Immigration | September 14, 2026 Canadian citizenship certificate backlog tops 136,000 as wait times near 3 years

1. Canadian citizenship certificate backlog tops 136,000 as wait times near 3 years

Source: CBC

People applying for Canadian citizenship certificates through their Canadian ancestry are facing ever-longer waits. According to data posted this week on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website, more than 136,000 citizenship certificate applications are now waiting for a decision, many of them from Americans. Those applying today face an estimated wait of about 33 months.

The figures mark a sharp increase since the previous update on Aug. 10 — wait times jumped 32% and the number of applications rose 11%. In May 2025, before Bill C-3 took effect, the estimated processing time for citizenship certificate applications was just five months.

Christine Beltempo, chair of the Canadian Bar Association's immigration section, said lawyers are concerned about the "exponential increase" in processing times and urged IRCC to assign more staff. An IRCC spokesperson said the department is triaging applications, enhancing intake processes, and training and onboarding additional staff to respond to the surge.

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2. Canada is building a brand-new digital Express Entry platform

Source: immigration.ca

People applying for Canadian permanent residence through Express Entry will eventually use a brand-new digital system. In its 2026 Deputy Minister Transition Binder released in September, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) revealed this week that it is building a new case management digital platform, whose first release will deliver a new Expression of Interest system to manage Express Entry applications.

IRCC said the "Digital Platform Modernization" initiative aims to replace the Global Case Management System (GCMS), which has been in use for more than 20 years and is described as complex and fragile. Express Entry will be among the first programs to move onto the new technology.

However, IRCC has not announced new eligibility requirements, a new CRS, or a specific launch date for the new system. The report reminds applicants that the change concerns the technology behind Express Entry, and does not mean abolishing the existing candidate pool or replacing the current selection rules.

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3. Canadian Experience Class Express Entry draw issues 2,000 invitations

Source: Canadim

Temporary foreign workers and international graduates with Canadian work experience have a new opportunity. According to a report published this week by immigration platform Canadim, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Express Entry Draw #439 was held on September 1 and issued 2,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residence, with a tie-breaking rule of August 18, 2026 at 03:24:13 UTC.

Compared with the previous CEC draw held on August 18 — which issued 1,000 invitations with a minimum CRS score of 523 — the latest draw invited 1,000 more candidates, and the CRS cut-off was slightly lower, meaning more candidates with slightly lower scores were invited.

The Canadian Experience Class is one of the streams under the Express Entry system, designed for temporary foreign workers and international graduates with skilled Canadian work experience, helping them transition from temporary status to permanent residence.

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4. Canada issues 576 provincial nominee Express Entry invitations

Source: CIC News

Candidates with a provincial nomination who are applying for Canadian permanent residence through Express Entry received a new batch of invitations this week. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 576 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through the Express Entry system to candidates with a provincial nomination.

The report notes that, with the completion of this selection round, Canada has conducted 54 Express Entry draws in 2026. Across this year's draws, provincial nominees (PNP) and candidates with Canadian work experience (CEC) have consistently featured heavily.

These two groups, who already have close ties to Canada, have remained a key focus of Express Entry invitations.

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5. Canada pauses new Parents and Grandparents Program applications

Source: Canadian Immigrant

Canadian citizens and permanent residents hoping to sponsor parents or grandparents living abroad are facing the closure of a major pathway. On July 15, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced it would pause new applications to the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) effective September 10, with no set end date.

The report notes the pause does not affect other Family Class pathways such as spousal, common-law partner and dependent-child sponsorship, and IRCC will continue processing applications already submitted. Under the most recent intake model, for 2025 IRCC sent 17,860 invitations and aimed to accept about 10,000 complete applications.

IRCC says it plans to approve up to 15,000 people through the program in 2026 while continuing to process existing inventory. During the pause, eligible parents and grandparents can still apply for a Super Visa for extended visits to Canada, allowing stays of up to five years at a time.

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6. Canada increases study permit proof-of-funds requirement as of September 1

Source: The PIE News

International students planning to study in Canada need to prepare more proof of funds. As of September 1, a single study permit applicant outside Quebec must now demonstrate access to at least CAD $23,448, not including tuition fees and travel costs — a 2.6% rise from the previous CAD $22,895, or CAD $553 more.

The report notes that, after more dramatic rises in recent years, the federal government now updates financial requirements annually in line with the cost of living. IRCC also published a list of documents that can be used to show proof of funds, after analysis found that financial documentation was the most common reason for study visa denials — 47% of refusals in a sample of nearly 3,000 study permit decisions in June 2026 were due to a lack of financial documentation.

For international students applying to institutions in Quebec, a single applicant must show proof of at least CAD $24,617 for first-year living expenses, effective January 1, 2026.

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7. Canada's international student population has fallen by a third since 2024

Source: immigration.ca

The number of international students holding study permits in Canada has contracted significantly. In a statement published on its official channels this week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed Canada is deliberately admitting fewer international students: the international student population has dropped by one third since 2024; new arrivals between January and June 2026 were 82% below the same period in 2024; the university share of new study permit holders rose from 30% in 2024 to 40% in 2025; and the trend will continue through new measures directed at graduate students.

Citing IRCC data, the report notes there were 632,535 study permit holders in Canada as of June 30, 2026, down from 928,430 at the end of 2024 — a decline of about 31.9%. On new arrivals, only 22,405 new international students were recorded in the first half of 2026, 102,520 fewer than the same period in 2024.

The report argues the result is largely by design — measures introduced since 2024 have applied their heaviest restrictions to college-level and private institutions, while progressively exempting graduate students at public universities.

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8. Canada fast-tracks doctoral visas to 2 weeks

Source: Business Today

International students planning to pursue a master's or doctoral degree in Canada are now a key focus of Canada's study-abroad policy. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) wrote on X this week that it is looking to "attract the world's best and brightest researchers and graduate students," and revealed that graduate students accounted for 21% of all new study permits issued between January and June 2026, up from 12% in the same period of 2025. The report says Canada has fast-tracked doctoral study permit processing to two weeks to attract top research talent.

Effective January 1, 2026, students admitted to master's or doctoral programs at public degree-granting institutions no longer need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL or TAL) when applying for a study permit. Accompanying spouses, common-law partners and dependent children can also submit visitor visa, work permit or study permit applications simultaneously to be processed together with the main applicant.

After graduation, master's and doctoral graduates can apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), building Canadian work experience that can later support permanent residence applications through pathways such as the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Provincial Nominee Programs.

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