Canada’s immigration department has announced its new processing objectives for 2025, highlighting which permanent residence (PR) programs will move forward toward full clearance and which will continue to experience delays.
The latest update from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), as outlined in its Minister Transition Binder, shows a focused approach to clearing backlogs in some major economic streams while maintaining partial progress in others.
Also Read IRCC Reveals Which PR Applications Will Be Processed in 2025
Programs That Will See Complete Processing in 2025
In 2025, IRCC plans to finalize the entire inventory of applications in a few select categories. These include:
- Express Entry-managed streams — Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
- Express Entry-linked Provincial Nominee Programs (Enhanced PNPs)
- Community-driven immigration pilots
- Quebec’s key skilled worker and experience class programs
Other pathways will continue to operate with partial processing targets, depending on resources and intake levels.
| PR Pathway | Percentage of Inventory Processed in 2025 |
| Agrifood Pilot | 5% |
| Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) | 33% |
| Caregiver Pilots | 14% |
| Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) | 12% |
| Base PNP (Non–Express Entry) | 35% |
| Quebec Business | 3% |
| Start-up Visa (SUV) | 2% |
Express Entry to See Full Clearance
All Express Entry programs will have their pending applications completed this year, ensuring faster results for candidates under Canada’s flagship skilled immigration system.
| Program | Application Inventory (as of Sept 11) | Applications Processed in 2025 |
| CEC | 19,300 | 19,300 |
| FSW | 12,500 | 12,500 |
Average Processing Times (Months):
| Program | 2024-Q2 | 2024-Q3 | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
| FSW | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| CEC | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
IRCC’s full attention on Express Entry signals a continued effort to keep this system operating within its six-month standard.
Provincial Nominee Program: Mixed Results
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a crucial immigration pathway managed jointly by federal and provincial governments, and it will see different results depending on the stream type.
Enhanced PNPs (those linked with Express Entry) will be fully processed, while base PNP streams, which are not connected to Express Entry, will see roughly a third of their inventories completed.
| PR Pathway | Inventory (as of Sept 11) | Applications Processed in 2025 |
| PNP (Express Entry) | 16,300 | 16,300 |
| PNP (Base) | 87,700 | 30,695 |
Processing Times (Months):
| Program | 2024-Q2 | 2024-Q3 | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
| PNP (Express Entry) | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| PNP (Base) | 11 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 19 |
Quebec’s Processing Outlook
In 2025, Quebec’s skilled worker, experience class, and pilot programs are all set to reach full processing capacity. However, its business immigration programs, including investor, entrepreneur, and self-employed categories, will see minimal advancement.
| PR Pathway | Inventory (as of Sept 11) | Applications Processed in 2025 |
| Quebec Skilled Worker | 27,600 | 27,600 |
| Quebec Business | 4,100 | 123 |
Processing Times (Months):
| Program | 2024-Q2 | 2024-Q3 | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
| Quebec Business | 20 | 17 | 22 | 108 | 108 |
| Quebec Skilled Worker | 8 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 9 |
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
Designed to attract newcomers to Atlantic provinces, the AIP will process a third of its applications this year.
| PR Pathway | Inventory (as of Sept 11) | Applications Processed in 2025 |
| AIP | 12,100 | 3,993 |
Processing Trends (Months):
| Program | 2024-Q2 | 2024-Q3 | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
| AIP | 12 | 13 | 17 | 27 | 24 |
Federal Economic and Caregiver Pilots
Canada’s specialized economic pilots, including the Agrifood, Caregiver, and Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPP) programs, are expected to make modest progress this year.
| PR Pathway | Inventory (as of Sept 11) | % Processed in 2025 | Applications Processed |
| Agrifood | 8,900 | 5% | 445 |
| Caregivers | 34,400 | 14% | 4,816 |
| EMPP | 2,500 | 12% | 300 |
Average Processing Times (Months):
| Program | 2024-Q2 | 2024-Q3 | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
| Agrifood | 22 | 32 | 60 | 180 | 228 |
| Caregivers | 31 | 29 | 27 | 84 | 108 |
| EMPP | 10 | 8 | 10 | 36 | 54 |
IRCC has also ended new intakes for the Home Care Worker Pilot for applicants applying from abroad, preventing additional backlog growth.
Community Immigration Programs
The government’s community-based immigration pilots, Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), Francophone Community Immigration Program (FCIP), and Rural Community Immigration Program (RCIP), will see all existing applications finalized this year.
| PR Pathway | Inventory (as of Sept 11) | Applications Processed in 2025 |
| Community Pilots | 3,500 | 3,500 |
Wait Times (Months):
| Program | 2024-Q2 | 2024-Q3 | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
| Community Pilots | 12 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 7 |
Start-Up Visa (SUV)
The Start-Up Visa program, which helps foreign entrepreneurs establish innovative ventures in Canada, will make minimal progress, completing just 2% of its application backlog in 2025.
| PR Pathway | Inventory (as of Sept 11) | Applications Processed in 2025 |
| SUV | 38,600 | 772 |
Processing Timeline (Months):
| Program | 2024-Q2 | 2024-Q3 | 2024-Q4 | 2025-Q1 | 2025-Q2 |
| SUV | 48 | 51 | 71 | 420 | 420 |
2025: A Year of Selective Progress
While Express Entry and certain Quebec pathways are expected to reach complete clearance this year, other PR streams continue to struggle with lengthy processing times and growing backlogs.
IRCC’s 2025 priorities indicate a continued focus on efficiency within high-demand economic streams, community immigration, and programs aligned with Canada’s labour market needs, while more specialized or pilot programs may see slower advancement well into 2026.
