New policy in Canada won’t help Hongkongers seeking permanent residency: experts

Hongkongers stuck in a seemingly endless backlog of permanent residency applications in Canada are unlikely to get relief from recently proposed immigration measures, local experts and advocates have said, as wait times continue to stretch well beyond 2027.

While Hongkongers could benefit from a proposed one-off fast-track measure for work permit holders, quota cuts in other areas could keep hopeful applicants languishing for some time yet, they cautioned.

Amid an ongoing public backlash against heightened immigration levels, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget since assuming office in March proposed further cuts to the number of new residents the country would allow in the coming years.

Introduced last week, the steepest cuts would apply to temporary residents, in particular international students, while the number of new permanent residents would be reduced to 380,000 between 2026 and 2028, a lower annual average than this year’s 395,000.

The government also proposed a one-time measure to fast-track 33,000 work permit holders to permanent residency, to address the surging backlog across the country’s various schemes, which some hoped could help Hongkongers. But it did not elaborate on how the accelerated process would work.

Meanwhile, the number of new permanent residents to be admitted under a humanitarian category which includes the country’s bespoke pathway for Hongkongers would be set at 5,800 for 2026 before being reduced to 4,000 in 2027 and 2028.