Permanent Residence Pathways for Hong Kong Residents
To encourage and support Hong Kong residents in contributing to the Canadian economy and socio-cultural landscape through human capital, while promoting democratic values, the Canadian Immigration Department has gradually introduced plans to facilitate immigration to Canada for Hong Kong residents. These special and simplified immigration policies provide pathways for eligible Hong Kong individuals to obtain Canadian permanent residency, whether they are studying, working, or meeting specific criteria. The effective period for this public policy is from June 1, 2021, to August 31, 2026.
The immigration applications are divided into two streams:
Stream A: Canadian Graduates
Stream B: Canadian Work Experience
Requirements for Stream A:
- Hold a valid Hong Kong passport.
- Be physically present in Canada both at the time of application submission and when obtaining permanent residency.
- Have legal temporary resident status in Canada.
- Express the intention to reside in a location in Canada outside of Quebec.
- English language proficiency at CLB 5 (Canadian Language Benchmark 5).
- Graduated from a designated Canadian educational institution with a diploma, degree, master’s, doctoral degree, or at least a one-year graduate diploma or certificate, within three years before the application submission date. Additionally, at least 50% of the program’s coursework must have been completed in Canada.
Requirements for Stream B:
- Hold a valid Hong Kong passport.
- Be physically present in Canada both at the time of application submission and when obtaining permanent residency.
- Have legal temporary resident status in Canada.
- Express the intention to reside in a location in Canada outside of Quebec.
- English language proficiency at CLB 5 (Canadian Language Benchmark 5).
- Accumulate 12 months (1,560 hours) of full-time or part-time Canadian work experience within the 3 years preceding the application submission. There are no specific job requirements.
