Canadian Hong Kong Pathway Permanent Resident Applications Backlogged, Urgent Need for Solutions
The Hong Kong Pathway program in Canada is facing a backlog of nearly 8,000 permanent resident applications, causing difficulties for Hong Kong residents seeking legal employment and education in Canada. The human rights organization, Canadian Hong Kong Watch, recently met with senior officials from the Canadian Immigration Department to advocate for an increase in immigration targets and the issuance of temporary work and study permits.
It has been found by Canadian Hong Kong Watch that the backlog issue in Hong Kong permanent resident applications is not solely due to a lack of manpower, but rather the Immigration Department categorizing the “Hong Kong Pathway” immigration policy under the Humanitarian and Compassionate category. According to an announcement by the Immigration Department on November 1, 2023, the 2024 immigration target for the Humanitarian and Compassionate category is 13,750 people, a decrease of 2,235 people from 2023, with a further reduction to 8,000 people in 2025.
Statistics from the Immigration Department show that only fewer than 321 Hong Kong permanent resident applications were approved from January to February this year, compared to an average of about 372 cases approved per month last year. This significant decrease in related immigration target quotas is concerning.
Aileen Calverley, co-founder and chair of the board of trustees of Hong Kong Watch, recently met with Brad Redekopp MP, Vice Chair of the Canadian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, to discuss solutions to the delayed processing of “Hong Kong Pathway” permanent resident applications. Calverley expressed the hope of collaborating with the Immigration Committee to ensure that Hong Kong residents can obtain permanent residency smoothly.
According to an Associate Deputy Minister of the Immigration Department, the Hong Kong Pathway permanent resident applications are a priority for the department, and there is no limit or cap on applications. However, as mentioned earlier, the number of approvals is limited by the immigration target quotas.
Canadian Hong Kong Watch recommends that the Canadian Immigration Department consider the following solutions:
1. Increase immigration target quotas: The Canadian government should consider increasing the 2024 immigration target allocation for the “Hong Kong Pathway” to approve more applications, reduce processing times, and waiting lists.
2. Issue temporary work and study permits: The Canadian government should consider granting Bridging Open Work Permits (BOWP) or Interim Work Authorizations (IWA) to applicants of the “Hong Kong Pathway” to ensure they can continue working and studying in Canada during the processing period until their permanent resident applications are approved.
The responsibility of the editor: Chen Wenq’s.