The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released its latest data on the immigration application backlog as of August 29, 2024.
The report highlights a record 2,364,700 citizenship, immigration, and visa applications under processing as of July 31, with the data reflecting a month’s delay.
Significantly, the backlog—applications exceeding the normal IRCC service standards—has surged beyond 1 million, reaching 1,002,400, marking the first time this has occurred since November 2022.
This data encompasses various application categories, including citizenship, permanent residence, and temporary residence.
Category-Wise Backlog Summary
As of July 31, 2024, the total number of applications across all categories reached 2,364,700.
Among these, 1,002,400 applications are classified as backlogged, exceeding the standard service times, while 1,362,300 are still being processed within the expected service standards.
| Application Type | Applications With Backlog | Applications Within Service Standards | Total Applications |
| Citizenship | 39,000 | 193,500 | 232,500 |
| Permanent Residence | 299,000 | 467,200 | 766,200 |
| Temporary Residence | 664,400 | 701,600 | 1,366,000 |
| Total | 1,002,400 | 1,362,300 | 2,364,700 |
Comparison with Earlier Data
A month-on-month comparison with previous backlog data as of June 30 and May 31, 2024, reveals significant changes across all application types.
Applications in Backlog Comparison:
| Application Type | Backlog (July 31) | Backlog (June 30) | (June 30) June 30 to Aug 29 Change (%) |
| Citizenship | 39,000 | 40,500 | -3.70% |
| Permanent Residence | 299,000 | 301,800 | -0.93% |
| Temporary Residence | 664,400 | 594,300 | 11.80% |
| Total | 1,002,400 | 936,600 | 7.02% |
The data indicates a reduction in the backlog for citizenship and permanent residence applications between June 30 and July 31, with citizenship applications decreasing by 3.70% and permanent residence applications by 0.93%.
In contrast, temporary residence applications experienced a notable rise of 11.80%, leading to an overall backlog increase of 7.02% over the two-month period.
Applications Within Service Standards Comparison
| Application Type | Within Service Standards (July 31) | Within Service Standards (June 30) | June 30 to July 31 Change (%) |
| Citizenship | 193,500 | 198,900 | -2.71% |
| Permanent Residence | 467,200 | 451,900 | 3.38% |
| Temporary Residence | 701,600 | 705,000 | -0.48% |
| Total | 1,362,300 | 1,355,800 | 0.49% |
The data shows a slight decline of 2.71% in citizenship applications processed within service standards from June 30 to July 31.
On the other hand, permanent residence applications processed within standards rose by 3.38%, while temporary residence applications saw a small decrease of 0.48% during the same period.
This suggests that a growing number of temporary residence applications have shifted into the backlog, surpassing their standard processing times.
Impact on Applicants
The IRCC aims to process 80% of applications within their service standards, considering any backlog below 20% as normal.
Current backlogs and future projections indicate that IRCC has achieved this goal for citizenship, express entry, and family sponsorship applications.
However, the department continues to face challenges with temporary residence applications, primarily due to the rising number of new submissions.
These applications include temporary resident visas (TRVs), study permits, and work permits, with TRV and work permit applicants being most affected.
Conclusion
The July 2024 backlog data underscores both the challenges and advancements within the Canadian immigration system.
Although some categories have shown progress, the rise in temporary residence applications signals a continued need for targeted efforts by the IRCC.
As future projections suggest possible improvements, applicants are advised to stay updated on their application status and any IRCC announcements.
What is the IRCC backlog?
The IRCC backlog refers to the number of applications that are currently being processed but exceed the standard processing times set by the IRCC for specific application categories.
How many immigration applications are currently being processed by IRCC?
As of July 31, the most recent IRCC data released on August 29 shows that 2,364,700 citizenship, immigration, and visa applications were under processing.
