Canada Announces Closure of Permanent Residence Pathways, Names One Country Affected

• Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced the closure of the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways, which have been running since 2021
• Over 30,000 applications covering nearly 49,000 people were submitted under the programme before the deadline
• Applicants already in the system can continue working in Canada under an open work permit policy valid until May 2029

Canada has formally announced the end of its special permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong nationals, with the programme set to stop accepting new applications on 31 August 2026.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published the official notice on 28 August 2026 from Ottawa, confirming that the pathways, which launched in 2021, would be permanently closed to fresh submissions after that date.

Scale of Canada's Hong Kong PR programme

The programme offered Hong Kong residents a route to settle permanently in Canada, provided they held Canadian education or work experience. Over its five-year lifespan, the uptake was considerable. By 30 June 2026, approximately 30,315 applications had been submitted, representing around 48,560 individuals in total. Of those, more than 8,600 applications covering 13,485 people had been approved, and roughly 13,370 individuals had already obtained permanent resident status in Canada.

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IRCC confirmed that applications already received before the deadline will continue to be processed in the normal way, meaning the closure applies only to new submissions.

What happens to applicants already in queue

Those whose permanent residence applications remain under review retain access to a separate work permit measure introduced on 27 May 2024. The public policy allows eligible Hong Kong permanent residence applicants to obtain open work permits while awaiting a decision on their cases. That provision is scheduled to remain in effect until May 2029, giving applicants already in the system continued access to employment in Canada throughout the processing period.

The pathways were originally introduced during a period of heightened political tension in Hong Kong, offering eligible residents an alternative route to long-term settlement abroad. Their closure brings a formal end to a programme that facilitated the relocation of tens of thousands of people over half a decade.

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Canada lists barriers preventing PR from obtaining citizenship.

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Canada had identified specific circumstances under which a foreign national with permanent resident status could be permanently barred from obtaining Canadian citizenship.

These circumstances involve conduct that occurred while the individual already held permanent resident status. Both are rooted in what Canada considers threats to its national security and sovereignty.

Source: YEN.com.gh