Immigration Announcement
The Canadian Government Extends Work Permits to Hong Kong Residents
Sean Fraser, Canada’s minister of immigration, revealed that more Hong Kong citizens will be able to apply for open work permits. The current Open Work Permit (OWP) for Hong Kong residents, which was scheduled to expire today, will be extended for an additional two years.
Hong Kong residents must either hold an equivalent foreign credential for which they can obtain an Educational Credential Assessment or have completed a Canadian post-secondary certificate or degree within the last 10 years, as opposed to the previous criterion of five years. The minimum length of a post-secondary diploma program is two years.
Residents of Hong Kong who are temporarily residing in Canada, including tourists, students, and workers, may submit an online application from within Canada.
If they don’t already have a work offer, qualify for a travel exemption, and meet all public health standards, applicants from outside Canada may not be allowed to enter the country at this time due to current travel restrictions. Currently, citizens of Hong Kong who visit Canada must provide documentation of a COVID-19 test result that is negative.
Permanent Pathways For Hong Kongers in Canada
For Hong Kong residents who have finished all or part of their post-secondary education in Canada, there are other permanent residence pathways. There are two streams presently:
Stream A
Hong Kong citizens who have recently earned a post-secondary degree from a Canadian institution are eligible for permanent residence under Stream A.
Stream B
Residents of Hong Kong who have completed a post-secondary program in Canada or the United States are eligible for permanent residence under Stream B. They must have at least one year of work experience in Canada.
Hong Kongers in Canada
Hong Kong is one of the top five Asian source nations for immigrants to Canada, according to data from the 2021 census, where 213,855 immigrants chose Hong Kong as their place of birth. Up to 30,000 Hong Kong people moved to Canada each year, making Hong Kong the top source of immigration to that country up until 1997. Additionally, data reveals that between January and November 2022, 3,750 additional Hong Kong citizens became permanent residents of Canada. This increases the 2,295 from 2021.
Furthermore, in 2020, Canada accepted 1,045 Hong Kong citizens as permanent immigrants, even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, since 2015, when 2,095 research licenses were given, there has been a consistent rise in the number of study permits issued each year.
Hong Kongers were issued 6,345 study permits between January and November 2021, and 8,705 study permits were issued between January and November 2022. A rise in the number of work permits issued under the International Mobility Program has also been observed between 2019 and 2022. From 2019 to 2022, there were 8,795 work permits issued, more than double the 4,005.
