Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed this week that its flagship Express Entry system is now grappling with the largest inventory of unprocessed applications since October 2022. According to data released on 20 January 2026 and analyzed by CIC News the following day, 1,005,800 permanent-residence files across all streams were outside normal service standards as of 30 November 2025—up from 900,000 in October. The share of Express Entry files in backlog jumped from 27 percent to 32 percent in a single month.
That increase may appear modest in absolute terms, but it is a warning light for thousands of skilled workers who rely on Express Entry’s promise of six-month processing. Applicants in the Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class categories report waiting 10–14 months for a final decision, complicating company relocation plans and forcing families to defer travel, school enrolment and real-estate purchases. Consultants fear that processing targets set in the 2026–28 Immigration Levels Plan—117,500 Express Entry admissions in 2026—could be difficult to achieve without a dramatic productivity surge at IRCC.
IRCC officials say November is historically a “catch-up month” after fall intake rounds, and that overall inventories remained essentially flat at 2.13 million. Nonetheless, business groups such as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce warn that a stubborn backlog risks undermining Canada’s reputation as a predictable destination for global talent, especially when peer countries like Australia and the U.K. are pledging faster digital pathways.
![Express Entry Backlog Swells to Three-Year High, Pushing Skilled Workers’ Wait Times]()
Amid the uncertainty, many applicants and employers are turning to facilitation services. VisaHQ, for instance, offers streamlined Canadian visa and document-support solutions that help users understand changing requirements, assemble compliant files, and track applications in real time. Their online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides step-by-step guidance for both temporary and permanent pathways, easing the burden while IRCC works through its backlog.
Employers can mitigate risk by maintaining valid Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) for key hires and by exploring provincial nominee streams with priority processing. However, PNP capacity is finite: Ottawa’s 2026 target is 93,000 provincial admissions, barely 5 percent higher than 2025. Until IRCC clears its older files—many created during the pandemic—companies should budget longer lead times and consider interim work-permit strategies for mission-critical staff.
In the medium term, observers expect IRCC to lean more heavily on automation and advanced analytics to triage files. A pilot using AI-enabled completeness checks in the Student Direct Stream reportedly reduced average handling time by 35 percent. If replicated system-wide, such tools could help Ottawa restore the six-month standard that has made Express Entry a cornerstone of Canada’s global-mobility playbook.
That increase may appear modest in absolute terms, but it is a warning light for thousands of skilled workers who rely on Express Entry’s promise of six-month processing. Applicants in the Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class categories report waiting 10–14 months for a final decision, complicating company relocation plans and forcing families to defer travel, school enrolment and real-estate purchases. Consultants fear that processing targets set in the 2026–28 Immigration Levels Plan—117,500 Express Entry admissions in 2026—could be difficult to achieve without a dramatic productivity surge at IRCC.
IRCC officials say November is historically a “catch-up month” after fall intake rounds, and that overall inventories remained essentially flat at 2.13 million. Nonetheless, business groups such as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce warn that a stubborn backlog risks undermining Canada’s reputation as a predictable destination for global talent, especially when peer countries like Australia and the U.K. are pledging faster digital pathways.
Amid the uncertainty, many applicants and employers are turning to facilitation services. VisaHQ, for instance, offers streamlined Canadian visa and document-support solutions that help users understand changing requirements, assemble compliant files, and track applications in real time. Their online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides step-by-step guidance for both temporary and permanent pathways, easing the burden while IRCC works through its backlog.
Employers can mitigate risk by maintaining valid Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) for key hires and by exploring provincial nominee streams with priority processing. However, PNP capacity is finite: Ottawa’s 2026 target is 93,000 provincial admissions, barely 5 percent higher than 2025. Until IRCC clears its older files—many created during the pandemic—companies should budget longer lead times and consider interim work-permit strategies for mission-critical staff.
In the medium term, observers expect IRCC to lean more heavily on automation and advanced analytics to triage files. A pilot using AI-enabled completeness checks in the Student Direct Stream reportedly reduced average handling time by 35 percent. If replicated system-wide, such tools could help Ottawa restore the six-month standard that has made Express Entry a cornerstone of Canada’s global-mobility playbook.
