Canadian immigration authorities have confirmed that a “lifeboat” open work permit scheme for recent graduates from Hong Kong will end this Friday and that it will not be extended.
Canada. Photo: vtgard, via Flickr.
The three-year work permit programme, launched in 2021 in response to the 2020 Beijing-imposed national security law, was “always intended as a temporary measure,” a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), a Canadian government department, told HKFP on Thursday.
Open work permits were granted under the Hong Kong Pathways scheme, which provided Hongkongers with two additional means to gain permanent residence in Canada. Stream A was for those who had graduated from a post-secondary institution in Canada in the three years prior to their application. Stream B required the applicants to have at least a year of work experience in Canada.
The IRCC said on Thursday that the temporary open work permit policy had provided an opportunity for recent Hong Kong graduates to obtain work experience needed to apply for permanent residence via Stream B.
Eligible Hongkongers may still apply for other work permit programmes, it added. Hong Kong residents who are at risk of persecution and have fled to another country may also be eligible to seek resettlement in Canada under existing programmes, it said.
According to the IRCC, the open work permit programme received over 49,000 as of December 31, 2024. More than 40,500 had been approved.
Toronto, Canada. File photo: Pexels.
In May, Canada announced it would grant work permits to permanent residency applicants from Hong Kong to allow them to stay in the country while they await a decision on their applications.
The move came after a high volume of applications caused the processing time to lengthen. Many applicants were at risk of seeing their temporary status in Canada expire, before their permanent residence applications were finalised, the Canadian government said.
On its website, the IRCC described the security legislation as “undermining rights and freedoms” and said it may lead to “discriminatory or arbitrary interpretation and enforcement.”
The Hong Kong Pathways policy “recognizes the contributions made by Hong Kong residents to Canada’s economy and social-cultural landscape through human capital, while also promoting democratic values,” it said.
