Canada’s Immigration Backlog Drops to 821,200 as of March 2025

As of March 2025, Canada’s immigration backlog has seen a decrease to 821,200, down from 892,100 in January, marking a decline of 7.95%.

This reduction continues a trend observed over recent months, where the backlog has consistently stayed below one million, showcasing improved efficiencies by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

In February 2025, the IRCC was processing a high volume of immigration applications—2,029,400 in total, with 1,208,200 processed within the department’s established service standards. This processing improvement reflects ongoing efforts to streamline operations and reduce wait times.

Monthly Breakdown of the Backlog Reduction

• September 2024: Started with a backlog of 1,097,000.
• October 2024: Decreased by 3.73% to 1,056,100.
• November 2024: Further reduction of 4.70% to 1,006,500.
• December 2024: Dropped by 6.38% to 942,300.
• January 2025: Fell by 5.33% to 892,100.
• February 2025: A substantial decrease of 7.95% brought it down to 821,200.

Processing Challenges and Solutions

IRCC continues to face challenges with specific visa categories. For instance:

Permanent residence applications: As of February 2025, there were 842,600 applications, with significant delays, particularly in the Express Entry system, where 25% of applications exceeded the six-month processing target.

Visitor visas and study permits: These categories experienced high backlogs, with visitor visas at 65% and study permits at 45% delayed processing.

IRCC’s Strategic Initiatives

To manage and further reduce the backlog, IRCC has implemented several key strategies:

Automation and Digital Processing: Increased use of automated systems for processing visitor visa applications and employing AI-driven analytics to streamline straightforward cases.

Study Permit Caps: A reduction in the number of new international student permits by 35% for 2024 to manage workload effectively.

Stable Immigration Targets: The Immigration Levels Plan for 2025–2027 aims to bring in 485,000 permanent residents in 2025 and 500,000 in both 2026 and 2027, which helps improve processing predictability.