IRCC says it has experienced processing delays amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But nearly two years into it, most of the department’s in-person offices remain closed. And many applicants told CBC News they feel stuck in limbo, with no clear way to check on their files.
According to data received from IRCC, Canada had a backlog of nearly 1.8 million immigration applications as of Oct. 27, including:
• 548,195 permanent residence applications, including 112,392 refugee applications.
• 775,741 temporary residence applications (study permits, work permits, temporary resident visas and visitor extensions).
• 468,000 Canadian citizenship applications.
Before the pandemic, processing times for PR applications averaged six months.
Talwar said that when he submitted his application, IRCC’s website said the maximum wait time was 18 months, which, for him, came and went on April 23 of this year.
• Hundreds of thousands of Canadian citizenship hopefuls waiting for applications to be processed
The delay means Talwar cannot expand his business or visit his eldest daughter, who is working in the U.S. He also has to pay high international tuition fees for his youngest daughter enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan.
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