SOCI – Processing Times and Service Delivery – November 17, 2025

Key Messages

• Canada’s immigration system plays a key role in attracting top talent to help build our economy and meet long-term labour market and demographic needs.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) remains committed to processing 80% of applications within service standards and increasing transparency around application processing. All while continuing to protect and prioritize the safety and security of Canadians.
• To help clients make informed decisions on travel and life plans, IRCC provides estimated processing times through our Processing Times Tool, which is available on our website. The tool uses historical or forward-looking data to estimate processing timelines for specific application streams. Actual processing times may vary based on the volume and complexity of applications received.
  • IRCC’s shift to forward-looking processing times for some lines of business positions Canada as a pioneer among the Migration 5 countries, demonstrating leadership and innovation in immigration service delivery and reinforcing IRCC’s commitment to transparency and client-centered service.
  • The updated processing time tools and forward-looking processing times (FLPT) available for various permanent resident lines of business allow clients to check the number of applicants in the queue ahead of them and the estimated wait time. We continue to examine ways to promote transparency so that clients know when they are in queue and when they are approaching the end of the queue, so that they can plan accordingly.
• IRCC also continues to improve real-time status information available to clients on their specific files through online accounts and status-checkers.
• We continue to digitize applications and harness automation technologies to speed up processing, while protecting and prioritizing the safety and security of Canadians.

If pressed:

• Canada remains a leading destination of choice with continued strong intake across lines of business. Under the Immigration Levels Plan, both permanent and temporary resident targets have been reduced to help align immigration with Canada’s capacity to welcome and integrate newcomers. This will result in different processing times for lines of business where applications received are outpacing the planned targets.
• Processing times are influenced by a range of factors, including immigration targets, the complexity of individual cases, and how quickly applicants respond to requests for information. Despite these variables, the majority of applications are processed well within established service standards.
• Forward-looking processing times are calculated by estimating how long it will take to process the current inventory, based on projected future output for each category. These projections are directly linked to admissions targets for upcoming years.
• Under the 2026‒2028 Multi-Year Immigration Levels Plan, the Department effectively resets its output expectations, which in turn drives significant changes to forward-looking processing times. These adjustments reflect the Department’s revised output targets and will be most pronounced in categories where there is a substantial difference between the planned admissions for 2026 under the previous 2025–2027 Levels Plan and those outlined in the newly tabled plan.

September 2025 Service Standard Adherence

• At the end of September 2025, service standards were met in the Federal Skilled Workers, Canadian Experience Class, and Quebec Skilled Workers permanent residence categories, as well as for new work permits. Additionally, citizenship grants continue to be processed within the established service standard.

Call and Email Response Rates from January to September 2025

• From January 1 to September 30, 2025, the Department responded to 3.6M client enquiries by phone and e-mail, including enquiries received by the Ministerial Centre for Members of Parliament and Senators (MCMPS) and the dedicated crisis line for Palestine.
• IRCC received 3% fewer enquiries in January to September 2025 than in the same time last year (which represents a decrease of over 179K enquiries). The Client Support Centre has maintained a call answer rate of 41% from January to September 2025, which exceeds the 30% service standard we are funded to provide.
• Furthermore, in January 2025, there was 71K emails in the inventory. This was reduced by 43K at the end of September, representing an inventory decrease of 61%. At the end of September, we had 28K emails remaining and we met our three-day service standard on 75% of our inventory. We are on track to meeting our 80% target by the end of the fiscal year, an improvement from the 24% last fiscal year.
• The recent Auditor General’s review of the Canada Revenue Agency contact centre highlighted significant challenges in providing timely and accurate responses to Canadians. IRCC recognizes the importance of these key challenges, and our Client Support Centre (CSC) has delivered consistently stronger results and continues to improve through its modernization agenda and operational efficiencies achieved.
  • Over the past year, we have implemented targeted operational enhancements to increase efficiency and service quality. These efforts have led to measurable progress toward service standards, including raising our answer rate from 38% in the previous fiscal year to 42% year-to-date, while monthly improvements in our answer rates continue to take place.
  • Additionally, we have introduced a robust Accountability Framework and strengthened Quality Assessment processes to ensure agents provide complete and accurate information to clients.

Key Facts and Figures (as of September 30, 2025)

Asylum Claims

Humanitarian and Compassionate / Refugees

• The Department processes applications for permanent residency in accordance with the annual Immigration Levels Plan. If the number of applications in the queue is greater than the corresponding allotted admissions space, inventory accumulates and wait times increase. For some areas, such as Humanitarian and Compassionate immigration categories, Privately Sponsored Refugees and Protected Persons Landed in Canada and their Dependents Abroad, the number of applications in the queue are greater than available admissions space, leading to increasing wait times

Modernization efforts to improve processing times

• IRCC continues to invest in new tools that will help clients make informed decisions by providing access to more relevant information on application status and processing times.
• We continue to digitize application processes and harness automation technologies to improve processing times while protecting and prioritizing the health, safety, and security of Canadians.
• Our advanced analytics helps identify routine applications for streamlined processing. This allows us to better manage our work, so clients receive decisions sooner.
• Advanced analytic models are not used to make or recommend negative decisions. All refusals are made by human officers after they review the application themselves.
• IRCC is undertaking a Service Standards Review to ensure service standards are meaningful and relevant for our programs, in line with the Department’s ability to forecast demand and address intake. This is part of IRCC’s ongoing efforts to set clear expectations for clients and increase transparency on performance.