Ongoing immigration-processing delays leave many in limbo in Canada and overseas

IRCC says it has experienced processing delays amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But nearly two years into it, most of the department's in-person offices remain closed. And many applicants told CBC News they feel stuck in limbo, with no clear way to check on their files.

According to data received from IRCC, Canada had a backlog of nearly 1.8 million immigration applications as of Oct. 27, including:

*548,195 permanent residence applications, including 112,392 refugee applications.
*775,741 temporary residence applications (study permits, work permits, temporary resident visas and visitor extensions).
*468,000 Canadian citizenship applications.
Before the pandemic, processing times for PR applications averaged six months.

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