Canada’s government grants extended work permits visa for Hong Kong residents for an additional two years. This statement was made by Canada’s immigration minister Sean Fraser on 6th February.
The new requirement requires Hong Kong residents to have earned a Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma. The prior requirement was five years. An Educational Credential Assessment can be applied for if the Candidate holds an equivalent foreign credential. It must take a minimum of two years to complete the diploma program at a post-secondary institution.
If you are a Hong Kong resident who is temporarily in Canada, including a visitor, a student, or a worker, you can apply online while in Canada. Travel restrictions still apply to those who apply from outside Canada. They will not be able to enter Canada unless they have a job offer. Or if they qualify for a travel exemption, following all public health protocols. For citizens of Hong Kong coming to Canada, a COVID-19 test result must be negative at this time.
Permanent Residency options for Hong Kongers in Canada
If you were educated in Canada, either partially or entirely, you may be eligible for permanent residence in Canada. There are two streams in these pathways.
Stream A: The Canadian permanent residence program may be available to graduates from Canadian post-secondary institutions and Hong Kong residents within the past three years.
Stream B: The permanent residency program may be available to Hong Kong residents who have earned a post-secondary degree from a Canadian or international institution and have worked in Canada for at least one year.
A spouse, partner, or dependent child may also apply under these two streams. Passports issued by the following countries are required for the principal applicant:
- China’s People’s Republic, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
- A British National Overseas who was born, naturalized, or registered in Hong Kong to the United Kingdom.
Hong Kong Residents in Canada
Historically, Hong Kong has contributed significantly to Canadian immigration. Hong Kong is one of the top five Asian countries of origin, as reported by the Canadian census in 2021. It revealed that 213,855 immigrants claimed Hong Kong as their birthplace. 30,000 Hong Kong residents moved to Canada every year before 1997, making it the leading source of immigration. Canada and Hong Kong share a history of being former British colonies, which has contributed to their strong economic ties. During the period following Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997, immigration numbers declined significantly.
From January to November of 2022, there was an increase of 1,455 permanent residents from Hong Kong to Canada compared to the 2,295 that migrated in 2021. The number of permanent residents from Hong Kong in Canada in 2020 was 1,045 even during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. In addition, since 2015, 2,095 study permits have been issued annually, an increase of 13% from the previous year. Hong Kong residents were granted 8,705 study permits between January and November 2022, an increase of 6,345 in 2021.
Increased numbers of work permits have been given thanks to the IMP – (International Mobility Program). A total of 8,795 permits were issued in 2022, more than double the 4,005 permits that were published in 2021 between 2019 and 2022, which was the previous high of 985.
