As of December 31, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) faced its highest application backlog of the year, with a steady increase since May. By the end of 2025, the backlog had reached 1,014,700 applications.
A significant change noted in IRCC’s recent update is the decrease in the Express Entry backlog, dropping to 20% from the previous month’s 32%.
Overall, IRCC’s inventories by December 2025 included 2,127,500 applications, covering permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship grant applications. Of these, 1,112,800 applications were within service standards.
Year-in-Review Snapshot
The table below illustrates the immigration backlog changes throughout 2025:
| Month | Immigration Backlog | Change Relative to Preceding Month |
|---|---|---|
| January, 2025 | 891,100 | -5.33% |
| February, 2025 | 821,200 | -7.95% |
| March, 2025 | 779,900 | -5.03% |
| April, 2025 | 760,200 | -2.53% |
| May, 2025 | 802,000 | +5.5% |
| June, 2025 | 842,800 | +5.02% |
| July, 2025 | 901,700 | +6.98% |
| 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% |
Permanent Residence Applications
IRCC had 973,800 PR applications in its inventory by December 31, marking an increase of 32,200 applications from November 2025.
The following applic