Building a stronger immigration system – Temporary residence
1,646,300
work permits
(including extensions) finalized in 2023
Our performance
- We finalized 1,089,600 study permit applications (including extensions) in 2023, up from 917,900 in 2022.
- There were 1,646,300 work permits (including extensions) finalized in 2023, compared to 1,143,000 in 2022.
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)
Note
- Approximately % of temporary resident visa (or visitor visa) applications in our inventories are from the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel.
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 | - | 62% |
Apr 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 | - | 22% |
Apr 24 | - | 19% |
Work permits
Note
- Approximately % of work permits in our inventories are from the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel.
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 | - | 29% |
Apr 24 | - | 35% |
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 introduced measures that aim to strengthen Canada’s International Student Program and better protect genuine students from fraud.
- We introduced a temporary measure that allows temporary foreign workers to enrol in longer educational programs without a study permit, encouraging skills and career development.
- We launched Canada’s first-ever Tech Talent Strategy to help businesses thrive in a competitive landscape.
- 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 request to extend their stay by up to 2 years at a time. This will make it easier for Canadians to reunite with their parents and grandparents and let them stay for a longer period of time.
- We expanded the Student Direct Stream to 7 more countries for faster processing of international students’ study permit applications.
- We launched the 2024 International Experience Canada (IEC) program, which provides youth with opportunities to work and travel in Canada. This will help strengthen the economy and fill labour gaps.
- We extended the eligibility of work permits for spouses and dependents of more temporary foreign workers. This ensures families stay together and are better supported.
We’ll continue to review and improve our processes so we can eliminate steps, use technology to support our employees and speed up processing.
Page details
- Date modified: