There have been more pathways opened to workers in Canada who have a Hong Kong passport to apply for permanent residence. On June 8, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino unveiled two new immigration streams, which offer a path to permanent residence for eligible people of Hong Kong in Canada who are workers or recent graduates.
The programs are now open to applications and Mendicino had originally announced the measures in November 2020 and launched work permit options this past February. The initiative to facilitate immigration for Hongkongers is a response to China’s imposition of the National Security Law, which led to a clampdown on freedom of expression. The Canadian government has criticized the arrests of pro-democracy activists and the deterioration of the electoral system in Hong Kong.