Recently, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been facing difficulties in processing applications, which has led to extended processing times. As of the end of March 2024, more than 2.2 million applications were under review, of which 892,000 significantly exceeded the established deadlines. Compared to the previous month, there was only a 0.8% reduction, indicating slow progress in addressing delays.
One of the most pressing issues is the sudden increase in applications for study permits. While IRCC met processing standards in December 2023, by January 2024 there was an increase in the number of overdue applications, which reached 46% (!!!) by March. These figures clearly demonstrate the growing difficulties faced by students trying to obtain an education in Canada.
Because of these problems, only 1.32 million applications were processed according to IRCC standards, which is still a part of the agency's strategy to ensure service standards for 80% of applications. However, the reality is that for PR files and temporary residences (visitor, work, study) standards are only met in 59% and 55% of cases, respectively.
Nevertheless, citizenship applications are being processed on time, which is encouraging. At least, there is a trend, even though a weak one, towards more efficient and faster application processing 😃
