On November 19, 2020, Government of Canada issued special instructions to make it easier and more efficient for Hong Kong residents to come to Canada – whether temporarily or on a permanent basis.
The move was due to the new law that was passed in China back on June 30, 2020. China passed a national security law that would affect Hong Kong residents. The law criminalizes “secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces,” providing very broad definitions for these crimes.
Hong Kong residents that will be covered under the new instructions are defined under paragraphs 190(2)(d) and (e) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations as foreign nationals who hold a passport issued by either:
- the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China; or
- the United Kingdom to a British National (Overseas), as a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong.
The applicants who will submit their paper-based applications must label their envelope “urgent – hong kong priority” to make sure that priority processing is applied to their application.
To learn more about these special measures – eligibility, fee waivers, different streams and application types – please see this webpage on the Government of Canada’s website.