In 2022, there will be a major new strategy to shorten Canadian immigration processing timelines. Sean Fraser, Canada's Minister of Immigration, made the commitment at a news conference on January 31, 2022. Minister Fraser unveiled a slew of new initiatives aimed at shortening processing timelines for several of Canada's most popular immigration programmes.

The new strategy to minimise immigration processing delays includes the ambitious goal of processing 147,000 permanent residency applications by the end of March. This will drastically reduce backlogs in a variety of immigration processes, notably Express Entry, which has had major backlogs since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Applicants for work permits and study permits can rejoice at Minister Fraser's vow to return these temporary residency applications to IRCC's processing standards by the end of 2022, if not sooner. In 2022, processing times for visit visa applications would be lowered as well.

How will Canada achieve this?

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will use the $85 million in funds allocated to the department in the Economic and Fiscal Update 2021 to lower Canadian immigration processing times in 2022. The extra financial assistance will allow the department to strengthen up resources to fulfil the lofty goals indicated above.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic, the IRCC has struggled to keep up with the demand for processing immigration applications. This is due in part to work-from-home instructions posing difficulties for immigration officers. The problem has been compounded by increasing demand on the immigration system as a result of Canada's implementation of new measures to welcome in-Canada immigration applications in 2021.

With the extra funds, IRCC will be able to dedicate more resources to assist cut processing times across a wide range of programmes. IRCC has already employed 500 more processing personnel and shifted work across its locations around the world.

The extension of digital functions for immigration applicants and IRCC workers who process applications is another significant component of the large new strategy to shorten Canadian immigration processing timelines. From a technological sense, IRCC is going above and above to guarantee that the systems in place can accommodate the demand for the applications now in the backlog and beyond.

Should you wish to take advantage of the improvements in the immigration department, get in contact with one of our expert migration consultants to assess your eligibility.