IRCC reports June 2026 application processing updates

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published its latest monthly update on application processing on August 18, 2026. The data, accurate as of June 30, 2026, reveals that the department finalized 2,011,375 applications in the first six months of the year, including 362,410 in June alone. Despite this progress, the total inventory of pending applications grew to 1,539,785, marking an increase of 22,015 from the previous month.

## Permanent residence applications

As of June 30, IRCC had 712,795 permanent residence (PR) applications awaiting finalization, up 7,480 from May. These applications fall into three main categories: economic, family, and protection.

### Economic applications

The economic category, which includes pathways like Express Entry, federal business programs, and regional economic immigration programs, had 249,555 applications pending. This represents an increase of 11,220 from May. Of these, 77% were in processing, while 23% were waitlisted due to limited PR admissions spaces under the federal government’s immigration levels plan. From January to June 2026, IRCC finalized 141,105 economic immigration applications, with 30,105 processed in June.

### Family applications

The family category, covering reunification and international adoptions, had 163,780 applications pending, an increase of 4,015 from May. Of these, 59% were in processing, while 41% were waiting for space. IRCC finalized 54,520 family applications in the first half of the year, including 8,620 in June.

### Protection applications

The protection category, which includes protected persons, government-assisted refugees, privately sponsored refugees, and humanitarian cases, had the highest number of pending applications at 299,460, up 7,755 from May. Of these, 55% were in processing, while 45% were waiting for space. IRCC finalized 55,295 protection applications from January to June, with 12,495 processed in June.

## Temporary residence applications

IRCC reported 401,280 temporary residence applications pending as of June 30. This category includes work permits, study permits, and visitor visas.

| Category | Pending Applications (June 30) | Change from May | Finalized (Jan-Jun) | Finalized (June) | |-----------------|-------------------------------|-----------------|--------------------|------------------| | Work permits | 27,655 | -7,385 | 161,325 | 20,550 | | Study permits | 36,520 | +4,855 | 99,075 | 24,705 | | Visitor visas | 337,100 | -265 | 1,306,055 | 232,300 |

## Citizenship applications

IRCC had 425,710 citizenship applications pending as of June 30, including 326,365 citizenship grant applications and 99,520 proof of citizenship certificate applications.

| Category | Pending Applications (June 30) | Change from May | Finalized (Jan-Jun) | Finalized (June) | |------------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------------|--------------------|------------------| | Citizenship grants | 326,365 | -82,020 | 162,020 | 30,600 | | Proof of citizenship certificates | 99,520 | +17,500 | 31,980 | 3,040 |