Canada · Hong Kong permanent residence
Canada’s Hong Kong PR pathways close August 31: who can still apply
Canada stops accepting new Stream A and Stream B Hong Kong permanent-residence applications after August 31, 2026. Here are the eligibility rules, documents, submission risks, pending-case position and separate open-work-permit rules.
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Reported and checked by the QueueCheck news desk. Last checked August 29, 2026. How we verify information
Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways: the answer before you make plans
IRCC will accept new applications under the two temporary Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways only through August 31, 2026. Stream A is for qualifying recent graduates of Canadian designated learning institutions; Stream B is for applicants with qualifying Canadian work experience. IRCC says applications received on or before August 31 will continue to be processed. The official notice gives no publication time or separate last-day cut-off time, so anyone still filing should submit a complete, signed and paid application through the Permanent Residence Portal before the final day rather than relying on a last-minute upload.
Visa applicants affected by this Canada update
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders and qualifying British National (Overseas) passport holders who are physically in Canada, have valid temporary resident status, intend to live outside Quebec and may meet Stream A or Stream B requirements, together with eligible family members included in their applications.
The Canada visa update behind this page
- The two temporary pathways stop accepting new applications after August 31, 2026. They are Stream A for in-Canada graduates and Stream B for Canadian work experience.
- IRCC's August 28 closing notice says applications received on or before August 31 will continue to be processed. Closure does not cancel a properly submitted pending application.
- Both streams require the principal applicant to hold a qualifying Hong Kong SAR or British National (Overseas) passport, be physically present in Canada when applying and when permanent residence is granted, hold valid temporary status, intend to settle outside Quebec, and show CLB or NCLC level 5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
- Stream A requires qualifying Canadian post-secondary graduation during the three years before applying. Stream B requires at least 1,560 hours of qualifying paid Canadian work during the three years before applying and at least one year holding a Canadian work permit.
- The separate open-work-permit measure remains available until May 2029, but only for eligible people who already applied under one of these permanent-residence pathways. It does not keep the PR pathways open to new applicants.
IRCC: Hong Kong permanent residence pathways closing to new applications details that affect applicants
For both streams, the accepted travel documents are a valid Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport or a British National (Overseas) passport issued to a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong.
Both streams require physical presence in Canada at application and at the grant of permanent residence, valid temporary resident status, intention to live in a province or territory other than Quebec, and an approved language test at CLB or NCLC 5 in all four skills.
Stream A requires graduation from a Canadian designated learning institution in the three years before applying. A qualifying diploma must generally be from a program of at least two years; a degree may be associate, bachelor's, master's or doctoral; a qualifying graduate or post-graduate diploma or certificate must generally be from a program of at least one year.
For a Stream A graduate or post-graduate diploma or certificate, IRCC also requires the prerequisite post-secondary diploma or degree to have been completed within five years before the graduate program began. At least 50% of the qualifying Canadian program must have been completed in Canada, in person or online.
Stream B requires at least 1,560 hours of qualifying paid work in Canada during the three years before applying and at least one year holding a Canadian work permit. The hours must have been legally worked.
Stream B excludes hours accumulated while a full-time student, while self-employed, outside Canada, on medical or parental leave or similar leave, during an extended absence outside Canada, or while unemployed.
Applications are submitted online through the Permanent Residence Portal. Required digital forms include IMM 0008, IMM 5669, IMM 5406 and IMM 5562; uploaded PDFs include IMM 0134 and either Stream A Schedule 7A, IMM 0135, or Stream B Schedule 7B, IMM 0136.
IRCC says the principal applicant must electronically sign for the application and included family members, include the required fee receipt, upload supporting documents and provide one photo for each person on the application.
IRCC reported approximately 30,315 applications representing 48,560 people received by June 30, 2026. More than 8,600 applications representing 13,485 people had been approved, and about 13,370 people had obtained permanent residence by that date.
Find your Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways situation
You already submitted and received only the portal confirmation
Your application may still be waiting for IRCC's completeness check. The portal message confirms electronic submission; it is not the AOR. Keep your records, monitor the account and respond to IRCC requests.
Your current permit will expire while the PR case is pending
The PR application does not by itself extend temporary status. Check the separate open-work-permit policy or another status route before expiry. Apply early enough to preserve any maintained-status position available under the route you use.
You meet most requirements but are still waiting for a language result or document
IRCC requires the language result and supporting evidence with the application. Submitting an incomplete file creates a rejection risk, while waiting beyond August 31 closes the current pathway. This is the point to obtain urgent qualified advice rather than guess.
Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways questions, answered
Is Canada still accepting Hong Kong PR applications?
Yes, under these two temporary pathways only through August 31, 2026. IRCC says no new Stream A or Stream B applications will be accepted after that date.
Who qualifies for Stream A for Hong Kong graduates?
A principal applicant must meet the common passport, Canada-presence, temporary-status, outside-Quebec and CLB or NCLC 5 requirements, then show qualifying graduation from a Canadian designated learning institution during the previous three years under IRCC's credential, program-length and Canadian-study rules.
Who qualifies for Stream B based on Canadian work experience?
A principal applicant must meet the common requirements and show at least 1,560 hours of qualifying paid Canadian work during the previous three years, plus at least one year holding a Canadian work permit. Full-time student work, self-employment and the other excluded periods do not count.
What happens to Hong Kong PR applications already submitted?
IRCC says applications received on or before August 31 will continue to be processed. Applicants still have to pass the completeness, eligibility, fee, document, admissibility, biometrics and medical stages that apply to their cases.
Can I submit an incomplete application by August 31 and fix it later?
That is unsafe. IRCC says incomplete applications can be rejected and must be corrected and resubmitted. It has not announced a special opportunity to resubmit after the pathways close.
Does the open work permit until May 2029 extend the PR deadline?
No. The May 2029 date belongs to a separate open-work-permit measure for eligible people who already applied under one of the Hong Kong PR pathways. It does not allow a new PR application after August 31, 2026.
Can I apply from outside Canada?
No. IRCC requires the permanent-residence application to be made from within Canada, and the applicant must be physically present in Canada both when applying and when permanent residence is granted.
Can I use the pathway if I live in Quebec?
The public policy requires an intention to live outside Quebec. A person currently in Quebec must provide evidence supporting a genuine plan to settle in another province or territory.
Does submitting by August 31 guarantee permanent residence?
No. Meeting the deadline only keeps the application in the process. IRCC must still find the application complete and the applicant eligible and admissible before approving permanent residence.
What this Canada update changes for Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways
Someone who becomes eligible after August 31 cannot rely on the current public policy to submit a new Stream A or Stream B permanent-residence application.
A pending application remains in IRCC's processing queue after the pathways close, provided IRCC received it by the deadline.
Completeness matters more at a closing deadline. IRCC says an incomplete application can be rejected and must be corrected and resubmitted; it has not announced a special post-deadline cure period for an application returned after the pathways close.
The PR Portal's immediate electronic submission message is not the acknowledgement of receipt. IRCC issues the AOR only after opening the application and checking that it is complete.
The May 2029 work-permit date can easily be misread as an extension of the permanent-residence deadline. It is a separate measure for eligible PR applicants waiting for a decision.
Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways checks before changing your plans
- Confirm which stream you qualify for. You can apply under only one: Stream A for qualifying recent Canadian education or Stream B for qualifying Canadian work experience.
- Check the common requirements first: qualifying passport, physical presence in Canada, valid temporary status, intended residence outside Quebec and CLB or NCLC 5 in every tested language skill.
- For Stream A, verify the institution, credential type, program length, graduation date, Canadian-study percentage and any prerequisite credential before relying on the route.
- For Stream B, total only eligible paid Canadian hours from the three-year window and gather employer letters, tax records, records of employment, pay stubs or salary-deposit evidence. Exclude the work IRCC says does not count.
- Use the Permanent Residence Portal and the current IRCC document checklist. Complete the stream-specific schedule, all digital forms, photographs, translations, fee payment and supporting evidence before submitting.
- Save the portal confirmation and a complete copy of everything uploaded. Do not mistake the instant portal message for the later acknowledgement of receipt.
- If the portal has a technical problem, use IRCC's web form immediately, identify the program and upload screenshots showing the page, fields and error messages. The official instructions do not say that reporting a technical issue extends the August 31 deadline.
- If temporary status will expire while a submitted PR application is being processed, check the separate Hong Kong PR applicant open-work-permit rules. The permit is not automatic and the PR application must already exist.
Read IRCC: Hong Kong permanent residence pathways closing to new applications by route, stage, and source date
The pathways began in 2021 as temporary public-policy routes for eligible Hong Kong nationals already in Canada. Their closure was scheduled rather than announced as an immediate suspension.
Stream A and Stream B share the passport, presence, temporary-status, destination and language requirements, but they prove eligibility through different histories: recent Canadian education versus qualifying Canadian work.
Applicants living in Quebec are not automatically barred solely because of their current address, but IRCC requires evidence of an intention to live in another province or territory.
After a complete application is opened, IRCC may request biometrics and medical examinations. Family members included in the application may also need both, including medical examinations for non-accompanying family members where IRCC requires them.
The open work permit can be valid for up to three years. Its core conditions include having already applied under one of the two Hong Kong PR pathways, having held a work or study permit within the three years before the PR application, being in Canada and otherwise being eligible to apply for a work permit.
A spouse, common-law partner or dependent child over 18 included in the PR application may be able to apply for an open work permit when the principal applicant applies, subject to IRCC's conditions.
What this Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways update cannot decide
- IRCC's closing notice says applications received on or before August 31 will continue to be processed, but it does not display a precise last-day time or time zone. This page does not invent one.
- IRCC has not announced a grace period for incomplete applications returned after the deadline. The risk that a returned application cannot be resubmitted under the closed pathway is a practical inference from the closure and IRCC's completeness rules, not a separately stated exception policy.
- The pathways' closure does not guarantee when IRCC will decide applications already in the queue.
- This page is general information, not legal advice. Passport history, status restoration, Quebec residence, family composition and document sufficiency can require case-specific assessment.
Compare Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways waits
This update covers more than one queue. Choose the service that matches your own application before sharing a date or comparing waits.
Official citation
Published August 29, 2026. Original source: IRCC: Hong Kong permanent residence pathways closing to new applications.
- Also checked: IRCC: Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways.
- Also checked: IRCC: who can apply under Stream A or Stream B.
- Also checked: IRCC: documents for the Hong Kong PR pathways.
- Also checked: IRCC: how to submit the permanent-residence application.
- Also checked: IRCC: what happens after applying.
- Also checked: IRCC: open work permit for Hong Kong PR applicants.