Canada Immigration Processing Crisis: Backlogs Stretch Into Decades
Ottawa, September 18, 2025 – Canada’s immigration system is facing unprecedented delays, with some programs now showing processing times of up to 50 years, according to the 2025 IRCC Minister Transition Binder.
What was once a global model for attracting talent and offering protection to vulnerable populations is now being criticized as broken beyond repair.
With immigration levels set to decline in 2026 and 2027, questions remain: will these cuts ease the pressure, or make the backlog even worse?
Key Highlights of the Immigration Backlog
- Humanitarian & Compassionate (H&C) applications: Processing times range from 12 months to 600 months (50 years).
- Start-Up Visa (SUV): Waits now reach 35 years, stalling innovation.
- Agri-Food Immigration Pilot: Processing could take up to 19 years for essential workers.
- Caregiver Program: Applicants face 9-year waits.
- Employer Mobility Pilot Program (EMPP): Delays have grown to 54 months.
- Quebec Business Programs: Processing timelines stand at 9 years or more.
- Family sponsorship programs: Spousal, parent, and grandparent applications also face 2–4 year waits.
Humanitarian & Compassionate (H&C) Applications: A 50-Year Limbo
- New H&C applications now face wait times between 12–600 months.
- Critics warn the delays are turning the program into a loophole, as rejected asylum seekers can file H&C claims and remain in Canada while waiting.
- In 2025, IRCC set a target of 10,000 admissions for H&C, down from 13,750 in 2024, against a staggering 49,900 pending applications.
Backlog Breakdown for H&C & Special Measures
| Category | Inventory | 2025 Admissions Target | % Processed in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America | 2,000 | 700 | 81% |
| Sudan | 9,400 | 1,400 | 18% |
| Ukraine | 24,400 | 2,100 | 9% |
| Hong Kong | 21,000 | 1,800 | 9% |
| H&C (in-Canada) | 49,900 | 1,100 | 13% |
Start-Up Visa (SUV): Innovation on Hold for 35 Years
- Once touted as Canada’s flagship entrepreneur program, the SUV now faces waits of 420 months (35 years).
- Inventory has ballooned to 38,600 applications, with only 1,300 admitted so far in 2025.
- At current rates, only 2% of cases will be processed this year.
- Approval rates are also low, at just 23% in early 2025.
Agri-Food Immigration Pilot: Essential Workers Left Waiting
- Aimed at addressing farm and food processing labour shortages, the program now has 8,900 pending applications.
- Processing times have jumped to 228 months (19 years).
- With only 450 admissions so far this year, just 5% of the inventory is expected to move forward in 2025.
Caregiver Program: A 9-Year Wait to Help Canadian Families
- The Home Care Worker Pilots reached their intake cap within one day of opening on March 31, 2025.
- New applicants face waits of 108 months (9 years).
- Current backlog: 34,400 applications, with 4,200 admitted this year (14% processing).
- Families in need of child and elder care are left without support.
Employer Mobility Pilot Program (EMPP): Delays Multiply
- Intended to fast-track refugees and displaced workers into Canadian jobs.
- Service standard: 6 months. Current processing time: 54 months.
- 2,500 applications are pending, with just 12% expected to be processed in 2025.
Quebec Business Programs: Years of Waiting Ahead
- Quebec Skilled Worker Program remains within standards (9–11 months).
- But Quebec Business immigration stream faces waits of 108 months (9 years).
- Current backlog: 4,100 applications, with only 3% expected to move forward this year.
Other Family and Sponsorship Backlogs
| Immigration Stream | Current Processing Time |
|---|---|
| Spousal Sponsorship (Outside, Quebec) | 41 months |
| Spousal Sponsorship (Inside, Non-Quebec) | 23 months |
| Spousal Sponsorship (Inside, Quebec) | 38 months |
| Parents & Grandparents PR (Non-Quebec) | 26 months |
| Parents & Grandparents PR (Quebec) | 44 months |
Why Are Delays This Extreme?
- High Demand vs. Limited Quotas – Applications far exceed annual admission targets.
- Policy Shifts – Intake caps and reduced quotas worsen the backlog for existing files.
- Operational Constraints – IRCC processes millions annually with limited staffing and tech resources.
- Geopolitical Pressures – Programs for Ukrainians, Hong Kongers, and Sudanese nationals stretch resources thin.
- Transparency Gaps – Many categories lack official service standards, leaving applicants in uncertainty.
Economic and Social Impacts
- Entrepreneurs take business ideas elsewhere, stifling innovation.
- Farmers and food processors struggle with labour shortages.
- Caregiver shortages worsen the eldercare and childcare crisis.
- Families remain separated for years.
- Mental health toll grows among applicants stuck in limbo.
For a consultation about Immigration options, reach out to the CAD IMMIGRATION today!
