Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller has stated that the current immigration system is outdated and needs to be modernized to reduce processing times and clear the backlog of applications. However, a shortage of immigration staff is not the leading cause of the problem, as the department already has enough personnel to meet processing goals for the next three years. The department currently manages over one million applications, with 802,600 reported to be in backlog, but aims to process 80% of applications within its service standards. While it had previously reached its ideal backlog percentage of 20%, a recent increase in backlog numbers has pushed it closer to exceeding the target again.
