Economic Programs

As of June 1, 2021, until August 31, 2026, Hong Kong residents in Canada can apply for permanent residence if they fall under 1 of the 2 streams:

Stream A: Graduation with a degree, diploma (2 years or longer), or graduate or post-graduate credential (1 year or longer) from a post-secondary learning institution in Canada in the last 3 years or
Stream B: Graduation with a degree, diploma (2 years or longer), or graduate or post-graduate credential (1 year or longer) from a post-secondary learning institution in Canada or abroad in the last 5 years, plus 1 year of in-Canada work experience within the last 3 years
This public policy is part of a number of facilitative measures put in place to support Hong Kong residents who are seeking alternatives to remaining in or returning to Hong Kong.

More information on the website of IRCC.

IRCC finally published how they will assess the application against the policy conditions. Although most information can be found in the guide and the published policy, a few points remained open or were open for interpretation. We received a few questions about the current employment and the 1-year full-time work experience.

Current employment
Principal applicants must be currently working in order to be eligible for this public policy.

Current employment

• must be in Canada
• can be in any occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
• must be authorized
• must be paid in wages or commission
• does not include self-employment, unless the applicant is working as a medical doctor in a fee-for-service arrangement with a health authority
  The lock-in date to determine “currently employed” is the date the application is received by IRCC.

There are no requirements that the current employment is full-time or permanent and applicants do not need to remain employed throughout the processing of the application.

All principal applicants must reside in Canada with valid temporary resident status (or be eligible to restore their status) and be physically present in Canada when the application for permanent residence is received and when the application is approved. Foreign nationals who do not currently have temporary resident status in Canada, such as refugee claimants, are not eligible for this public policy.

1-year full-time work experience
The 1 year of work experience can be acquired through multiple periods of employment but must equal at least 1,560 hours in the 3 years before the application for permanent residence is received. Work experience must be acquired over a period of at least 1 year; work in excess of 30 hours per week over a shorter period cannot compensate for any shorter overall period of experience.

The program is open and the link to the program is here.

I recommend reading the instruction guide very carefully and make sure you use the most current forms. IRCC tweets turned out to be unreliable in some cases. Unfortunately for those who relied on the tweets and not on the guide and are now having difficulty with the payments.
Also, the guide turned out not to be a reliable source and after the opening of the program, changes were made in the guide as well. After sending everybody to the photographer getting new passport photos, IRCC added that digital photos are also okay.

Wednesday, May 5th at noon (EST) the guide will be released and the program will open on Thursday, May 6th at 12 PM EST.

The first step is a wizard tool checking your eligibility for the program. The next step is making an account for the dedicated online portal. After verification of your email, you can now start the application by uploading the mandatory documents and forms. An Immigration Consultant or Lawyer can assist you with making the account and uploading the documents, but you must review and submit the application yourself.

The guide for the new pathway is expected before the 6th of May when the program opens. Meanwhile, there is confusion about when and what fees to pay when applying under this program. Recently Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada confirmed that the fee payment is part of the application, and you must not pay upfront.

Under this policy, you must maintain legal status, but you can not apply for a bridging open work permit, meaning that when your work permit expires you probably can only extend your stay as a visitor.

International graduates who did not yet receive a diploma or degree will probably be able to apply with the completion letter instead.

The guide for the new PR pathways will be available in May. For the time being, a few more faqs.
How do I apply under this new public policy?
Applications will go through a new dedicated online portal. More information will follow in May.
Can an Authorized Representative apply for me through this Dedicated Online Portal?
The Canadian Regulated Immigration Consultant (RCIC) can prepare and validate all documents and forms, but you must make an account and upload the forms and documents. The RCIC can guide in person or via video calling through the whole process.
If I cannot apply through the portal due to technical issues, will I get my paid upfront processing fee back?
If you cannot manage to apply, you will get the processing fee refunded.
If I forgot to upload a document, will my application be rejected, and will I get my processing fee returned?
If a document is missing, the immigration officer might request additional information or refuse the application straight away. In the case of a refusal, there is no refund. Only the right of permanent residence fee ($500) will be refunded.
What are the required documents? Will it be similar to the Canadian Experience Class?
This information will be in the guide. But for now, the CEC document list is a good starting point.
I graduated in 2016. Can I apply for the Pathway “international graduate”?
You must have completed your program no earlier than January 2017.
I have already submitted my application under a different program. Can I apply for the new Pathway?
While you may choose to apply to more than one program, you must pay processing fees for each application you submit.
I worked for eight months in two jobs on the list of essential workers, and the sum of hours will be over 1560. Will I be able to apply under this program?
No, you can only count 30 hours a week towards the 1560 hours. So you will have only eight months of full-time work experience at the most.
Will my work experience gained during the full-time study counted in the Essential Worker category?
Yes, so long you had the authorization to work.
Will IRCC accept my IELTS Academic test under this program?
No, IRCC accepts only the General Test for English. More information on the website of IRCC. Your test can be two years old. 

For complete information on the program please see our earlier post on the subject here