Permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents: Assessing the application against the public policy eligibility requirements

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

Applicants should be assessed against the eligibility criteria below, based on the information and documents provided in the application. Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be approved.

Processing offices must follow procedural fairness guidelines if they are not satisfied that an applicant meets the criteria of the public policy. In such cases, the office must inform the applicant of their concerns, and the applicant must have the opportunity to respond and provide additional information in support of their application.

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Travel document

The principal applicant must hold a passport issued by one of the following:

Status in Canada

The principal applicant must have valid temporary resident status in Canada.

Physical presence in Canada

The principal applicant must be physically present in Canada when they apply and when permanent residence is granted.

The principal applicant must provide proof of being physically present in Canada at the time of their application. This can include

Intent to reside in a province or territory other than the province of Quebec

To be eligible, an applicant must intend to reside as a permanent resident in a province other than Quebec.

The officer can check the applicant’s IMM 0008 question 5 (intent to reside) and Schedule A (address history).

Evidence that applicants intend to reside outside Quebec can include, but is not limited to,

Note: The fact that an applicant currently resides in Quebec at the time of application does not, conclusively, suggest that the applicant does not intend to reside in another province or territory as a permanent resident. However, the onus is on the applicant to provide sufficient proof to satisfy the officer that they intend to relocate outside Quebec.

Official language proficiency

The applicant must provide the results of a language test approved by IRCC that shows the applicant meets the minimum language level of 5 for each of the 4 language skill areas (listening, speaking, reading and writing) for either the

Note: The test results must be less than 2 years old on the date of application.

Eligibility requirements under Stream A and Stream B

Applicants must apply under 1 of the 2 streams and meet all eligibility requirements in either stream.

Stream A: In-Canada graduates

This stream is targeted at applicants with recent post-secondary education in Canada.

Education requirements

Applicants must have graduated from a designated learning institution in Canada in the 3 years before they apply with one of the following:

The program of study can be completed in any field of study, with at least 50% of the program of study completed while physically present in Canada, either in class or online.

Stream B: Canadian work experience

This stream is targeted at applicants with post-secondary education in Canada or abroad as well as with recent work experience in Canada.

Applicants under Stream B have to meet both education and experience requirements.

Education requirements

Applicants must have graduated in the 5 years before they apply with one of the following:

That credential (in any field of study) must have been obtained from one of the following:

Concerns about the authenticity of foreign educational credentials

If an officer has concerns about the authenticity of the applicant’s foreign educational credential(s), they must, in accordance with the principles of procedural fairness, communicate these concerns to the applicant and give them an opportunity to respond to these concerns and provide additional information or documentation.

Canadian work experience

Applicants in Stream B must have accumulated 1 year (12 months) of full-time (at least 30 hours per week, or the equivalent in part-time, for a total of at least 1,560 hours) authorized Canadian work experience at any skill level within the 3 years before they apply).

Any work experience acquired during full-time studies or self-employment does not count under this public policy.

Canadian work experience does not need to be continuous to qualify, but the period of 12 months of required employment does not include

A reasonable period of vacation time will be counted towards meeting the work experience requirement. For example, a 2-week period of paid vacation leave within a given 52-week period in which the applicant was engaged in qualifying work would qualify, whether that period of vacation was taken in Canada or outside Canada.

Principal applicants are requested to provide documentary evidence of their work experience in Canada. Documents that can be used as evidence include

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