New Policies to Support Immigration from Hong Kong
On Nov. 12, 2020, Canada’s Minister of Immigration announced new immigration policies to support immigration from Hong Kong. The new policies include:
For those already in Canada:
- Waived processing fees for those who want to renew their status or extend their stay
- A new open work permit, allowing people with Hongkong passport who have completed post-secondary education (college or university, whether in Canada or Hong Kong) to work in Canada for up to three years
- A dedicated pathway to permanent residence status to be released in 2021. This pathway will require minimum language skills, minimum education levels, and one year of Canadian work experience.
For Canadians in Hong Kong:
- Canadians (those with Canadian citizenship or permanent residence status) can return to Canada anytime they like, and the government will expedite providing any documents that they require
For those still in Hong Kong:
- Allowing family members of Canadians to travel to Canada under exemptions to travel restrictions (still required to quarantine for 14 days upon entry)
- A new open work permit, allowing Hong Kongers who have completed post-secondary education (college or university, whether in Canada or Hong Kong) to work in Canada for up to three years
- A dedicated pathway to permanent residence status to be released in 2021. This pathway will require minimum language skills, minimum education levels, and one year of Canadian work experience.
- Expediting study permit applications (for those who want to study in Canada), permanent residency applications, and family sponsorship applications
At the same time, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced Changes to the pre-removal risk assessment for Hong Kong. Some individuals from Hong Kong are now exempt from the 12-month bar on applying for a PRRA (pre-removal risk assessment), depending on when they received a decision on their refugee claim.
If you need professional immigration services, please contact Springwind Immigration Consulting Services In.
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