IRCC recently showed its 2023 data and it looks like it exceeds its immigration target in 2023 inviting 471,550 new permanent residents. According to the recent backlog data, IRCC welcomed an increase of 33,950 in 2023 compared to 2022.
The number also exceeded their 2023-2025 immigration level plan which is 465000 permanent residents. The departments also consider candidates from Express Entry, Provincial Nomination, and Spousal sponsorships. It also included the number of temporary resident applications it finalized but some of them were rejected later.
Work Permits: 1646300 applications were finalized including extensions which is an increase of 5033330 over 2022, This includes applications from both the temporary foreign workers program and the International Mobility Program.
Study Permits: 1,089,600 study permits were approved which also includes extensions. In 2022 IRCC processed 917,900 applications which is a year-over-year rise of 171,700.
Finally, IRCC records show that 293,000 newcomers gained Canadian citizenship between April 1 and December 31, 2023, up 13,900 from the same time in 2022 (279,100).
Immigration Levels Plan
The number of new permanent resident Applications received in 2023 indicates that the IRCC is on track to fulfill its target of 485,000 in 2024.
Over the next two years, 2025 and 2026, IRCC intends to welcome 500,000 new permanent residents.
Every year, IRCC publishes the Immigration Levels Plan for the following three years. The plan establishes targets for permanent resident admissions to Canada. It does not establish targets for temporary residents, such as those with work or study permits.
The IRCC does not limit the number of permanent residents who can be admitted to Canada or have their applications completed.
However, on January 22, the IRCC announced a cap on the number of study permits it will issue in 2024. The department says it will only grant 360,000 new study permits, but there is no limit on permit renewals or new permits for graduate students.
Furthermore, on February 1, the department issued ministerial directives stating that it would limit the number of study permit applications processed to 606,250.
IRCC’s current backlog
As of December 31, 2023, there were 2,221,100 applications on the IRCC portal, and of those 949,500 were in the backlog.
IRCC has mandated to process 80% of the applications be in the standard time or the length of time the department has mandated to process the applications.
There is a standard length of time for the type of application. For Example, Express entry takes 6 months to process and family class immigration takes 12 months to process.
Those applications which are not processed in the given time frame are considered backlog. In 2022 IRCC finalized 5.2 million applications across all streams of immigration.
Permanent Residents
Of all the applications in inventory. IRCC has 702,000 permanent resident applications in inventory with a backlog of 308,900. which means around 44% of the applications in the backlog will not be processed within the standard time.
Temporary residents
According to the same figures, there were 1,257,000 applications in inventory for work permits, student permits, and temporary resident (visitor) visas. There are 590,800 applications in the queue.
IRCC breaks down the data further, revealing that as of December 31, 2023, 61% of visitor visa applications were backlogged. In comparison, 18% of study permit applications are backlogged. Data on work permits suggest that 49% of applications were also backlogged.
Citizenship applications
As of December, there were 262,100 citizenship petitions in stock. Of them, 49,800, or 19%, were backlogged.
How IRCC is working to reduce the backlog
IRCC has been trying for the past few months to reduce the backlog. It says they are prioritizing applications for work permits in the healthcare and agriculture sectors. They are working on creating Canada’s tech talent strategy which further speeds up the processing time for the in-demand tech occupations.
According to IRCC, the development of an online gateway for some permanent residence applications, as well as online application status trackers, is assisting in the speed-up of processing.
Furthermore, the agency has started an online application process for people over the age of 18. Applicants can now pass citizenship examinations online and attend virtual naturalization ceremonies.
