Hong Kong Permanent Residence Pathway - Stream B - Canadian Work Experience

## Stream B: Canadian work experience To be eligible for this stream, you must * hold a valid passport issued by one of the following: * Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China * United Kingdom to a British National (Overseas) as a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong * be physically present in Canada when you apply and when you get permanent residence * have valid temporary resident status in Canada * intend to live in Canada, in any province or territory other than the province of Quebec * take an approved language test that shows you have a level 5 score in all 4 skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in English or French on one of the following scales: * Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) * Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) * have worked in Canada for the required amount of hours in the 3 years before you apply. ### How to meet the hours of work requirement To be eligible for this stream, in the last 3 years before you apply, you must have: worked in Canada for at least 1,560 hours in total (through paid full-time or part-time work) held a Canadian work permit for at least 1 year You must have been allowed to work legally in Canada for these hours to count. This means you either had a valid work permit, or you were exempt from needing a work permit. You can’t include any hours of work that you spent * as a full-time student * self-employed * working outside Canada * on leave from your job (medical, parental or similar) * on an extended absence outside Canada * unemployed ## Stream A: In-Canada graduates

2. Stream B: 1. in the immediate 3 years preceding the date when the application is received, completed at least 1 year of full-time work experience, or the equivalent to 1 year of work experience through part-time work, in Canada: 1. work can be completed in any skill level, but must meet the definition of work as per section 2 of the Regulations, and have been authorized by virtue of a work permit, work permit exemption under section 186 of the Regulations or a public policy under section 25.2 of the Act 2. any period of employment during which the foreign national was engaged in full-time study or was self-employed shall not be included in calculating a period of work experience 8. is not inadmissible

Status: Closed We’re no longer accepting new applications. The permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents closed on August 31, 2026. We’ll continue to process applications we accepted on or before this date. You can still apply for an open work permit so you can work while we process your application. There are 2 streams

## Canadian work experience (stream B only) You must provide proof for each job you list in your application. This could be * a letter from your employer, on company letterhead, that includes * your name * your job title * the dates you worked for the company * the number of hours you worked each week * your annual salary and any benefits you received * the company contact information (address, phone number and email address) * your supervisor’s name, title and signature (or those of the company’s human resources officer) * a copy of the T4 tax information slips and notices of assessment the Canada Revenue Agency issued to you * copies of your records of employment * pay stubs * copies of bank deposits showing salary payments ## Document navigation

## Conditions (eligibility requirements) applicable to principal applicants Based on the public policy considerations, delegated officers may grant permanent resident status to foreign nationals who meet the following conditions: The foreign national 1. holds a passport issued by 1. the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, as defined by paragraph 190(2)(d) of the Regulations, or 2. the United Kingdom to a British National (Overseas), as a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong, as defined by paragraph 190(2)(e) of the Regulations 2. has submitted an application for permanent residence by the electronic means made available on the website of the department (online) or with an alternate application format provided by the department if the foreign national or their representative indicated they are unable to apply online 3. has attained a level of proficiency of at least benchmark 5 in either official language for each of the 4 language skill areas, as set out in the Canadian Language Benchmarks or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens: 1. this must be demonstrated by the results of an evaluation by an organization or institution designated by the Minister for the purpose of evaluating language proficiency under subsection 74(3) of the Regulations and 2. the evaluation must be less than 2 years old when the permanent residence application is received 4. is physically present in Canada at the time when an application for permanent residence under this public policy is made, and at the time of granting of permanent residence 5. has a valid temporary resident status in Canada 6. intends to reside in a province or territory other than the province of Quebec 7. meets the criteria of either one of the following streams: 1. Stream A: 1. in the immediate 3 years preceding the date when the application is received, graduated from a post-secondary designated learning institution in Canada, as defined in section 211.1 of the Regulations with 1. a degree 2. a diploma for completion of a program that is at least 2 years in length or 3. a graduate or post-graduate diploma, certificate or credential * for completion of a program that is at least 1 year in length. To be eligible, that program must require the completion of a post-secondary degree or diploma as a prerequisite for acceptance into the program and * the post-secondary degree or diploma must have been obtained no more than 5 years before the commencement of the graduate or post-graduate program 2. the program of study was completed in any field of study, with at least 50% of the program of study (total courses) completed while physically present in Canada, either in class or online. 2. Stream B: 1. in the immediate 3 years preceding the date when the application is received, completed at least 1 year of full-time work experience, or the equivalent to 1 year of work experience through part-time work, in Canada: 1. work can be completed in any skill level, but must meet the definition of work as per section 2 of the Regulations, and have been authorized by virtue of a work permit, work permit exemption under section 186 of the Regulations or a public policy under section 25.2 of the Act 2. any period of employment during which the foreign national was engaged in full-time study or was self-employed shall not be included in calculating a period of work experience 8. is not inadmissible to Canada ## Conditions (eligibility requirements) applicable to family members in Canada

## Stream B: Canadian work experience To be eligible for this stream, you must * hold a valid passport issued by one of the following: * Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China * United Kingdom to a British National (Overseas) as a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong * be physically present in Canada when you apply and when you get permanent residence * have valid temporary resident status in Canada * intend to live in Canada, in any province or territory other than the province of Quebec * take an approved language test that shows you have a level 5 score in all 4 skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in English or French on one of the following scales: * Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) * Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) * have worked in Canada for the required amount of hours in the 3 years before you apply. ### How to meet the hours of work requirement To be eligible for this stream, in the last 3 years before you apply, you must have: worked in Canada for at least 1,560 hours in total (through paid full-time or part-time work) held a Canadian work permit for at least 1 year You must have been allowed to work legally in Canada for these hours to count. This means you either had a valid work permit, or you were exempt from needing a work permit. You can’t include any hours of work that you spent * as a full-time student * self-employed * working outside Canada * on leave from your job (medical, parental or similar) * on an extended absence outside Canada * unemployed ## Stream A: In-Canada graduates

2. Stream B: 1. in the immediate 3 years preceding the date when the application is received, completed at least 1 year of full-time work experience, or the equivalent to 1 year of work experience through part-time work, in Canada: 1. work can be completed in any skill level, but must meet the definition of work as per section 2 of the Regulations, and have been authorized by virtue of a work permit, work permit exemption under section 186 of the Regulations or a public policy under section 25.2 of the Act 2. any period of employment during which the foreign national was engaged in full-time study or was self-employed shall not be included in calculating a period of work experience 8. is not inadmissible to Canada

has attained a level of proficiency of at least benchmark 5 in either official language for each of the 4 language skill areas, as set out in the Canadian Language Benchmarks or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens: 1. this must be demonstrated by the results of an evaluation by an organization or institution designated by the Minister for the purpose of evaluating language proficiency under subsection 74(3) of the Regulations and 2. the evaluation must be less than 2 years old when the permanent residence application is received 4. is physically present

Status: Closed We’re no longer accepting new applications. The permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents closed on August 31, 2026. We’ll continue to process applications we accepted on or before this date. You can still apply for an open work permit so you can work while we process your application.

## What permanent residents can do As a PR, you * get most social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including a social insurance number to work in Canada, and health care coverage (check your provincial website for more information) * can live, work or study anywhere in Canada * can apply for Canadian citizenship * get protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms * must pay taxes and respect all Canadian laws at the federal, provincial and municipal levels ## What permanent residents cannot do

intends to reside in a province or territory other than the province of Quebec 7. meets the criteria

## Conditions (eligibility requirements) applicable to family members in Canada In-Canada family members of a principal applicant who applies for permanent residence under this public policy are eligible to be granted permanent residence pursuant to this public policy if they meet the following conditions: 1. the foreign national is in Canada 2. the foreign national has been included as an accompanying family member in an application for permanent residence by a principal applicant under this public policy 3. the foreign national meets the definition of a “family member” in subsection 1(3) of the Regulations 4. the foreign national is not inadmissible pursuant to the Act and Regulations, and 5. a delegated officer has determined that the principal applicant meets all eligibility requirements pursuant to this public policy ## Conditions (eligibility requirements) applicable to family members outside Canada Based on public policy considerations, when processing an application for a permanent resident visa, delegated officers may grant an exemption from the requirements of the Regulations identified below when a foreign national meets the following conditions: 1. the foreign national residing outside Canada has been included as an accompanying family member in an application for permanent residence by a principal applicant under this public policy 2. the foreign national meets the definition of family member in subsection 1(3) of the Regulations 3. the foreign national is not inadmissible pursuant to the Act and Regulations, and 4. a delegated officer has determined that the principal applicant meets all eligibility requirements pursuant to this public policy ## Provisions of the Regulations for which an exemption may be granted to the family member outside Canada 1. paragraph 10(2)(c) of the Regulations—the requirement to indicate the class prescribed by these Regulations for which the application is made 2. paragraph 70(1)(a) of the Regulations—the requirement to apply for a permanent resident visa as a member of a class referred to in subsection 70(2) of the Regulations 3. paragraph 70(1)(c) of the Regulations—the requirement to be a member of an immigration class, and 4. paragraph 70(1)(d) of the Regulations—the requirement to meet the selection criteria and other requirements applicable to that class ## Approval in principle

Status: Closed We’re no longer accepting new applications. The permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents closed on August 31, 2026. We’ll continue to process applications we accepted on or before this date. You can still apply for an open work permit so you can work while we process your application. There are 2 streams

## Time lived in Canada To keep your PR status, you must have been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five years. These 730 days don’t need to be continuous. Some of your time outside Canada may count towards the 730 days you need. * Find out if your time outside Canada counts toward your 730 days†www.ircc.canada.ca . * Track your time in Canada with our travel journal . ## Losing your permanent resident status You won’t lose your PR status when your PR card expires. You will only lose your PR status if * an officer determines you are no longer a PR after an inquiry or PRTD appeal following a refusal * you voluntarily renounce your PR status * a removal order made against you comes into force * you become a Canadian citizen Even if you don't meet the residency obligation, you will stay a PR until an official decision is made on your status.

## About the open work permit If you’ve applied for permanent residence under one of the permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents , you may also be eligible for a 3-year open work permit. The work permit lets you work while your permanent residence application is being processed. To qualify for a work permit, you must * have already applied for permanent residence through 1 of the 2 pathways for Hong Kong residents * have held a work or study permit within the previous 3 years before you applied for permanent residence * be eligible to apply for a work permit * be in Canada This work permit * is only for the applicants of the Hong Kong permanent resident pathways * is valid for up to 3 years * allows you to work for any employer in Canada, except for one that * is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who have failed to comply with the conditions , or * regularly offers striptease, erotic dance or escort services, or erotic massages ### When to apply