300 gather at Robson Square for Hong Kong PR processing plea
Rally organizers call on federal government to address years-long backlog affecting 40,000+ applicants under special pathway.
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Around 300 Hong Kong residents and supporters gathered at Robson Square on Saturday to demand action on a processing backlog that has left applicants stranded for years. The rally, organized by the Hong Kong Pathway Alliance, targeted the federal government's failure to clear applications under a special permanent residence pathway designed for eligible Hong Kong residents in Canada—including those who studied or worked here.
Applicants report waiting years with no resolution. One demonstrator, Vikrambir Singh, said he has been waiting a year and a half without hearing back from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). "There's 40,000 plus applications that are stuck in limbo, and we don't know when they're going to get processed," he said.
The situation has grown more dire: IRCC's processing time tool now suggests new applicants could wait more than 10 years for approval. The Immigration Minister recently told Parliament that more than 46,000 applications have been filed under the Hong Kong PR pathways, with just over 13,000 approved. Similar rallies took place in Calgary and Toronto. "I think this is quite unfair to us," said demonstrator Zoe Kwok. "We spend a lot of money on studying, but it doesn't mean that we can be 100 per cent sure to get the PR; this is totally breaking our dreams."
NDP MP Jenny Kwan, representing Vancouver East, criticized the government's response. "It is absolutely outrageous that she would renege on the government's promise," she said of the Immigration Minister's suggestion that applicants try different streams.
The federal government introduced these special measures for Hong Kong residents in 2020, following China's national security law.