IRCC Reveals 2025 Plan for Processing Permanent Residence Applications
Key Update:
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced which permanent residence (PR) applications will be fully processed in 2025 — and which ones will continue to face longer wait times.
According to the latest Minister Transition Binder, only select PR streams will see complete inventory clearance this year, while others will be processed partially, depending on the backlog and program priorities.
PR Programs to Be Fully Processed in 2025
The following PR pathways will have their entire application inventory cleared this year:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
- Express Entry-aligned PNP streams (Enhanced PNPs)
- Community Pilots (RNIP, RCIP, FCIP)
- Quebec Skilled Worker and Experience Programs (PEQ, PSTQ)
- Quebec Pilot Programs
These programs represent IRCC’s top processing priority for 2025.
Partial Processing for Other Economic Pathways
Some PR streams will only have a portion of their total applications processed this year, as shown below:
| PR Pathway | Proportion to Be Processed in 2025 |
|---|---|
| Agrifood Pilot | 5% |
| Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) | 33% |
| Caregiver Pilots | 14% |
| Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) | 12% |
| Base PNP (Not Express Entry-aligned) | 35% |
| Quebec Business | 3% |
| Start-up Visa | 2% |
Express Entry Programs: Prioritized for Full Clearance
All Express Entry pathways are expected to be fully processed by the end of 2025.
| PR Pathway | Applications in Inventory | To Be Processed (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 19,300 | 19,300 |
| Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) | 12,500 | 12,500 |
Average Wait Times (Months)
| Program | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSW | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| CEC | 6 | 7 | 5 |
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
Enhanced (Express Entry-aligned) PNPs will be processed in full, while Base PNPs will see only about one-third of their cases cleared.
| PR Pathway | Applications in Inventory | To Be Processed (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| PNP (Express Entry) | 16,300 | 16,300 |
| PNP (Base) | 87,700 | 30,695 |
Average Wait Times (Months)
| Program | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express Entry PNP | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Base PNP | 13 | 24 | 19 |
Quebec Immigration Programs
The province of Quebec will have its Skilled Worker and Experience Class applications fully processed.
However, its Business programs (Investor, Entrepreneur, Self-Employed) will see limited movement.
| PR Pathway | Applications in Inventory | To Be Processed (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Quebec Skilled Worker | 27,600 | 27,600 |
| Quebec Business | 4,100 | 123 |
Wait Times (Months)
| Program | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec Skilled Worker | 11 | 8 | 9 |
| Quebec Business | 22 | 108 | 108 |
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
| PR Pathway | Applications in Inventory | To Be Processed (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| AIP | 12,100 | 3,993 |
IRCC will process 33% of AIP applications this year, continuing to support Canada’s Atlantic workforce needs.
Wait Times (Months)
| Program | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIP | 17 | 27 | 24 |
Federal Economic Pilots
IRCC will process limited applications for its smaller pilot programs, including Agrifood, Caregivers, and EMPP.
| PR Pathway | Inventory | To Be Processed (%) | Applications Processed (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agrifood Pilot | 8,900 | 5% | 445 |
| Caregiver Pilots | 34,400 | 14% | 4,816 |
| EMPP | 2,500 | 12% | 300 |
Wait Times (Months)
| Program | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agrifood | 60 | 180 | 228 |
| Caregivers | 27 | 84 | 108 |
| EMPP | 10 | 36 | 54 |
Community-Based Immigration Pilots
All community pilots, including the Rural Community Immigration Program (RCIP) and Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP), will have their inventories cleared.
| PR Pathway | Applications in Inventory | To Be Processed (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Community Pilots | 3,500 | 3,500 |
Wait Times (Months)
| Program | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Pilots | 12 | 12 | 7 |
Start-Up Visa Program
The Start-Up Visa (SUV) stream will move at a slow pace, processing only 2% of its large backlog this year.
| PR Pathway | Applications in Inventory | To Be Processed (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Start-Up Visa | 38,600 | 772 |
Wait Times (Months)
| Program | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUV | 71 | 420 | 420 |
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