Immigration department releases monthly update on application processing

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released its latest processing update on 18 August 2026, showing the number of permanent‑residence, temporary‑residence and citizenship applications finalized in the first half of 2026 and the size of the current backlog as of 30 June 2026.

Overall processing

• 2,011,375 applications were finalized from January to June 2026, including 362,410 in June.
• The total inventory stood at 1,539,785 applications, up by 22,015 from the end of May.

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Permanent residence applications

IRCC reported 712,795 permanent‑residence (PR) applications awaiting final decision, 7,480 more than in May. The PR backlog is divided into three streams.

Economic stream

• 249,555 applications pending, 11,220 higher than in May.
• 77 % are actively being processed; 23 % are wait‑listed because of limited admission spaces under the latest federal immigration levels plan.
• From 1 January to 30 June 2026, 141,105 economic PR applications were finalized, with 30,105 completed in June.
• The economic stream includes Express Entry, the Start‑Up Visa, the Self‑Employed Persons Program, Provincial Nominee Programs and the Atlantic Immigration Program.

Family stream

• 163,780 applications pending, an increase of 4,015 from May.
• 59 % are in processing; 41 % are waiting for space.
• The family category covers spousal/partner sponsorship, dependent children, and the Parents and Grandparents Program.
• 54,520 family applications were finalized in the first half of the year, including 8,620 in June.

Protection stream

• 299,460 applications pending, 7,755 more than in May – the largest share of the PR backlog.
• 55 % are being processed; 45 % are on the wait‑list.
• This stream includes protected persons, government‑assisted refugees, privately sponsored refugees and humanitarian‑compassionate cases.
• 55,295 protection applications were finalized from January to June, with 12,495 completed in June.

Temporary residence applications

The temporary‑residence inventory totaled 401,280 applications as of 30 June 2026, covering study permits, work permits and visitor visas.

• Work permits – 27,655 pending (down 7,385 from May). 161,325 work permits were finalized in the first half of the year; 20,550 in June.
• Study permits – 36,520 pending (up 4,855 from May). 99,075 study permits were finalized in the first six months; 24,705 in June.
• Visitor visas – 337,100 pending (265 fewer than in May). 1,306,055 visitor visas were finalized in the first half of 2026, with 232,300 processed in June.

Citizenship applications

IRCC listed 425,710 citizenship applications awaiting final decision on 30 June 2026.

• Citizenship grants – 326,365 pending, down 82,020 from the previous month. 162,020 new citizens were granted citizenship from January to June, with 30,600 in June.
• Proof of citizenship certificates – 99,520 pending, up 17,500 from May. 31,980 certificates were issued in the first half of the year; 3,040 in June.

Key takeaways

• The overall backlog grew modestly (22,015 applications) despite a high processing volume in the first half of 2026.
• Economic and protection PR streams continue to experience the longest wait times, largely due to limited admission caps.
• Temporary‑residence processing remains robust, with work and study permits seeing steady finalizations, while visitor visa backlogs have slightly decreased.
• Citizenship grant processing slowed in June, reflected in a sizable drop in pending applications, whereas demand for proof‑of‑citizenship certificates rose sharply.