Maple News reports that while Canada’s overall immigration backlog continues to shrink, the volume of Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) applications under Express Entry has seen a notable increase, raising concerns among applicants awaiting permanent residence through this pathway.
According to the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), published on April 29, 2025, the total immigration backlog stood at 779,900 applications as of March 31, 2025. This marks a 5.03% decrease compared to the previous month’s backlog of 821,200 applications. It also represents the fourth consecutive month in which the backlog remained under one million.
Despite this encouraging trend, the surge in pending PNP applications within the Express Entry system signals administrative bottlenecks. These delays may affect Canada’s ability to meet provincial labour market needs, as PNPs are a key mechanism for provinces to select skilled workers tailored to their regional priorities.
Historically, IRCC’s internal service standards set the expected processing time for each immigration stream. For example, Express Entry applications are intended to be processed within six months, while family sponsorship applications have a 12-month benchmark. Applications exceeding these timelines are categorized as part of the backlog.
The overall inventory of immigration applications under IRCC, including those still within service standards, totaled 1,976,700 as of the end of March. Of these, approximately 1,196,800 were being processed on schedule, leaving the rest either delayed or in the backlog category.
Over the past six months, IRCC has consistently made progress in reducing its processing backlog. From a peak of over 1.05 million in October 2024, the total backlog has fallen more than 25% through March 2025. Still, specific program areas—like the PNP—are not following this broader trend.
The growing PNP backlog could impact Canada’s immigration strategy, particularly since PNPs are designed to address province-specific labour shortages. The recent delays may prompt calls for additional resources or reforms to ensure application processing keeps pace with demand.
As Canada moves forward with its ambitious immigration targets, streamlining the PNP and other permanent residence categories will be essential to bolster economic growth and meet demographic goals.
Maple News will continue to monitor the evolving immigration landscape and provide updates on processing timelines, policy changes, and backlog reduction efforts.