IRCC Announces 2025 Permanent Residence (PR) Application Processing Plan
Cơ quan Di trú, Tị nạn và Quốc tịch Canada (IRCC) mới đây đã công bố danh sách các chương trình định cư mà họ sẽ ưu tiên xử lý toàn bộ hồ sơ trong năm 2025.
According to the latest report from Minister Transition Binder, only certain settlement program groups will have their entire backlog processed this year, including:
- Express Entry
- Provincial programs linked to Express Entry (Enhanced PNP)
- Community pilot programs
- Skilled Worker Programs in Quebec
Other economic immigration programs will only process a portion of the applications, depending on the capacity and plans of each immigration stream.
1. PR programs will be fully processed in 2025
IRCC says the following groups will have their backlogs processed 100% of the time:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC) – skilled workers with work experience in Canada
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) – federal skilled worker program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) – skilled trades
- Community Pilots – community pilot programs
- Enhanced PNP Streams – provincial programs linked to Express Entry
- Quebec Experience Class (PEQ)
- Quebec Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ)
- Quebec Pilot Programs
2. Programs that will only process a fraction of applications in 2025
| PR program | Percentage of applications processed in 2025 |
| Agrifood Pilot | 5% |
| Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) | 33% |
| Caregiver Pilots | 14% |
| Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) | 12% |
| Base PNP (not linked to Express Entry) | 35% |
| Quebec Business | 3% |
| Start-up Visa (SUV) | 2% |
3. Express Entry
All Express Entry streams (including CEC, FSWP, FSTP) will be fully processed in 2025.
| Program | Number of outstanding records (September 11, 2025) | Number of cases processed in the year |
| CEC | 19.300 | 19.300 |
| FSW | 12.500 | 12.500 |
Thời gian xử lý trung bình (trong tháng):
| Quarter | FSW | CEC |
| 2025-Q2 | 6 | 5 |
→ Express Entry streams maintain a processing speed of 5-6 months/application, which is considered the most stable and effective today.
4. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Enhanced PNP (linked to Express Entry) will be processed in full, while Base PNP (not linked to Express Entry) will only reach 35%.
| Program | Backlog (September 11, 2025) | Records processed during the year |
| PNP (Express Entry) | 16.300 | 16.300 |
| PNP (Base) | 87.700 | 30.695 |
Average processing time (months):
| Quarter | PNP Express Entry | PNP Base |
| 2025-Q2 | 6 | 19 |
→ Base PNP has very long processing times, up to 19–24 months, due to the large backlog of applications.
5. Quebec settlement program
Quebec Skilled Worker, PEQ, and Quebec Pilot Programs will be fully processed in 2025.
However, Quebec Business (which includes the Investor, Entrepreneur, and Self-employed Worker programs) processes only 3% of all applications.
| Program | Backlog (September 11, 2025) | Records processed during the year |
| Quebec Skilled Worker | 27.600 | 27.600 |
| Quebec Business | 4.100 | 123 |
Average processing time (months):
| Quarter | Quebec Business | Quebec Skilled Worker |
| 2025-Q2 | 108 | 9 |
→ Quebec business programs currently have extremely long processing times, exceeding 100 months, or almost 9 years.
6. Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
Only 33% of AIP applications will be processed in 2025.
| Backlog (September 11, 2025) | Records processed during the year |
| 12.100 | 3.993 |
Average processing time: from 12 months to 24 months, showing a significant slowdown compared to the previous period.
7. Federal economic pilot programs
Including: Agrifood Pilot, Caregiver Pilots, and Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP).
| Program | Inventory (September 11, 2025) | % processed in 2025 | Processing records |
| Agrifood | 8.900 | 5% | 445 |
| Caregiver | 34.400 | 14% | 4.816 |
| EMPP | 2.500 | 12% | 300 |
→ Notably, IRCC has stopped accepting Caregiver applications outside Canada, indicating a focus on reducing the backlog of applications.
8. Community Pilots
Includes Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), Francophone Community Immigration Program (FCIP) and Rural Community Immigration Program (RCIP).
All applications will be processed in full in 2025.
| Backlog (September 11, 2025) | Records processed during the year |
| 3.500 | 3.500 |
Conclusion
IRCC’s 2025 processing plan shows a clear preference for skilled worker and Express Entry programs. Those who are or will be applying under the Skilled Worker, Express Entry, or Enhanced PNP can expect better progress.
