Provincial Nominee Program backlog grows for Express Entry applicants

Key Takeaways

• PNP backlog rose to 44% by March 2025, up from 36% in February and exceeding the 30% IRCC target.
• Over 852,700 permanent residency applications were pending in March 2025, an increase of 10,000 from February.
• IRCC is hiring more staff and upgrading digital systems but delays may continue throughout much of 2025.

A growing number of people trying to move to Canada 🇨🇦 are now stuck waiting much longer than before, especially those applying through the Provincial Nominee Program. Known as the PNP, this program lets provinces pick immigrants based on their job skills and what the local economy needs. For many, the popular Express Entry system is the main way to get into the PNP. But a new surge in the number of people applying has made the wait even longer. As of March 2025, the backlog of PNP applications linked to Express Entry jumped sharply to 44%. This is much higher than the 36% backlog in February, and is well above the target of 30% set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Let’s break down what these numbers mean, why this sharp increase happened, and who is most affected by the delays.

Sharp Increases in Provincial Nominee Program Backlog

The Provincial Nominee Program is supposed to help different parts of Canada 🇨🇦 bring in people who have the right skills for local jobs. The system is meant to be quick and fair. However, the process is now slower than it has been for a long time. The backlog for Express Entry-aligned PNP applications is now at levels not seen since June 2022, when the backlog hit a record 45%. After that, IRCC worked hard to reduce wait times, but new changes and higher demand have made the situation challenging again.

The numbers show just how unusual the past few months have been:

• In January 2025, the actual PNP backlog was 30%, against a projected 20%.
• By February, the backlog had climbed to 36%, again much higher than the 20% target.
• In March, the backlog shot up to 44%, when the IRCC had aimed for no more than a 30% backlog that month.

For anyone waiting to hear whether they can start a new life in Canada 🇨🇦, these numbers represent months—sometimes even years—of uncertainty.

How the Backlog Builds Up: Key Causes

There are a few main reasons the backlog has swelled:

1. Surging Application Numbers
The number of PNP and Express Entry applicants is much higher than the IRCC can handle on time. With more people around the world hoping to move to Canada 🇨🇦 for work or family reasons, IRCC’s system is stretched.

2. Federal Nomination Limits
Even though provinces want to bring in more workers, they are limited by the number of nominations allowed by the federal government. For example, British Columbia has reported that it was able to issue fewer nominations for most of 2024 and into early 2025. This means people who applied for PNP during that period had a longer wait, simply because there were not enough spaces to give them an answer right away.

3. Competing Priorities and Resource Strain
IRCC employees don’t only process PNP applications. They are also working on family sponsorships, skilled worker programs, and other streams. When more people apply for all these programs at the same time, it pushes the limits of how quickly IRCC can work.

This situation is especially tough for people applying through the Express Entry system. Express Entry is supposed to make things faster by ranking people based on their age, work experience, and language ability, then matching them with available invitations. However, because so many PNP applications now come through Express Entry, the delays in one area spill over to the whole system.

How Provinces Are Affected

The backlog does not hurt every part of Canada 🇨🇦 equally. Let’s look at two examples:

British Columbia
In British Columbia, the backlog got worse after May and June 2024. This was mostly because there were fewer places for new nominations for part of the year. The province says wait times stayed high for the rest of the year and will only get better closer to the end of 2025. For applicants, this could mean waiting months longer than expected for a decision.

Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan has shared specific figures. If you are an international student applying through its stream of the program, you can expect to wait about seventeen weeks on average for a result. If you already hold a work permit for Canada 🇨🇦 and are applying for permanent residency, the average wait is about thirteen weeks. These numbers reflect the pressure the whole system is feeling right now.

Bigger Picture: The Permanent Residence Backlog

It’s important to see these numbers in the wider context of all people applying to live in Canada 🇨🇦 for good. The total number of permanent residency (PR) applications waiting in the system rose from around 842,600 in February 2025 to about 852,700 in March 2025. That’s an increase of about 10,000 more applications stuck in the queue in just one month.

The backlog of applications that have waited longer than standard processing times also went up—from about 364,000 in February to more than 380,000 in March. While family sponsorships have a backlog of around 14%, which is considered manageable, the PNP (especially through Express Entry) stands out for being much slower than planned.

Express Entry by itself is not meeting targets either—the backlog in general Express Entry programs was at 25% in March 2025. But the biggest concern remains PNP applications using Express Entry, where the backlog hit 44%.

Real-World Impact: What It Means for Applicants and Employers

The delay in processing PNP applications is not just a number. For real people, these delays mean a long, stressful wait where plans for jobs, family, and even schooling remain up in the air.

For applicants, this can affect:

• Job Offers: Many people need to prove they have permanent resident status before they can accept a new job or move forward in a career.
• Family Plans: Long waits can put stress on families, as some members may already be in Canada 🇨🇦 and others are waiting to join.
• Education: Students who plan to work in Canada 🇨🇦 after graduation need clear answers about their application timelines. Uncertainty can make it much harder to plan.

Employers in Canada 🇨🇦 also feel the effects. They sometimes make job offers hoping a person will get approved in a set amount of time. When backlogs increase, businesses can lose workers they were counting on to fill serious gaps, especially in industries facing shortages.

IRCC’s Response and Steps Forward

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is aware of these backlog problems. The department says it is:

• Hiring more staff to help process applications faster.
• Investing in better digital systems to speed things up and make tracking applications easier.
• Trying to balance the number of newcomers accepted each year with the resources needed to process applications on time.

But as demand remains high, especially moving into the spring and summer of 2025, it may take time for these changes to make a big difference. For now, the high number of applications is likely to keep the backlog at or above current levels for several more months, if not longer.

Looking at the Data: Why Targets Matter

IRCC uses “targets” to try and keep the backlog within a range they know they can handle. When the actual backlog gets much higher than the target, it means the system is being pushed too hard.

Here’s how the numbers stack up recently:

This trend shows that for every month in 2025 so far, the department was not only missing its target but seeing gaps that got bigger over time. This tells applicants to prepare for longer waits, and it signals to policy makers that more measures might be needed.

What Happens Next?

There is no simple fix for the backlog challenge. IRCC will keep working to process files faster and improve their systems, but the high interest in moving to Canada 🇨🇦 through the Provincial Nominee Program, along with federal nomination limits, mean that wait times are likely to remain high throughout much of 2025.

Applicants can take steps to make sure their applications are as complete and accurate as possible to avoid any extra delays. Employers and educational institutions may need to be more flexible when planning for new arrivals or hiring skilled workers from abroad.

For more details on how the backlog is measured and what steps are being taken, you can visit the official IRCC inventory and backlog page, which is regularly updated with fresh numbers and policy updates.

As reported by VisaVerge.com, ongoing monitoring and careful management by both the provinces and IRCC will be important to make sure the Provincial Nominee Program can keep meeting the needs of both newcomers and local communities across Canada 🇨🇦. Balancing the rising demand with realistic processing targets will be key to improving wait times and bringing down the backlog over time.

Summary of Key Points

• The backlog for Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program, especially those using Express Entry, has risen to one of the highest levels since 2022.
• March 2025 saw the percentage of overdue PNP files hit 44%, far above the 30% target and up from 36% in February.
• The jump is caused by more applications, federal caps on nominations, and limited processing resources at IRCC.
• British Columbia and Saskatchewan show just how much the backlog affects wait times, with some applicants waiting 13 to 17 weeks or longer for a result.
• The total number of permanent residency applications stuck in the system has also risen, pointing to bigger issues with processing across all streams.
• IRCC is trying to catch up by hiring more workers and upgrading digital tools, but the problem may last through most of 2025.
• Applicants, employers, and schools should prepare for ongoing delays and keep checking official channels for updates.

For those caught in the backlog, patience and careful planning are key. While the delays are frustrating, staying informed and making sure your application is complete can help avoid further setbacks.

The Provincial Nominee Program and Express Entry remain important paths to living and working in Canada 🇨🇦. With continued attention from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and ongoing improvements in how files are processed, there is hope that wait times will eventually come back down to the targets set at the beginning of the year.

Learn Today

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) → A Canadian immigration system allowing provinces to select newcomers based on local labor market needs and priorities.
Express Entry → A federal online system for managing skilled worker immigration applications, including those aligned with some Provincial Nominee Programs.
IRCC → Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; the department managing immigration, refugee, and citizenship processes in Canada.
Backlog → The buildup of immigration applications awaiting processing that have exceeded standard or target timelines.
Federal Nomination Limits → Annual caps set by Canada’s federal government restricting how many provincial nominations for permanent residence may be issued.

This Article in a Nutshell

Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program backlog soared in 2025, reaching 44%—a record since 2022. The combination of higher application numbers, federal limits, and resource strain means applicants and employers face long waits. IRCC is adding resources, but expect delays to persist while demand remains high throughout the year.
— By VisaVerge.com

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