Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released updated processing times for economic immigration and citizenship on April 7, 2026. The latest figures show a notable improvement for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), which moved down to six months from seven months—the first improvement for FSWP since early 2025.
Citizenship processing times also edged lower, decreasing by one month to 12 months. In contrast, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) queue expanded by more than 10,000 applications in a single month, underscoring ongoing demand and capacity pressures within Express Entry.
The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) saw the largest single increase in processing time this update, rising by seven months to 40 months. This sharp jump highlights continued backlogs in Atlantic pathways even as other streams edge forward.
IRCC maintains a six-month service standard for all Express Entry programs overall, and the agency notes that formal processing times for the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) are not published due to insufficient data.
As context, the numbers of applications awaiting decisions have grown in some streams: approximately 54,600 CEC applications and 44,100 FSWP applications are currently waiting for decisions. These figures illustrate the uneven performance across Express Entry categories, even as some improvements emerge.
Overall, Maple News observes a mixed picture in this April update: a welcomed short-term gain for FSWP and citizenship timelines paired with rising backlogs in CEC and a notable surge in AIP processing times. Applicants should stay aligned with IRCC updates and plan accordingly, as the immigration system continues to balance demand with processing capacity.