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Ontario hit hard as provincial immigration backlogs worsen under federal cuts

Among the hardest-hit are applicants in the non-Express Entry streams of the PNP, where processing times have ballooned to an average of 21 months, according to the government’s own website, compared to just seven months for those in fast-tracked Express Entry pathways.

Published Apr 11, 2025 at 6:08pm

Barbara Patrocinio
By
Barbara Patrocinio
Ontario hit hard as provincial immigration backlogs worsen under federal cuts

David Piccini Ontario's Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development attends Question Period at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

A significant backlog in Canada’s immigration processing system is wreaking havoc on the hopes of thousands of provincial nominees, with Ontario bearing the brunt of a growing backlog that’s left skilled workers and their families in a state of suspended life.

The Ontario’s Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), designed to speed up the arrival of economic immigrants in regions of the province that need workers the most, has been hugely impacted by the federal decision to slash Canada’s permanent resident intake target, and also a ballooning application backlog at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

As of February 28, IRCC was sitting on 842,600 permanent residence applications across its programs — including Express Entry and PNP streams — with only 57 per cent being processed within standard timelines.

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