Canada fast-tracks permanent residence for about 50,000 Ukrainians and Hong Kongers already in the country

Ottawa is putting a time-limited humanitarian cohort into its 2027–2029 immigration plan. It speeds processing for people from Ukraine and Hong Kong who are already living in Canada but still waiting for permanent residence.

The Hong Kong pathways close to new applications on August 31, 2026, and IRCC has said it will not extend them at this stage. The Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway closed to new applications in October 2024.

The measure sets aside up to 32,000 permanent resident spaces for Hong Kong and 18,800 for Ukraine. Those applicants have lived and worked in Canada for years while their status stayed unresolved. The government has not released how many are still waiting or what the measure will cost.

Minister Lena Metlege Diab said the measure honours commitments to people in need while the system returns to sustainable levels. MP Jean Yip, who represents Scarborough—Agincourt, said the measure gives families a path forward after five years of advocacy alongside the Hong Kong community. The material carries no response from Ukrainian community leaders or opposition critics.