Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee, for the opportunity to appear today.
My name is Landson Chan. I represent Hong Kong Watch. I would like to speak about a group of global talents Canada has already attracted and is now at risk of losing: applicants under the Hong Kong pathway.
Canada created this pathway in response to the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong. It offers recent graduates and skilled workers a faster route to permanent residence. Because it requires Canadian education or work experience, every applicant has already studied or worked here, built ties to our communities and contributed to our economy.
However, the pathway is not working as intended. As of June 22, 2026, 34,150 people were waiting for permanent residence through the pathway. The 2026 admission target is just 800. At that rate, clearing the queue would take more than 40 years. Meanwhile, the open work permit that supports these applicants ends in May 2029. That deadline creates uncertainty for workers and employers alike. It also weakens Canada's ability to keep the skills it has already gained.
The clearest cost is in health care. Among these applicants are Hong Kong-trained doctors. To practise here, they need Canadian residency training, and residency requires permanent residence. Every year they wait is a year they are not serving Canadian patients. The pathway also includes experienced professionals in health care, community services, technology and finance. Many are mid-career. Express entry is not a realistic alternative for them, because the point system reduces scores with age, regardless of expertise or leadership.
The uncertainty is also hurting Canadian businesses. Our casework shows what long-term reliance on temporary permits really costs. One applicant works for a global software and AI company and has paid more than $83,000 in Canadian income tax. Her work permit renewal was refused while she was abroad on mandatory business travel, putting her job at risk. Another lost four months of work after a refusal, before her new application was approved. Her employer, a small Canadian business, had to delay customer deliveries and halt operations. A third applicant was refused because her medical information was considered missing, even though she had submitted it. The decision was later reversed. In the meantime, her work in AI, data and business expansion stalled. She could not travel or attend industry events. Her employer put two planned hires on hold.
Each of these cases was eventually approved, but a late approval cannot recover lost work, lost productivity or jobs that were never created.
We recommend three measures. First, we recommend temporarily reallocating admission targets from the refugee and protected persons category to the humanitarian and compassionate and other category, setting the target at 31,000 in both 2027 and 2028, with priority for existing applicants under the three public policies, including the Hong Kong pathway. Second, prioritize permanent residence for doctors under the Hong Kong pathway, with a dedicated draw within existing economic immigration targets. Third, introduce a targeted express entry measure for pathway applicants living in Canada, either 80 to 100 additional comprehensive ranking points or a dedicated draw with a cut-off score of 460, with spaces allocated within existing economic immigration targets.
The Hong Kong pathway reflects Canada's democratic values. Its success also matters to our economy. These applicants have invested in Canada through their studies, their skills and their hard work. Giving them a stable future will turn that commitment into lasting benefits for Canadian patients, businesses and communities.
Canada has attracted this talent. Now we must empower it to stay and thrive.
Thank you. I welcome your questions.
