So how much did the 10 months suspension of CEC help with reducing the backlog?The backlog for temporary permits is huge. Some people decided to buy time with study permits.
Some of them resorted to study permit, and which increased the TR backlog.
Some of them are eligible for the WP extension program, which also requires processing and increases the TR backlog.
They moved some backlog from the PR sector to the TR sector, and they consider it a big improvement.
That is why, at least partly, we are seeing the TR backlog keeps growing.
Worse, it is not just moving backlog around but keeping the total amount unchanged, instead, the TR applications are newly generated and additional.
They will apply for PR anyway after the CRS drops in the future, so the total amount of PR applications will be the same. They are just delayed for 1 or 2 years.
But the new TR applications meant to buy time wouldn't have existed at all if there weren't this suspension of CEC.
So the total number of applications will actually increase due to the genious method implemented by IRCC.