Permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents: Get your documents ready

From Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Before you apply for permanent residence, you should gather all the documents you need. Your application may be delayed if you’re missing anything. You can find a full list of the documents you need to submit in your document checklist.

On this page:

• Language test
• Intent to live in a province or territory other than Quebec
• Post-secondary education
• Canadian work experience (stream B only)

Language test

You must provide a copy of your language test results that shows you have a level 5 score in all 4 skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in one of the following:

• Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)
• Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)

If you haven’t already completed a language test, make sure you book one early. It takes time to book the test and get your results.

Intent to live in a province or territory other than Quebec

If you currently live in Quebec, you must prove that you intend to live in a province or territory other than Quebec.

To prove this, you can provide one or more of the following:

• a statutory declaration explaining where you plan to live and why
• documents showing any ties you have to the province or territory (outside Quebec) where you plan to live, including
  • proof of employment
  • job offers
  • job applications you’ve submitted
  • job interviews you have scheduled
  • proof you have family living in the area
  • lease agreements or mortgages

Post-secondary education

If you apply for stream A (In-Canada graduates)

You must provide

• a copy of your diploma or degree
• your final transcripts

They must show that you graduated

• from a designated learning institution in Canada
• in the last 3 years

If you have a diploma or certificate from a graduate or post-graduate program, you must also include both of the following:

• proof that this program required you to have a post-secondary diploma or degree as a prerequisite, such as a
  • copy of the school’s website showing all the prerequisites
  • letter from the school that lists the prerequisites you needed
• a copy of your post-secondary diploma or degree and final transcripts showing that you graduated no more than 5 years before the start of your graduate or post-graduate program

If you apply for stream B (Canadian work experience)

You must provide both of the following:

• a copy of your diploma or degree
• your final transcripts

They must show that you graduated in the last 5 years.

If you have a diploma or certificate from a graduate or post-graduate program, you must also include both of the following:

• proof that this program required you to have a post-secondary diploma or degree as a prerequisite, such as a
  • copy of the school’s website showing all the prerequisites
  • letter from the school
• a copy of your post-secondary diploma or degree and final transcripts showing that you graduated no more than 5 years before the start of your graduate or post-graduate program

If you graduated from a post-secondary school outside Canada, you must get an educational credential assessment (ECA). This assessment will show that your studies are equal to a Canadian post-secondary diploma or degree.

When you apply for your ECA

Make sure you do all of the following:

• apply for an ECA for immigration purposes
• gather all the documents the organization needs to assess your education
• ask your school for multiple copies of your diplomas, degrees and transcripts
• follow any instructions given to submit the documents
• pay the fees

You can apply for this pathway if the report you’re given shows that your foreign credential is equal to a Canadian

• post-secondary diploma (for a program of at least 2 years)
• post-secondary degree
• graduate or post-graduate diploma or certificate (for a program of at least 1 year)

Canadian work experience (stream B only)

You must provide proof for each job you list in your application. This could be

• a letter from your employer, on company letterhead, that includes
  • your name
  • your job title
  • the dates you worked for the company
  • the number of hours you worked each week
  • your annual salary and any benefits you received
  • the company contact information (address, phone number and email address)
  • your supervisor’s name, title and signature (or those of the company’s human resources officer)
• a copy of the T4 tax information slips and notices of assessment the Canada Revenue Agency issued to you
• copies of your records of employment
• pay stubs
• copies of bank deposits showing salary payments