Canada’s immigration backlog has grown beyond 2.1 million across all lines of business as of April 29, according to the latest Canadian government data sighted by Afrotimes News.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s backlog has progressed as follows since last summer:
• April 30-May 2, 2022: 2,130,385 persons
• April 11-12, 2022: 2,031,589 persons
• March 15 and 17, 2022: 1,844,424 persons
• February 1, 2022: 1,815,628 persons
• December 15, 2021: 1,813,144 persons
• October 27, 2021: 1,792,404 persons
• July 6, 2021: 1,447,474 persons

The number of persons in IRCC’s inventory grew by 98,796 in the 18 days between April 11 and April 29.

This increase is largely driven by the temporary residence inventory.

Over this same period, the permanent residence backlog increased by 638 persons. Between April 12 and May 2, IRCC reduced its citizenship backlog by 258 people.

However, despite the slight overall increase in the permanent residence inventory, IRCC has reduced its Express Entry backlog by 4,292 persons since mid-April.

The reduction in the Express Entry backlog will allow IRCC to resume all-program draws in early July. Candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) have not been invited to apply for immigration since December 2020.

Before the pandemic, the FSWP was the main Express Entry pathway. Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates who have not been drawn since September 2021 are also set to receive Invitations to Apply (ITAs) again.

IRCC had been holding off on inviting these candidates, as the backlog had driven up processing times in excess of the six-month standard for Express Entry-managed programs.

Starting in July, the vast majority of new Express Entry applications will be processed within the six-month service standard, according to IRCC.

Last month, the Canadian Parliament’s Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) began a study evaluating IRCC’s backlogs that will culminate in a written report available to the public containing recommendations on how to improve IRCC’s application processing.

Source: Afrotimes News https://www.facebook.com/AfrotimesNewspaper/photos/a.119381757440035/126532980058246/

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