Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is temporarily pausing invitations for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) under the Express Entry system in order to address significant backlogs in immigration applications.
This strategy was confirmed through an internal IRCC memorandum recently obtained via access to information protocols. Although parts of the document are redacted, it provides important insight into how IRCC is managing Express Entry and its various streams.
According to the memo, IRCC ceased FSWP invitations in December 2020 and began focusing heavily on CEC candidates and applicants under the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident (TR to PR) pathway. This shift was intended to meet Canada’s ambitious 2021 immigration targets, particularly by prioritizing individuals already residing in the country.
However, this targeted approach has led to a sharp rise in application volume. The memo acknowledges that this aggressive focus resulted in a substantial buildup of files, exceeding service benchmarks across all economic immigration categories.
By October 2021, the total immigration application backlog across all categories—permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship—had climbed to nearly 1.8 million, up from 1.5 million in July of the same year. Within this figure, close to 140,000 applications were from Express Entry candidates awaiting permanent residence.
The IRCC appears to be making progress on this front. As of September 3, 2021, the backlog for Express Entry applications had decreased to approximately 108,500. By October 27, that figure had been reduced further by about 8,500 applications, suggesting ongoing efforts to streamline processing.
For comparison, IRCC’s Express Entry backlog stood at 62,450 in September 2020—indicating that volume has nearly doubled in one year due to the policy focus on inland candidates during the pandemic.
While there’s no clear timeline yet for the resumption of FSWP and CEC invitations, the memo signals that IRCC intends to clear significant backlog levels first before turning its attention back to regular draws. This is part of a broader realignment as Canada looks to balance managing existing demand while keeping pathways open to skilled immigrants worldwide.