Hong Kong PR Pathways Close August 31, 2026: 13,370 Have Landed
IRCC published a notice dated August 28, 2026 confirming that the temporary permanent residence pathways for eligible Hong Kong residents in Canada stop accepting new applications on August 31, 2026. Files received on or before that date continue to be processed. New filings under this public policy are no longer accepted after the close.
The end date was already in the public policy. What the August 28 notice adds is official volume. As of June 30, 2026, IRCC had received about 30,315 applications covering 48,560 people. More than 8,600 applications (13,485 people) had been approved. About 13,370 people had obtained permanent residence.
Our August 10 explainer covered who still qualified before the cutoff. This post is about the close itself: the numbers IRCC released, what happens to files already in the queue, and the separate open work permit that remains available until May 2029.
What closed and what did not
The public policy created two in-Canada streams in 2021 under section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act:
- Stream A: a qualifying Canadian post-secondary credential earned in the three years before filing.
- Stream B: at least 1,560 hours of authorized paid work in Canada and a Canadian work permit held for at least one year, both in the three years before filing.
Both streams required a Hong Kong SAR or British National (Overseas) passport, valid temporary resident status, physical presence in Canada at filing and at grant, an intention to live outside Quebec, and language results at CLB or NCLC 5 in all four abilities.
The close is an intake close. It is not a processing freeze. IRCC's notice states that applications received on or before August 31, 2026 continue. If your file was submitted complete and on time, the cutoff does not cancel it.
The official numbers
These figures are from the August 28 notice and are current only to June 30, 2026. They will have moved since then.
| Item | Official figure (as of June 30, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Applications received | about 30,315 |
| People on those applications | 48,560 |
| Applications approved | more than 8,600 |
| People approved | 13,485 |
| People who had obtained PR status | about 13,370 |
Approved is not the same as status in hand. Do not treat 30,315 minus 8,600 as a leftover inventory. Some files will have been refused, withdrawn, or returned. The notice does not publish a current in-process count.
The open work permit that is still open
A separate public policy that took effect on May 27, 2024 lets principal applicants who have already filed under these Hong Kong PR pathways apply for a facilitative open work permit. IRCC's open work permit page, last modified April 20, 2026, says you have until May 2029 to apply.
You may use it only if all of the following are true:
- You have already applied for permanent residence under one of the two Hong Kong pathways.
- You held a work or study permit in the three years before that PR application.
- You are in Canada and eligible to apply for a work permit.
- The PR application has not been refused, withdrawn, or returned.
The permit can be valid for up to three years and is open, subject to the employer restrictions IRCC lists on that page. Family members are not the intended users of this measure. The PR intake close does not end this work permit policy. Confirm the live page before you file.
What this means if you missed the PR cutoff
If IRCC did not receive a complete application by August 31, 2026, this pathway is no longer available. There is no published replacement stream limited to Hong Kong residents.
Options that may still exist, depending on your facts, include:
- Express Entry, including Canadian Experience Class if you have qualifying Canadian skilled work.
- A provincial nominee program, including Ontario streams that are open at the time you look.
- A new study or work permit on its own rules, which is not a substitute for this public policy.
None of those programs uses the Stream A or Stream B tests from this policy. Each has its own eligibility, caps, and processing times.
If you already filed on time, keep your status valid and answer any IRCC request by the deadline on the letter.
For a work permit or another permanent residence route, contact JSR Immigration & Legals through our consultation page or the work permit service page.
This article is general information current to August 31, 2026, and is not legal or immigration advice. Confirm the live notice and program pages on Canada.ca before you file or assume a file is closed.
Immigration & paralegal practitioner at JSR Immigration & Legals, helping newcomers and Ontario residents with their cases.
This post is general information about Canadian immigration and Ontario paralegal matters and is not legal advice. Rules change and every case is different — confirm current requirements for your own situation.