Canada · Hong Kong permanent residence
Canada's Hong Kong PR pathways are closed: what happens to applications already filed
Canada stopped accepting new Stream A and Stream B Hong Kong permanent-residence applications after August 31, 2026. Applications received by the deadline remain in processing, and a separate open-work-permit measure may help some applicants while they wait.
Published . Updated .
Reported and checked by the QueueCheck news desk. Last checked September 2, 2026. How we verify information
The filing window is closed
The filing window has closed. IRCC stopped accepting new applications under the two temporary Hong Kong permanent-residence pathways after August 31, 2026. Stream A covered qualifying recent graduates of Canadian designated learning institutions, while Stream B covered applicants with qualifying Canadian work experience. IRCC says applications it received by the deadline will continue to be processed. The closure does not cancel a pending case, but it also does not create a late-filing or resubmission window for someone who missed the deadline.
Who is still waiting on a filed case
People who submitted a Stream A or Stream B application by August 31, their included family members, and former prospective applicants who now need to check another Canadian immigration route.
Two temporary pathways closed to new applicants
- 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.
What each stream asks an applicant to prove
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 which stream describes you
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
The deadline has passed, so the missing document can no longer be added to a new Stream A or Stream B filing. Do not send a late application on the assumption that IRCC will hold it. Check another route or obtain qualified advice about your circumstances.
Hong Kong pathway questions, answered
Is Canada still accepting Hong Kong PR applications?
Not under these two temporary pathways. Stream A and Stream B closed to new applications after August 31, 2026. Other Canadian permanent-residence programs have their own rules and remain separate.
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 send a late or incomplete application and fix it later?
No late-filing or post-closure cure period has been announced. IRCC says incomplete applications can be rejected, and the pathways are now closed to new applications.
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.
Did 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 happens to an application already submitted
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.
What pending applicants should do now
- If you filed by August 31, keep the portal confirmation and a complete copy of the application. The instant portal message is not the later acknowledgement of receipt.
- Watch the account and email address used in the application for completeness, biometrics, medical or document requests, and answer each request by the deadline shown.
- If IRCC returns the application as incomplete, obtain qualified advice promptly. IRCC has not announced a special chance to resubmit under the closed pathways.
- If temporary status may expire while the PR application is pending, check the separate Hong Kong PR applicant open-work-permit rules or another status route. A PR application does not extend temporary status by itself.
- If you did not submit by the deadline, do not use the old Stream A or Stream B checklist as though the pathway were still open. Check the current IRCC route finder or obtain case-specific advice about other options.
How the separate open work permit fits
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 IRCC's notice does not state
- 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.
Other routes to Canadian permanent residence
This update covers more than one queue. Choose the service that matches your own application before sharing a date or comparing waits.
Official citation: IRCC closing notice checked
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: what happens after applying.
- Also checked: IRCC: open work permit for Hong Kong PR applicants.