Canadian immigration application processing times have reached record lengths, with wait times extending up to 50 years for certain permanent residency programs. This has left applicants and lawyers astounded, deeming the system unmanageable.
Olha Kushko, who arrived in Ottawa in 2023 with her family under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) after fleeing Kyiv, expressed disbelief at the situation. Families applying for permanent residence (PR) under various streams are facing significant delays, ranging from 12 to 600 months, as per the immigration minister’s May 2025 “transition binder.”
The prolonged processing times affect different immigration pathways, such as up to 108 months for the caregivers stream, 228 months for the agri-food stream, and a staggering 420 months for entrepreneurs under the startup visa stream. Lawyers have raised concerns over these unprecedented wait times, fearing potential application cancellations if new border bills granting extensive powers to the minister are passed.
Despite inquiries about potential government actions, Minister Lena Metlege Diab’s spokesperson refrained from preempting any policy decisions. Applicants like Kushko, who applied under the humanitarian and compassionate program in June, are facing extended wait times, with over 38,100 applicants ahead of them in the queue.
These delays, far surpassing initial estimates, have caused anxiety among applicants, including concerns about work permit expirations and the prospect of returning to conflict-ridden homelands. The uncertainty surrounding processing times and potential application cancellations has further fueled distress among applicants and their representatives.
Immigration lawyers are demanding transparency from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regarding the reasons behind the extensive delays. They question the feasibility of such prolonged processing times and the impact on applicants living in uncertainty. The government’s intentions regarding the handling of these delays remain unclear, with speculations about mass application cancellations circulating within legal circles.
In response to concerns, the government defended the publication of these extended processing times, emphasizing the need for transparency in sharing immigration system data. IRCC attributed the delays to the volume of applications received and changes in admission targets, which have decreased significantly in recent times. The department clarified that forecasts are based on the current application volume and admission targets, aiming to provide applicants with estimated wait times for decision outcomes.
As debates continue over the handling of the immigration backlog and the potential implications of new border security legislation, applicants and legal experts remain apprehensive about the future of Canada’s immigration system.
