Building a stronger immigration system – Temporary residence
881,900
work permits
(including extensions) finalized in 2024
Our performance
- We finalized 596,900 study permit applications (including extensions) from January 1 to August 31, 2024.
- We finalized 881,900 work permit applications (including extensions) from January 1 to August 31, 2024.
Reducing backlog
We’re taking action to reduce the backlogs of temporary residence applications in our inventories, including for students and workers.
- Information on this page is up to date as of . Data is approximate and subject to change.
- IRCC is working toward our goal to process 80% of applications within our service standards, which allows for expected delays in very complex cases or when more information is needed from clients before finalizing their files.
- Our projections are estimates based on current operating conditions and may change. They don’t account for sharp increases in received applications, urgent shifts in priorities, or other unforeseen circumstances affecting our operations.
Temporary resident visas (TRV)
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of temporary resident visas (TRV) – Actual and projected
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of temporary resident visas (TRV) – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 70% | - |
| Feb 22 | 74% | - |
| Mar 22 | 55% | - |
| Apr 22 | 55% | - |
| May 22 | 56% | - |
| Jun 22 | 71% | - |
| Jul 22 | 67% | - |
| Aug 22 | 71% | 68% |
| Sep 22 | 74% | 71% |
| Oct 22 | 74% | 70% |
| Nov 22 | 70% | 67% |
| Dec 22 | 70% | 77% |
| Jan 23 | 68% | 68% |
| Feb 23 | 64% | 68% |
| Mar 23 | 61% | 65% |
| Apr 23 | 50% | 56% |
| May 23 | 45% | 42% |
| Jun 23 | 46% | 42% |
| Jul 23 | 46% | 42% |
| Aug 23 | 50% | 43% |
| Sep 23 | 56% | 36% |
| Oct 23 | 58% | 34% |
| Nov 23 | 59% | 71% |
| Dec 23 | 61% | 66% |
| Jan 24 | 62% | 70% |
| Feb 24 | 61% | 68% |
| Mar 24 | 56% | 62% |
| Apr 24 | 57% | 61% |
| May 24 | 58% | 60% |
| Jun 24 | 62% | 58% |
| Jul 24 | 64% | 60% |
| Aug 24 | 71% | 43% |
| Sep 24 | - | 60% |
| Oct 24 | - | 61% |
Study permits
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of study permits – Actual and projected
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of study permits – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 42% | - |
| Feb 22 | 34% | - |
| Mar 22 | 27% | - |
| Apr 22 | 32% | - |
| May 22 | 31% | - |
| Jun 22 | 30% | - |
| Jul 22 | 31% | - |
| Aug 22 | 38% | 39% |
| Sep 22 | 31% | 42% |
| Oct 22 | 26% | 33% |
| Nov 22 | 28% | 31% |
| Dec 22 | 32% | 33% |
| Jan 23 | 35% | 36% |
| Feb 23 | 29% | 34% |
| Mar 23 | 23% | 25% |
| Apr 23 | 18% | 22% |
| May 23 | 17% | 15% |
| Jun 23 | 15% | 15% |
| Jul 23 | 16% | 15% |
| Aug 23 | 25% | 19% |
| Sep 23 | 30% | 17% |
| Oct 23 | 25% | 9% |
| Nov 23 | 24% | 16% |
| Dec 23 | 18% | 18% |
| Jan 24 | 23% | 34% |
| Feb 24 | 43% | 32% |
| Mar 24 | 46 % | 22% |
| Apr 24 | 31% | 19% |
| May 24 | 19% | 13% |
| Jun 24 | 17% | 7% |
| Jul 24 | 24% | 12% |
| Aug 24 | 32% | 18% |
| Sep 24 | - | 30% |
| Oct 24 | - | 32% |
Work permits
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of work permits – Actual and projected
2022–2024 Percentage of backlog of work permits – Actual and projected
| Month | Backlog (Actual) | Backlog (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 22 | 48% | - |
| Feb 22 | 51% | - |
| Mar 22 | 29% | - |
| Apr 22 | 23% | - |
| May 22 | 26% | - |
| Jun 22 | 28% | - |
| Jul 22 | 28% | - |
| Aug 22 | 34% | 29% |
| Sep 22 | 27% | 35% |
| Oct 22 | 23% | 49% |
| Nov 22 | 24% | 55% |
| Dec 22 | 25% | 60% |
| Jan 23 | 26% | 26% |
| Feb 23 | 23% | 28% |
| Mar 23 | 18% | 28% |
| Apr 23 | 22% | 26% |
| May 23 | 27% | 24% |
| Jun 23 | 27% | 22% |
| Jul 23 | 25% | 22% |
| Aug 23 | 37% | 22% |
| Sep 23 | 55% | 20% |
| Oct 23 | 57% | 20% |
| Nov 23 | 53% | 37% |
| Dec 23 | 49% | 33% |
| Jan 24 | 43% | 47% |
| Feb 24 | 37% | 36% |
| Mar 24 | 41% | 29% |
| Apr 24 | 49% | 35% |
| May 24 | 53% | 45% |
| Jun 24 | 46% | 46% |
| Jul 24 | 43% | 28% |
| Aug 24 | 47% | 22% |
| Sep 24 | - | 14% |
| Oct 24 | - | 7% |
What we’ve done
- We prioritized applications from workers in essential occupations in health care and agriculture to address persistent labour shortages and protect the health and well-being of Canadians.
- We launched measures that strengthen Canada’s International Student Program and better protect genuine students from fraud, including
- a new verification system where every letter of acceptance is checked directly with the learning institution before a study permit is issued
- increasing the financial requirements for study permit applicants so they’ll be better prepared for life in Canada
- setting a cap on the number of international students in 2024 to ensure that Canada has the capacity to welcome them
- We introduced a temporary measure that allows temporary foreign workers to enroll in longer educational programs without a study permit, encouraging skills and career development.
- We increased the length of post-graduation work permits for those in 1- and 2-year master’s degree programs to 3 years. We recognize the benefits these students typically bring to Canada’s labour market both as work permit holders and as future permanent residents.
- We offer an online application status tracker that makes it easier for temporary residence applicants and their representatives to check their application status online.
- We increased the length of stay for holders of a super visa for parents and grandparents to 5 years per entry into Canada, with the option to extend their stay by up to 2 years at a time. This makes it easier for Canadians to reunite with their parents and grandparents, and lets them stay for a longer period of time.
- We launched the 2024 International Experience Canada (IEC) program, which gives youth opportunities to work and travel in Canada. This will help strengthen the economy and fill labour gaps.
- We announced that the new pilot programs for caregivers will grant home care workers permanent residence when they arrive in Canada.
We’ll continue to review and improve our processes so we can eliminate steps, use technology to support our employees and speed up processing.
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