New inventory figures released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on 17 February 2026 show that 1,014,700 immigration files now exceed service standards—up 8,900 since November despite overall inventory shrinking. The milestone is psychologically important: Canada’s backlog first crossed the one-million mark in October 2025 and has not dipped below it since.
The crunch is increasingly concentrated in permanent residence (PR) streams, which account for more than half of all delayed cases (527,500). PR inventory ballooned by 32,200 files in December alone, suggesting that application inflows continue to outpace IRCC’s processing capacity even after pandemic hiring surges. Temporary-residence queues—the main headache in 2023—are slowly improving, falling to 427,900, while citizenship grants in backlog edged up to 59,300.
![IRCC backlog tops one million as permanent-residence pressure intensifies]()
For employers, the numbers translate into longer waits for overseas hires attempting to convert work permits to PR. Labour-market uncertainty is compounded by looming caps on international student enrolment and sector-specific pathways like the new Express Entry categories. Immigration lawyers warn that rising PR delays may push high-skilled workers to competing destinations such as Australia and the United Kingdom.
IRCC says digitalisation and AI triage are gradually shortening some processing streams, yet unions argue that a 20 % staffing reduction mandated in the 2025 Fall Economic Statement is undermining those gains. Stakeholders are watching the upcoming federal budget for additional funding or fee increases earmarked for backlog reduction.
The crunch is increasingly concentrated in permanent residence (PR) streams, which account for more than half of all delayed cases (527,500). PR inventory ballooned by 32,200 files in December alone, suggesting that application inflows continue to outpace IRCC’s processing capacity even after pandemic hiring surges. Temporary-residence queues—the main headache in 2023—are slowly improving, falling to 427,900, while citizenship grants in backlog edged up to 59,300.
For employers, the numbers translate into longer waits for overseas hires attempting to convert work permits to PR. Labour-market uncertainty is compounded by looming caps on international student enrolment and sector-specific pathways like the new Express Entry categories. Immigration lawyers warn that rising PR delays may push high-skilled workers to competing destinations such as Australia and the United Kingdom.
IRCC says digitalisation and AI triage are gradually shortening some processing streams, yet unions argue that a 20 % staffing reduction mandated in the 2025 Fall Economic Statement is undermining those gains. Stakeholders are watching the upcoming federal budget for additional funding or fee increases earmarked for backlog reduction.
Source: Immigration News Canada
