- IRCC reported an application inventory of over 1.5 million files as of May thirty-first, twenty twenty-six.
- A new reporting system separates active processing from waitlisted files awaiting future admission slots.
- The department finalized over 1.6 million applications in the first five months of the year.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reported an application inventory of 1,517,770 as of May 31, 2026, as the department introduced new categories showing whether some files remain under active review or are waiting for future admissions space.
The department released the figures July 21 through its revised Inside IRCC webpage. Its count includes applications the department has received but immigration officers have not finalized.
Permanent residence accounted for 705,315 files. Temporary residence accounted for 404,070, including study permits, work permits and visitor visas. Citizenship represented approximately 326,365 applications.
Free toolCanada Express Entry Points CalculatorThe department also finalized 1,648,965 applications between January 1 and May 31, 2026. It said that output exceeded intake during the period, even though more than 1.5 million files remained open at the end of May.
The reporting change separates applications in “active processing” from those that have been “waitlisted” because available spaces under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan are limited. Some files can therefore remain in the department’s count without undergoing active review.
A quarter of economic residence files are waiting for future spaces
The economic permanent residence category contained 238,335 applications. Of those files, 75% were in active processing and 25% were waitlisted for future admission spaces.
The department described the waitlist as a consequence of receiving more applications than the levels plan can accommodate in a given period. IRCC said some applicants must wait until spaces open in a future year.
“When we receive more applications for a program than there are spaces in the levels plan, some applications must wait until spaces become available in a future year. This can increase processing times.”
The new labels give the department’s overall count a second layer. A file included in the total is not necessarily being reviewed by an officer at that moment.
| Category | Applications or share |
|---|---|
| Total inventory | 1,517,770 |
| Permanent residence | 705,315 |
| Temporary residence | 404,070 |
| Citizenship | Approximately 326,365 |
| Economic permanent residence | 238,335 |
| Economic permanent residence in active processing | 75% |
| Economic permanent residence waitlisted | 25% |
The revised application inventory page also discontinued reporting the specific proportion of files processed within official service standards. Immigration advocates have scrutinized the change because the page no longer provides that particular performance measure.
The department now presents the size of the caseload alongside the distinction between active processing and waitlisted applications. That presentation separates files awaiting officer action from files held because the relevant admissions capacity has not yet become available.
Parent and grandparent intake remains paused
The department announced a separate intake measure July 15, pausing new applications for the Parent and Grandparent Program while it manages existing demand. Wait times have reached 33 months, or up to 66 months in Quebec.
The pause concerns new applications. The May figures cover files across permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship, including cases at different stages of the department’s process.
The new reporting approach also means applicants may remain in the system while waiting for a future year’s quota to open. A waitlisted file can stay counted even when active processing has not begun.
The May data captures both the workload still pending and the volume completed during the year’s opening months. Between January 1 and May 31, the department finalized 1,648,965 applications, while its remaining inventory stood at 1,517,770 on May 31.
The next figures will show how the department records applications as active processing and waitlisted spaces change under the 2026–2028 plan.
