Lawyer Zeynab Ziaie Moayyed sees the toll that increasing delays at the Federal Court can take on her clients as they try to challenge immigration decisions that didn't go their way.

Some clients expect to wait more than a year. That's enough time, the Toronto-based lawyer says, to lose a full academic year or their immigration status, which could leave them in "limbo."

"The human costs are significant," she said in a recent interview.

The delays come from the number of people asking for a judge to review an immigration officer's decision, which is projected to rise to unprecedented levels this year.

According to the court, the average length of time it took to deal with an immigration case in 2024 was 14 to 18 months. Moayyed said before the surge in filings, a wait of six to eight months was more typical.

The number of immigration filings is so high the chief justice of the Federal Court of Canada is concerned it will become an access to justice issue.

"The surge in our immigration workload is quite extraordinary and I'd have to say exceptional," Chief Justice Paul Crampton said in a September interview from his Ottawa office.

The court hears many types of cases covered by federal law, including national security issues, Indigenous issues, maritime law and patent and copyright cases.

It also hears immigration cases involving refugees, denials of