Maple News reports new figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) showing the total application backlog continuing to shrink, reaching its lowest level since July 2025. Notable movements include a record-low Express Entry backlog of 9%, a 5% drop in study permit backlog, and a 3% uptick in work permit backlog.
IRCC’s April 2026 inventory stood at 2,153,900 applications. Of these, 1,231,200 were processed within service standards, while 922,700 remained backlogged.
Backlog trends by month since July 2025 show a persistent easing in overall totals: July 2025 — 901,700; August 2025 — 958,850; September 2025 — 996,700; October 2025 — 1,006,700; November 2025 — 1,005,800; December 2025 — 1,014,700; January 2026 — 990,300; February 2026 — 941,400; March 2026 — 935,000; April 2026 — 922,700.
In the permanent residence (PR) category, there were 1,038,100 backlogged PR applications as of April 30. IRCC processed 480,400 PR applications within service standards (46%), leaving 557,700 PR cases backlog. This marked an improvement in the proportion processed within service standards compared with the prior month (477,100).
Express Entry backlog stood at 9% in April, the lowest since IRCC began publishing the metric, down from a peak of 32% five months earlier and well below the April projection of about 20%.
Enhanced Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) backlog was 37% as of April 30, down from 38% at end-March. The figure sits within IRCC’s projected 40% backlog for the month and is the lowest level seen since February 2025.
Overall, April 2026 data point to gradual improvements in the backlog, even as some streams, like work permits, show modest movement. The trend signals growing processing efficiency in high-demand streams while backlogs in permanent residence continue to pose a meaningful hurdle for applicants.