Although a backlog of over 2.4 million applications, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), claims that it has already welcomed record-breaking numbers of new permanent residents between January 1 and July 31, 2022. At the same time, 349,000 new work permits were granted, including 220,000 open work permits. The number of study permit applications is also up by 31 percent for 2022. According to IRCC, 54% of applications in the backlog have not met service standards due to worldwide humanitarian crises such as Afghanistan and Ukraine’s ongoing conflict.
