IRCC’s Shrinking: Cuts and Chaos, Backlogs Unchecked
Staff Slashing and Reorgs – Not ready for massive influxes and looming abuse of overstayers
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is in full retreat mode, gutting itself under the guise of “efficiency” while the real crisis —massive, soul-crushing backlogs —only gets worse. These internal shake-ups scream desperation: fewer people doing more work in a system that’s already failing all sorts of applicants. The feds claim it’s all about sustainability amid housing crises and economic pressures, but the reality looks more like abandonment of those who’ve waited years.
The latest bombshell dropped with the updated Instrument of Designation and Delegation (IDD), signed by Minister Lena Metlege Diab on December 15, 2025, and published January 16, 2026. They slashed geographic regions from nine to five, supposedly to eliminate overlap —translation: more consolidation, fewer local eyes on files. Refugee ops split into asylum (inland) and resettlement (overseas) branches for “focus,” while new “Manager” roles at PM-05 level got decision powers, overseas staff rebranded from “Immigration Officers” to “Migration Officers,” and Integrity Risk Management became Migration Integrity Operations. Sounds like bureaucratic musical chairs, distributing authority wider but with shrinking headcount to back it up.
And shrink they are. IRCC’s 2025-26 Departmental Plan lays it bare: full-time equivalents down from 12,689 in 2025-26 to 11,872 in 2026-27 and 11,257 in 2027-28 —over 1,400 jobs axed, directly linked to the slashed permanent resident targets of 380,000 annually starting 2026 (down from higher peaks). Digital modernization? Hyped as the fix, but we must ask how much it will cost the transition, which companies will be favoured with millionaire government contracts.
In parallel, the backlog paragraph is where the true failure shines: As of October 31, 2025 (latest detailed snapshot), IRCC’s total inventory hovers around 2.18 million applications, with a staggering 1,006,700 exceeding service standards —the backlog officially topping one million again. By class, it’s brutal: Permanent residence (economic, family, humanitarian) clocks 928,800 in inventory, but 501,300 (54%) backlogged—Express Entry streams swelling (27% backlogged vs. 20% target), Provincial Nominee Programs hitting 51%. Temporary residence (study, work, visitor) lags with 450,700 backlogged (around 45%). Citizenship holds at about 22%, but refugee dependents and family sponsorships? Some wait 36-50 months or more, with inventories bloated from past surges. Despite intake controls and promises to hit 80% on-time processing, the department sits on enough files to fill multiple years’ targets, yet applicants rot in queues.
Bottom line: This isn’t sustainable reform —it’s a crisis of unpreparedness that’s punishing everyone involved; it’s just a managed decline. Canada’s immigration system is fundamentally broken and woefully ill-prepared for both massive influxes and the looming abuse of overstayers.
