IRCC Implements New Method for Calculating Application Processing Times

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently announced changes to how processing times for various immigration programs will be calculated and communicated to applicants. This update aims to provide more accurate estimates of the time it will take to process applications, helping applicants better plan their immigration journey.

The new approach, known as forward-looking processing times, will be applied to several high-volume immigration programs, including the Canadian Experience Class, Provincial Nominees Program, Federal Skilled Workers, Quebec Skilled Workers, citizenship grants, and spouse or common-law partner sponsorships. This change comes in response to recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General last October, which highlighted the need for improved transparency and accuracy in processing time estimates.

Under the forward-looking processing times method, IRCC will consider factors such as the total number of applications in the queue and the department's processing capacity to estimate the time it will take to issue a final decision on an application. This approach allows for more flexibility and responsiveness to changes in application volumes and processing capacity.

Previously, processing times were calculated based on historical data, which may not have accurately reflected current processing realities. With the new method, IRCC aims to provide more reliable and up-to-date estimates that better align with actual processing times.

However, IRCC assures applicants who have already submitted their applications that they do not need to reapply. Applications will continue to be processed in the order they were received, and in most cases, applicants will not experience significant delays compared to the new processing time estimates.

IRCC regularly updates the number of applications in its inventory and distinguishes between those that are processed within service standards and those that are in backlog. As of March 31, there were a total of 2,121,200 applications in inventory, with 1,320,000 within service standards and 892,000 in backlog.

The breakdown of applications by type reveals that there are 746,000 applications for permanent residence, of which 440,000 are within service standards and 306,000 are in backlog. For temporary residence applications (such as work, study, and visitor visas), there were 538,600 applications in backlog and 665,400 within service standards, totaling 1,204,000 temporary residence applications in inventory.

Of note is the backlog in study permit applications, with 46% of them awaiting processing. This backlog is attributed to recent changes in Canada's international student program, which required all provinces to issue Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs) to international student applicants accepted to designated learning institutions. Many provinces did not have systems in place to issue PALs until March, leading to delays in processing study permit applications.

Additionally, there were 262,000 citizenship applications in inventory, with 214,000 within service standards and 47,400 in backlog. These figures highlight the ongoing challenges faced by IRCC in managing application volumes and processing times across various immigration programs.