Total backlog falls to its lowest level since July 2025

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is continuing to make progress against its application backlog. According to the department's latest figures, the total application inventory stood at 2,153,900 as of April 30, 2026. Of that total, 1,231,200 applications were being processed within service standards, while 922,700 fell into the backlog.

That backlog figure is the lowest IRCC has recorded since July 2025, and it marks the fourth straight month of declines. The monthly trend shows just how far the number has come down from its peak. After climbing through the second half of 2025, the backlog reached 1,014,700 in December 2025 before reversing course.

From the December peak of 1,014,700, the backlog has fallen by roughly 92,000 applications — a decline of about 9% — through April 2026.

IRCC's stated goal is to keep about 80% of applications within service standards, which corresponds to a backlog target of roughly 20%. By that measure there is still considerable ground to cover: the current backlog represents about 43% of the total inventory. Even so, the trajectory is a marked improvement over the pandemic era, when the backlog swelled to nearly 2.7 million in mid-2022.

Permanent residence: Express Entry backlog hits a record-low 9%

The permanent-residence (PR) inventory rose to 1,038,100, an increase of 18,900 from the prior month. Of these, 480,400 applications — or 46% — were within service standards, up from 477,100 a month earlier, leaving a backlog of 557,700. This category covers Express Entry, the enhanced Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and family sponsorship outside Quebec.

The standout figure is Express Entry, where the backlog fell to just 9% — a record low. Five months earlier the same backlog stood at 32%, and the program's monthly projection had called for 20%. The improvement reflects a series of 2026 changes to how the system operates. IRCC has leaned further into category-based draws, adding physicians, senior managers, researchers, and transport and military occupations to its targeted categories. At the same time, the department raised the work-experience threshold from six months to 12 months. In February 2026, the first physician-targeted draw produced a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cutoff of 169 — an all-time low.

The enhanced PNP backlog eased to 37%, down from 38% the prior month, marking a fifth consecutive monthly decline. That is below the program's monthly projection of 40% and represents the lowest level since February 2025.

Family sponsorship moved in the opposite direction, with its backlog ticking up to 23% from 22%. That remains below the 25% monthly projection, but it is the highest level since April 2023. Family-sponsorship applications carry a 12-month service standard.

Between January 1 and April 30, IRCC finalized 155,500 PR applications and welcomed 112,900 new permanent residents.

Temporary residence: work permits the lone category above projection

The temporary-residence (TR) inventory fell to 842,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the prior month. Of these, 548,900 applications — or 64% — were within service standards, leaving a backlog of 293,100. The category covers initial work permits, study permits, and visitor visas.

Work permits were the only category sitting above their monthly projection. The work-permit backlog rose to 37%, up from 34% the prior month and well above the 29% projection. The increase has been driven by a surge in in-Canada renewals, with many permits set to expire in 2026 and average processing running at roughly 259 days. On the policy side, the 2026 Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) intake was cut from about 82,000 to 60,000, while the International Mobility Program (IMP), which covers LMIA-exempt streams, was set a target of 170,000.

Study permits improved sharply, with the backlog falling to 35% from 40% the prior month, though that remains above the 27% projection. The 2026 study-permit cap was set at 408,000 — comprising 155,000 new permits and 253,000 in-Canada extensions — and the new international student intake is down nearly 50% compared with 2025.

The visitor-visa backlog edged down to 45% from 46%. It remains the highest backlog of any category, and no monthly projection was published for visitor visas.

Between January 1 and April 30, IRCC finalized 145,000 study permits and 618,500 work permits, including extensions.

Citizenship: backlog steady at 23% for a third straight month

The citizenship-grant inventory rose to 273,800, an increase of 3,700 from the prior month. Of these, 211,900 applications — or 77% — were within service standards, leaving 61,900, or 23%, in the backlog. That is below the 25% monthly projection and marks the third consecutive month at 23%. In April 2026, IRCC welcomed 24,200 new citizens.

Policy backdrop: lower intake under the 2026–2028 Levels Plan

The broader downward trend in the backlog is closely tied to federal immigration policy. The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, released in November 2025, holds the permanent-residence target at 380,000 for each year from 2026 through 2028, while sharply lowering temporary-resident targets. The 2026 TR target is set at roughly 385,000, down from more than 673,000 in 2025. By reducing the volume of new arrivals, the plan eases the inflow of fresh applications, which in turn helps IRCC shrink the backlog.

The plan is being overseen by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, who has held the office since May 2025.

About IRCC's service standards

IRCC's service standards are internal benchmarks for how long each type of application should normally take to process. They define the typical timeframe within which most cases — 80% — in a given category are expected to be finalized; applications that fall outside that threshold often involve more complex circumstances, incomplete documentation, or the need for further screening or verification. Express Entry applications, for example, carry a six-month service standard, while family-sponsorship applications carry a 12-month standard. Any application that exceeds its timeframe without a final decision is counted as part of the backlog.