- Recent post-secondary grads can work for up to three years and have an easier path to permanent residency
- The move marks the latest step in Canada’s campaign to help Hongkongers after the implementation of the national security law
Canada unveiled a new visa that would help Hongkongers who studied in the country live and work there.Hong Kong graduates of Canadian universities can apply for a new category of three-year work permit beginning today.
The announcement from the government marks the latest step in Canada’s campaign to help Hong Kong after China imposed a new national security law in late June 2020, aimed at anything Beijing regards as subversion, secession or terrorism. About 300,000 Canadian passport holders live in the city.
Under the new visa rules, any Hong Kong resident who has graduated from a Canadian university in the past five years can apply to work for up to three years. Those with equivalent foreign credentials are also eligible.
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Visa recipients will also be offered a way to transition more easily to permanent residency.
“Canada continues to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Hong Kong, and is deeply concerned about the new National Security Law and the deteriorating human rights situation there,” the government said in a statement.
After China imposed the law, Ottawa moved quickly to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and banned the export of sensitive military items.
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Hong Kong residents currently in Canada temporarily, including visitors, students and workers, can apply online for the visas. Eligible spouses or common-law partners, as well as dependent children, can also apply for a study or work permit.
The Canadian government plans to implement two other pathways to permanent residence for people from Hong Kong later this year: one for HK residents with at least one year of work experience in Canada who meet certain language and education requirements, and the other for Hongkongers who have graduated from post-secondary institutions in the country.