Permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents: Who can apply

Stream A: In-Canada graduates

To be eligible for this stream, you must

• hold a valid passport issued by one of the following:
  • Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
  • United Kingdom to a British National (Overseas) as a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong
• be physically present in Canada when you apply and when you get permanent residence
• have valid temporary resident status in Canada
• intend to live in Canada, in any province or territory other than the province of Quebec
• have graduated from a post-secondary designated learning institution in Canada
  • in the 3 years before you apply
  • with one of the following:
    • a diploma (not graduate or post-graduate) for a program of at least 2 years
    • a degree (associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral)
    • a graduate or post-graduate diploma or certificate for a program of at least 1 year and
  • with at least 50% of your program completed in Canada (either in person or online)

If you have a graduate or post-graduate diploma or certificate

You must also have completed a post-secondary diploma or degree (from Canada or from abroad), as a prerequisite to this graduate or post-graduate program.

You must have competed this prerequisite diploma or degree in the 5 years before you started your graduate or post-graduate program.

Stream B: Canadian work experience

To be eligible for this stream, you must

• hold a valid passport issued by one of the following:
  • Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
  • United Kingdom to a British National (Overseas) as a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong
• be physically present in Canada when you apply and when you get permanent residence
• have valid temporary resident status in Canada
• intend to live in Canada, in any province or territory other than the province of Quebec
• have graduated in the 5 years before you apply with one of the following:
  • a diploma (not graduate or post-graduate) for a program of at least 2 years, or a degree (for example, an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree or a doctorate) from a post-secondary designated learning institution in Canada
  • a graduate or post-graduate diploma or certificate for a program of at least 1 year from a post-secondary designated learning institution in Canada
  • a foreign educational credential equivalent to one of the following:
    • a Canadian post-secondary diploma (not graduate or post-graduate) for a program of at least 2 years
    • a Canadian post-secondary degree
    • a Canadian graduate or post-graduate diploma or certificate for a program of at least 1 year
• have worked in Canada for at least 12 months full time, or an equal amount of part-time hours in the 3 years before you apply.

If you have a graduate or post-graduate diploma or certificate

You must also have completed a post-secondary diploma or degree (from Canada or from abroad), as a prerequisite to this graduate or post-graduate program.

You must have completed this prerequisite diploma or degree in the 5 years before you started your graduate or post-graduate program.

How to meet the hours of work requirement

To be eligible for this stream, you must have worked in Canada for at least 12 months full-time, or an equal amount of part-time hours (at least 1,560 hours in total) in the 3 years before you apply.

You must have been allowed to work legally in Canada for these hours to count. This means you either had a valid work permit, or you were exempt from needing a work permit.

You can’t include any hours of work that you spent

• as a full-time student
• self-employed
• working outside Canada
• on leave from your job (medical, parental or similar)
• on an extended absence outside Canada
• unemployed