The Canadian government announced on July 11 that as of Aug. 15, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will remove the educational requirement from Stream B for Hong Kong residents, meaning that as long as a candidate has one year of experience in Canada, they can apply for permanent residence status in Canada.
Canada launched the OWP program for Hong Kong residents in 2021 when the IRCC implemented the “Stream B” (Type B Work Immigration Plan) scheme. Graduates from a post-secondary learning institution in Canada or abroad within the last five years and have at least one year of work experience in Canada can obtain permanent residence status.
At a press conference held on July 11, Paul Chiang, Member of Parliament, announced on behalf of Sean Fraser, Minister of IRCC, that the graduation within five years requirement would be removed starting Aug. 15, 2023. This change will allow all eligible OWP visa holders to apply for permanent residency.
Hong Kong Watch Director of Policy and Advocacy, Sam Goodman, congratulated everyone. He said that after months of working with sponsors, parliamentary allies, and the “Stream B Coalition” to advocate with the Canadian government to expand Stream B, he was pleased to see this policy change that will benefit young Hong Kong people in obtaining permanent residency in Canada. At the same time, he salutes the efforts of Canada’s foreign affairs and immigration officials, enthusiastic Hong Kong Watch patrons, allies in Parliament, and the Stream B Coalition for making this possible. And he sincerely hopes that this extension of Stream B will provide more Hongkongers a lifeline out of Hong Kong, allowing them to find a safe haven and start a new life in Canada.
Members of the “Hong Kong Pathway Stream B (Classes of 2016 and 17 Graduates) Alliance” went to Ottawa, Canada, twice to petition, meet with MPs, and lobby IRCC on an earlier expansion of Stream B’s permanent residence qualifications. Alliance’s spokesperson Connie welcomed the recent policy change and believed it would help more Hong Kong people settle in Canada.
Currently, the Alliance has Hong Kong people with open work permits who graduated in 2016 or 2017. Previously, they were bound by the requirement to graduate within five years of stream B. Some members have completed the work requirement but cannot apply for permanent residency. The Alliance has been looking forward to this new policy for a long time and believes it will enable its members to become eligible for permanent residence in Canada.
