July 2025. As of April 30, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada had 2,153,900 applications in inventory, with 1,231,200 processed within service standards and 922,700 considered backlogged.
Key April changes included a record-low Express Entry backlog, a lower study permit backlog, and a higher work permit backlog.
| Month | Total immigration backlog | Monthly change |
|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | 901,700 | +6.98% |
| August 2025 | 958,850 | +6.33% |
| September 2025 | 996,700 | +3.95% |
| October 2025 | 1,006,700 | +1.00% |
| November 2025 | 1,005,800 | -0.09% |
| December 2025 | 1,014,700 | +0.88% |
| January 2026 | 990,300 | -2.41% |
| February 2026 | 941,400 | -4.94% |
| March 2026 | 935,000 | -0.68% |
| April 2026 | 922,700 | -1.32% |
Permanent residence applications
As of April 30, IRCC had 1,038,100 permanent residence applications in inventory, an increase of 18,900 from the previous month.
Of these, 480,400 applications, or 46%, were processed within service standards. The remaining 557,700 were counted as backlog.
This category includes:
- Express Entry applications;
- enhanced Provincial Nominee Program applications;
- family sponsorship applications outside Quebec.
The Express Entry backlog fell to 9%, the lowest level since IRCC began publishing these figures. Five months earlier, the Express Entry backlog had reached 32%. The projected backlog for April was 20%.
The enhanced PNP backlog continued its five-month decline, falling to 37% as of April 30, down from 38% at the end of March. This was within the projected April backlog of 40% and was the lowest level since February 2025.
Family sponsorship backlog rose from 22% in March to 23% in April. The projected backlog was 25%. This was the highest backlog reported for this application type since April 2023.
From January 1 to April 30, IRCC finalized 155,500 permanent residence applications and welcomed 112,900 new permanent residents to Canada.
Temporary residence applications
IRCC ended April with 842,000 temporary residence applications in inventory, 23,000 fewer than at the end of March.
Of these, 548,900 applications, or 64%, were processed within service standards. The remaining 293,100 were counted as backlog.
This category includes:
- initial work permit applications;
- study permit applications;
- visitor visa applications.
The work permit backlog increased to 37% as of April 30, up from 34% one month earlier. This was higher than the projected April backlog of 29%.
The study permit backlog fell from 40% at the end of March to 35% at the end of April, but remained above the projected 27%.
The visitor visa backlog declined slightly, from 46% in March to 45% in April.
Between January 1 and April 30, IRCC finalized 145,000 study permit applications and 618,500 work permit applications, including extensions.
Citizenship grant applications
As of April 30, IRCC had 273,800 citizenship grant applications in inventory, 3,700 more than the previous month.
Of these, 211,900 applications, or 77%, were processed within service standards. The remaining 61,900 applications, or 23%, were backlogged.
The 23% citizenship grant backlog was within the projected 25% backlog and marked the third consecutive month at the same level.
In April 2026, IRCC welcomed 24,200 new citizens to Canada.
How IRCC counts backlog
IRCC’s service standards are internal benchmarks for how long most applications should normally take to process.
The standards are designed to cover the processing time for 80% of cases in each category. Applications outside that timeframe may involve complex circumstances, incomplete documentation, or further screening or verification.
Examples include:
- Express Entry applications: six-month service standard;
- family sponsorship applications: 12-month service standard.
Applications that pass the relevant service standard without a final decision are counted as backlog.
Source article: www.cicnews.com
