IRCC Announces New Method for Speed-up Processing Times | Canada Immigration

To improve predictability and openness in the application process, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has instituted forward-looking processing dates for important immigration programs. This strategic update incorporates current data and variables to reflect IRCC’s commitment to delivering more realistic application dates, in response to recommendations made by the office of the auditor general.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that the government will henceforth use forward-looking processing timeframes to publish projected processing durations online. This is to assist applicants in anticipating how long their applications will take to process.

Several high-volume immigration programs will be able to use the revised processing timelines, which will also alter the way processing times are determined. The office of the auditor general indicated in a report from last October that this was essential. The report offered several suggestions for how the IRCC determines application processing times and notifies clients of these times.

According to the paper, all PR applications should have online processing time information available, taking into account the quantity and age of applications that are currently on file. One of the first actions taken by the IRCC to address several of the suggestions made in the report is this modification to the calculation of processing timeframes. By year’s end, updated service requirements should be anticipated.

Service Standards

The time frame that the IRCC considers appropriate for making a final decision about an application is known as the service standard. Depending on the type of application, there are different service standards. For instance, applications for spousal sponsorship have a 12-month service standard, but applications for permanent residence through the Express Entry program should only take six months.

How do forward-looking processing times work?

According to the IRCC, this technique for estimating how long it will take to make a final decision on an application is predicated on how many applications are in the queue overall and how many applications the department anticipates processing. It may differ based on factors such as processing capacity, seasonal variations in the sorts of applications submitted, and admission spaces within the yearly immigration levels plan.

In the past, the IRCC has calculated processing times by using the length of time it took to finish applications or render a decision. The government states that it bases its backward processing times on the amount of time it took to process 80% of applications in the past, which is eight to sixteen weeks for temporary applications and six months for permanent resident programs.

Should you decide to reapply, this process will still be relevant for applications for temporary residency, such as work permits, study permits, and visitor visas. Clients who have already applied using the revised processing time technique for one of the programs are advised by the IRCC not to resubmit. It indicates that you are nearer the front of the line if you have previously applied.

Applications will continue to be reviewed in the order that they are received, and you will typically get a decision no later than the new, forward-looking processing time.

IRCC’s Current Backlog

The quantity of applications in inventory is updated regularly by IRCC, which also makes a distinction between applications that are processed per service standards and those that are not (and are therefore backlogged). 80 percent of applications from all business lines should be processed by IRCC within service standards.

As of March 31, the latest available data indicates that 2,121,000 applications are presently in the inventory. Out of these, $892,000 are backlog items and 1,320,000 are within service standards. The department further breaks down by application type. For instance, the total number of applications in the database for permanent residents is 746,000. Of them, 306,000 are backlog items, and 440,000 meet service criteria.

Data on work-study, guest visas, and temporary residency indicates that there were 538,600 applications in backlog and 665,000 that met service standards, for a total of 1,124,000 applications for temporary residence in inventory. There is a 46% backlog in study permit applications. Given recent modifications to Canada’s international student program, this is hardly shocking.

Provincial Attestation Letters must now be provided by all provinces to all overseas candidates who have been admitted to a designated educational institution, per IRCC regulations. The majority of provinces did not have a system in place for issuing PALs until March after the IRCC proposed this modification in January.

47,400 of the 262,000 citizenship applications in the inventory were backlogged, and 214,600 of the applications met service standards. By implementing forward-looking processing timeframes, the IRCC is demonstrating its dedication to efficiency and openness. Services for Immigration

Better communication and more accurate processing estimates are what applicants can anticipate. The IRCC is committed to improving the immigration experience for all stakeholders, as evidenced by its continuous efforts to streamline procedures and minimize backlog.