Canadian plan to clear Hongkonger migration backlog welcomed but questions remain

A Canadian goal of clearing a backlog of more than 30,000 applications from Hongkongers awaiting permanent residency is “encouraging” but questions remain about whether it can be achieved by 2027, advocates and immigration experts have said.

Experts and Canadian parliamentarians said on Saturday that Ottawa’s new one-off measure to add more quota spaces to clear the Hong Kong immigration pathways backlog would help address the uncertainty facing tens of thousands from the city still waiting for permanent residency.

Canada’s 2027-29 immigration levels plan, announced on Thursday alongside the budget, introduced a “time-limited measure” to allocate up to 100,000 additional spaces for permanent residency for specific humanitarian groups, including those under the Hong Kong pathways.

The government said the move, which would be in addition to the 380,000 permanent residence places for each of the next three years, aimed to “process all remaining applications” under the Hong Kong pathways by the end of 2027.

More than 48,500 Hongkongers applied under the bespoke scheme, which Ottawa launched in 2021 in response to the implementation of the national security law, before it closed to new applicants earlier this year.

But high demand and limited admission space have left tens of thousands in limbo, with wait times stretching as long as a decade.

In a letter shared online by Canadian parliamentarian Michael Ma, Canada’s immigration minister said that more than 14,500 permanent resident applications had been processed under the bespoke scheme since its launch.

“My department will fully honour our 2021 commitment and finalise all remaining applications under the Hong Kong pathways,” Lena Metlege Diab, minister for immigration, refugees and citizenship, wrote.

“This exceptional measure will provide space for up to 32,000 additional permanent resident admissions for Hongkongers, over and above the targets set out in the plan.”

The Hong Kong Pathway Alliance, an advocacy group that has been lobbying parliamentarians to introduce a one-off measure for Hongkongers, welcomed the move.

“The Hong Kong Pathway Alliance welcomes the government’s intention to address this long-standing issue and introduce new measures to help reduce the backlog,” it said in a statement shared online.

“We sincerely hope that all Hongkongers awaiting permanent residency will soon receive their PR status and be able to build stable, fulfilling lives in their new home in Canada.”

Willis Fu Yiu-wai, a senior immigration consultant with Goldmax Associates, described the announcement as a “positive development” that would give applicants greater confidence about their long-term status in Canada.

“One of the biggest challenges over the past few years has been the uncertainty,” he said.

“Many applicants have already settled in Canada, built their careers and families there, but are still waiting for a final decision on their permanent residence applications.

“The additional PR spaces are encouraging because they show that the government is actively looking at ways to address the backlog.”

But whether the backlog could be cleared by the end of 2027 was hard to predict as processing times depended on many factors, including background checks, document verification and the “complexity of individual cases”, he said

“Personally, I would be more confident saying that the backlog can be significantly reduced over the next one to two years, rather than saying it will necessarily reach zero by a specific date.”

Chak Au, a member of parliament with the opposition Conservative Party, said the measures were “welcome news” for many applicants who had faced years of uncertainty, but noted that few details were available yet.

“Applicants still need clear information about eligibility, processing timelines and how the quota will work,” he said in a social media post on Saturday.

“The announcement is an encouraging step, but it must be followed by timely and effective action.”

Jenny Kwan, a parliamentarian from the left-wing New Democratic Party who launched a petition in August demanding action on the issue, said her party would closely monitor how the measures were implemented.

“A policy promise is only as good as its execution,” she said.