Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has reached an important milestone: its total application backlog has dropped below one million for the first time since October 2025.
As of January 31, 2026, the overall backlog stood at 990,300 applications — a decrease of roughly 24,400 from December’s figure of 1,014,700. At the same time, the department’s total application inventory fell by 35,500 to 2,092,000, while IRCC processed more than 1.1 million applications within its service standards during the month.
Permanent Residence Applications
The permanent residence (PR) category still accounts for the largest share of files. The PR inventory grew slightly to 995,500 (up 21,700 month-over-month), with 535,300 applications in backlog. About 46% of PR files were handled within service standards.
Notable progress was recorded in:
- Express Entry — backlog share improved to 15% (down from 20% and well below the projected 35%).
- Express Entry-aligned Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) — backlog dropped to 42% (from 48%, beating the projected 55%).
Family sponsorship backlogs edged up slightly to 22% (just above the 20% projection).
In January, IRCC finalized 32,400 PR applications and welcomed 24,100 new permanent residents.
Temporary Residence Applications
This category saw the biggest inventory reduction, falling by 65,500 applications to 845,400. The temporary residence backlog stood at 394,700 (53% processed within standards).
Work permits delivered the clearest win: the backlog percentage fell sharply from 46% to 38% (an 8-point improvement). IRCC issued 136,700 work permits and extensions during the month.
However, study permits faced setbacks — the backlog surged to 50% (up 14 points from recent months and the highest level since IRCC began publishing these figures in 2022). This exceeded the projected 38%.
Visitor visa (temporary resident visa) backlogs sat at 54% — above the 47% projection but actually the lowest rate recorded since June 2025.
Citizenship Applications
Citizenship files continued to perform steadily. The inventory declined by 8,300 to 251,100, with 76% processed within standards and the backlog holding at 60,300 applications (24% — comfortably inside the projected 25%).
Six-Month Backlog Trend
Here’s how the overall backlog has moved recently:
- 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%)
What It Means for Applicants
IRCC defines its service standards as the time needed to process 80% of applications in each stream. Any files that exceed these targets count toward the backlog. While the department continues to manage complex cases that naturally take longer, the latest data shows real momentum in work permit processing — welcome news for employers and foreign workers.
Study permit delays remain a challenge, however, and applicants in that stream should prepare for potentially longer waits.
Overall, this January update brings encouraging signs that IRCC is steadily regaining ground on its processing targets.
