CIMM – Hong Kong Permanent Residence Pathways – November 25, 2024

Key Facts and Figures

The Hong Kong Permanent Residence (PR) pathways are included in the Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) and Other Category within the Immigration Levels Plan, along with H&C considerations, other public policies, and the permit holder class.

H&C and other targets in the Immigration Levels Plan

2024	2025	2026	2027
13,750	10,000	6,900	4,300

Permanent Residence Applications as of October 31, 2024 (persons)

Received Approved Refused

>26,500 Over 10,500 <200
As of October 31, 2024, 80% of permanent residence applications were processed within 12 months. However, as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has received a higher volume of applications, a backlog is being created and the processing times for clients for the two pathways to permanent residence will increase with most of them expected to be processed after 2027.

Received	Approved	Refused
>26,500	Over 10,500	<200

Canada will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Hong Kong.
In June 2021, a public policy was put in place to recognize the contributions made by Hong Kong residents to Canada’s economy and social-cultural landscape, while also promoting democratic values by providing two new permanent residence pathways to help Hong Kong residents come to Canada.
This public policy was extended and expanded in 2023 to allow more in-Canada Hong Kong nationals to apply to remain here permanently.
Due to a high volume of applications and limited admission spaces, processing times for the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways have grown.
To ensure that applicants can maintain their status in Canada, a new public policy was launched on May 27, 2024, to let Hong Kong PR pathway applicants extend their status and obtain a new open work permit while they wait for a decision on their PR application.

On June 30, 2020, China passed a controversial National Security Law for Hong Kong. The law was drafted without inclusive consultation and through a process that circumvented Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. The National Security Law prohibits and penalizes vaguely defined offences relating to secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country.
Human rights, namely civil and political rights, including freedom of expression and assembly, have significantly and steadily declined in Hong Kong since the imposition of the National Security Law.
On March 19, 2024, Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously passed national security legislation, also known as Article 23, which gives the government new powers to crack down on all forms of dissent on the grounds of alleged treason, espionage, sedition, and external interference in Hong Kong’s internal affairs. Article 23 is separate from the National Security Law that was imposed by the Chinese government in 2020. The implementation and impact of this new law remain to be seen.

The Hong Kong PR Pathway public policy expires on August 31, 2026, and does not have a cap on applications.

Due to increased volumes of applications and limited admissions spaces, stakeholders and parliamentarians have expressed concerns with increased processing times for permanent residence applications for Hong Kong nationals.
Processing of applications under this public policy operates under the First-in-First-Out (FIFO) model, whereby those applications that are received first will be processed first.
The unpredictability of global events makes it challenging to anticipate the Levels targets under the H&C and Other category, especially in the long term. Public policies, including the Hong Kong PR pathways, do not have a specific admission target in the Levels Plan, nor are Levels space for this category allocated by country of nationality.
Based on the admission targets established as part of the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, applicants’ processing times will increase, with most of them expected to be processed after 2027.