More Hongkongers eligible for Canada’s special work permit as fast track route to residency after country relaxes immigration rules
- Immigration consultant says application inquiries from Hongkongers have jumped following announcement by Canadian government
- Permit scheme now covers graduates over past 10 years, rather than five
More Hongkongers will be able to apply for Canada’s special work permit as a fast track route to residency after the country relaxed its immigration rules and extended the scheme for two more years.
Under the new policy announced on Monday, graduates from eligible postsecondary educational institutions in the past 10 years can apply for a three-year open work permit, which will allow holders to later seek permanent residency in Canada. The previous threshold was five years.
But the eased requirements do not affect the criteria for the permanent residency scheme, which stipulates Hong Kong applicants must be graduates or have worked in Canada a year after attaining postsecondary qualifications within the past five years.
Canada grants PR to 1,700 Hongkongers and provides 33,000 work, study permits
Willis Fu Yiu-wai, immigration director of Hong Kong-based consultants Goldmax Associates, said the number of inquiries from residents and current clients had jumped a day after the Canadian government’s decision.
“We have new residents asking about the new arrangement. People who were not eligible for open working permits before have a chance now, as long as they graduated within the past 10 years,” he said.
“This group of people is likely in their early 30s and entered the workforce a few years ago. It seems like the Canadian government is also snatching talent.
“We are still watching for any other changes to those rules. Some current clients who signed contracts with us are worried the new arrangement will affect their pathways to permanent residency.”
Touting the policy change on Monday, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser said: “Expanding the open work permit programme from my perspective is a win-win, as it gives Hong Kong residents more opportunity to gain work experience here in Canada, but it also allows us to support the Canadian economy by bringing workers at a time when they’re needed most.”
The open work permits allow graduates to apply without getting a job first, and spouses and dependents of permit holders can also move to Canada.
People with an open work permit must work full-time for at least a year or chalk up 1,560 hours of employment to qualify for permanent residency.
The Canadian government also announced it would extend the scheme, introduced in 2021, by two more years to February 2025.
Fraser explained immigrants made up almost 35 per cent of Canadian business owners and hired more workers, which helped sustain the country’s economy.
Hong Kong immigration to Vancouver reversing years of decline
Canada was one of the Western countries that offered people from Hong Kong new routes for immigration after Beijing imposed the national security law on the city in 2020.
Canadian government statistics showed nearly 17,400 open work permits or extensions were issued to Hongkongers from the launch of the scheme to October last year.
Young people made up the majority, with 72 per cent in their 20s, 20 per cent in their 30s, 6 per cent in their 40s and only 1 per cent over 50 or under 20.
Canada’s immigration pathway is regarded as the easiest and fastest track for Hongkongers to obtain permanent residency overseas.
Another method to get permanent residency is by studying in Canada, with the scheme application deadline set for 2026.
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Hong Kong families find fresh start in London
Hong Kong Watch, an advocacy group based in the United Kingdom, welcomed the Canadian government’s decision to expand its open work permit for the city’s residents.
“We hope that the announcement [on Monday] will give more Hongkongers in need of a lifeline out of the city an opportunity to start new lives in Canada,” said Sam Goodman, director of policy and advocacy for the group’s branch in Canada.
“In particular, the expansion of the scheme to cover those who have graduated from a postsecondary learning institution in the last 10 years, will help many Hongkongers who are not covered by the UK’s BN(O) visa scheme.”
Canada hands out open work permits to young, well-educated Hongkongers
The British National (Overseas) visa scheme, which was also introduced after Beijing’s promulgation of the national security law, allows successful applicants and their dependents to live, work and study in the UK for up to five years, after which they can apply for citizenship.
The Post earlier reported that Canada had overtaken Britain for the first time as the most popular destination for Hongkongers going overseas for higher education.
Canada approved more than 8,500 study permits for Hongkongers in the first 10 months of last year.
The country granted fewer than 3,000 permits a year on average before the pathway was introduced.
