Canada will grant work permits to Hong Kong permanent residency applicants to allow them to stay in the country while they await a decision on their applications.
“Due to a high volume of applications, processing times for this pathway have grown, and many applicants are at risk of seeing their temporary status in Canada expire before their permanent residence applications are finalized,” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said in a Tuesday statement.
The new policy, to be launched on May 27, will grant Hong Kong applicants a new open work permit, allowing them to extend their stay in Canada while they wait for the government’s decision on their application.
An open work permit allows permanent residency applicants to work for most employers in Canada. The new policy will remain in place for five years to allow applicants to extend their temporary status.
Radio Free Asia reported last month that some 8,000 residency applications were still being processed. The IRCC had earlier said the processing time for residency applications was 6.5 months as of February 29 this year.
Lifeboat scheme
Canada first introduced its “lifeboat” immigration scheme in February 2021, months after Beijing unilaterally passed national security legislation in Hong Kong, criminalising subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts.
The scheme provides two additional pathways for Hongkongers to gain permanent residence: Stream A, for those who have graduated from a post-secondary institution in Canada in the three years prior to their application, and Stream B, which requires the applicants to have had a year of work experience in Canada.
The new open work permits will be available to applicants under either of the two pathways if they have also held a work, or study permit, within three years of IRCC receiving the permanent residency application.
Applicants who apply to have their permit extended will continue to have temporary legal status until a decision is made on their extension.
If an applicant’s temporary status expired in the 90 days before applying for the work permit, they can apply under the new policy and restore their status at the same time.
Tuesday’s announcement followed an announcement last July that Canada would remove a post-secondary education requirement for Hongkongers applying for permanent residency through Stream B the following month.
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