Canada marks record-breaking year for processing immigration applications
by CM staff
As of November 30 this year, IRCC had processed over 670,000 study permits, compared to more than 500,000 during the same time period last year
OTTAWA — Since August, IRCC has reduced its overall inventory by nearly half a million applications. At the end of November, the IRCC had processed approximately 4.8 million applications, nearly twice the 2.5 million processed during the same period last year.
To strengthen the immigration system, IRCC has digitized applications, hired and trained new employees, streamlined processes, and adopted automation technologies to increase processing efficiency.
The department remains on track to meet its goal to process 80 per cent of new applications within service standards for most programs.
For study permit processing, Canada is on pace to set a new record this year. As of November 30 this year, IRCC had processed over 670,000 study permits, compared to more than 500,000 during the same time period last year. As a result of these efforts, most new study permits are now being processed within the 60-day service standard.
Work permit processing also saw improvements, with nearly 700,000 work permits processed by November 30, compared to about 223,000 during the same period in 2019, before the pandemic.
“Our government has reduced its pandemic backlogs by nearly half a million, while also processing a record-breaking number of immigration applications this year,” said Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. “Our actions are ensuring that we can continue to welcome and support newcomers who come to Canada to work, study, visit, or settle here. It is through the dedication and hard work of those who administer our immigration system, and our willingness to modernize and adapt, that we are able to uphold Canada’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive country.”
On a monthly basis, Canada is now processing more visitor visa applications than it did prior to the pandemic. In November alone, over 260,000 visitor visas were processed. By contrast, the monthly average in 2019 was about 180,000 applications.
Canada welcomed a record-breaking 405,000 new permanent residents in 2021, surpassing the previous record from 1913. After another record year in 2022, Canada remains on track to reach its target of more than 431,000 new permanent residents.
