Check intake status before preparing an application.
These are narrow temporary public policies, not general programs. A file sent under the wrong stream, after the deadline or by the wrong delivery method may not be accepted.
| Program | Intake status | Application position | Fee position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong residents — Streams A and B | Closed to new applications since August 31, 2026 | Previously accepted applications continue to be processed | No new PR application can be submitted under these pathways |
| Foreign nationals who were in state care | Open until January 21, 2027 | Paper application mailed to IRCC Humanitarian Migration Vancouver | No PR application fee for an eligible applicant under this policy |
Hong Kong: both streams share five central requirements.
Closed to new applications since August 31, 2026. This section is retained for existing applicants.
Passport
Hold a valid HKSAR passport, or a British National (Overseas) passport issued to a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong.
Presence
Be physically present in Canada both when applying and when permanent residence is granted.
Status
Have valid temporary resident status in Canada when applying.
Destination
Intend to live in a province or territory other than Québec. A person living in Québec must document a real plan to settle elsewhere.
Language
Provide an approved English or French test showing at least CLB/NCLC 5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Hong Kong Stream A: recent graduates in Canada.
Closed to new applications since August 31, 2026. This section is retained for existing applicants.
- 01
Graduate from a post-secondary designated learning institution in Canada within the 3 years before applying.
- 02
Use an eligible credential: a degree; a non-graduate diploma from a program of at least 2 years; or a graduate/post-graduate diploma or certificate from a program of at least 1 year.
- 03
Complete at least 50% of the qualifying program in Canada, either in person or online, as the policy permits.
- 04
For a graduate or post-graduate diploma/certificate, prove that a post-secondary diploma or degree was a prerequisite and that it was completed no more than 5 years before starting the graduate program.
- 05
Provide the credential, final transcripts and—where applicable—proof of the prerequisite admission requirement and earlier credential.
Hong Kong Stream B: qualifying Canadian work experience.
Closed to new applications since August 31, 2026. This section is retained for existing applicants.
Hours
At least 1,560 total hours of paid full-time or part-time work in Canada during the 3 years before applying.
Permit history
Have held a Canadian work permit for at least 1 year.
Authorized work
The counted hours must have been worked legally with a valid work permit or a work-permit exemption.
Hours that do not count
Exclude work performed as a full-time student, self-employment, work outside Canada, leave, extended absence and unemployment.
Evidence
Use detailed employer letters and supporting records such as T4s, Notices of Assessment, Records of Employment, pay stubs and salary deposits.
Hong Kong: information for existing applicants.
Closed to new applications since August 31, 2026. This section is retained for existing applicants.
- 01
IRCC continues processing applications accepted on or before August 31, 2026. New applications are no longer accepted.
- 02
Retain your application confirmation, file number and copies of the documents submitted under Stream A or B.
- 03
Respond to IRCC requests for biometrics, medical examinations or additional documents by the stated deadlines.
- 04
Keep your temporary status, contact information and family information current while the application is processed.
- 05
Review the separate open work-permit option below if you need to maintain authorization to work while waiting for a PR decision.
Hong Kong PR applicants may have a separate 3-year open work-permit option.
- 01
The principal applicant must already have submitted a permanent-residence application under Stream A or B, be in Canada and have held a work or study permit within the 3 years before the PR application.
- 02
The open work permit may be valid for up to 3 years and can be requested until May 2029 if temporary status will expire while the PR file is processed.
- 03
A person whose temporary status expired less than 90 days earlier may still qualify but must request restoration and pay the restoration fee.
- 04
The option is unavailable after the PR application is refused, withdrawn or returned.
- 05
A spouse, common-law partner or dependent child over 18 included in the PR application may apply for an open work permit with the principal applicant, subject to the published rules.
State care has a specific legal meaning.
For this policy, ordinary foster care, informal care by relatives or contact with a social agency is not automatically enough.
Legal responsibility
A child and family services provider must have had legal responsibility for the person.
Court order
The responsible provincial or territorial authority must have obtained full legal parental responsibilities by court order.
Duration
The person must have been under that legal responsibility for at least 1 year in total; the periods may be cumulative.
Proof
Court records, an agency attestation letter, an institution attestation and attendance records may establish the care history.
State-care permanent residence: all core eligibility requirements.
- 01
Have come to Canada before turning 19.
- 02
Have continuously lived in Canada for at least the 3 years immediately before applying.
- 03
If now over 19, have continuously lived in Canada since turning 19.
- 04
Have been under the qualifying legal responsibility of a designated provincial or territorial child-protection provider for at least 1 cumulative year.
- 05
Be physically present in Canada when the application is submitted and when permanent residence is granted.
- 06
Provide a valid passport, travel document, identity document or statutory declaration that meets the policy.
- 07
Meet the policy's criminality, security and admissibility framework. Only specified inadmissibility grounds can be overcome under this pathway; war crimes, serious non-political crime and conduct contrary to UN principles remain disqualifying considerations.
Family members, Québec and inadmissibility require separate review.
Eligible family
An eligible spouse or common-law partner, dependent child, and dependent child of a dependent child in Canada may be included.
Full disclosure
Declare accompanying and non-accompanying family members. Omitting a non-accompanying family member can prevent later sponsorship.
Québec
IRCC refers a person intending to live in Québec to MIFI; a Québec Selection Certificate is required before permanent residence can be granted.
Admissibility exceptions
The policy lists limited grounds that may be accommodated, including specified criminality, health, financial, entry/overstay-related misrepresentation and non-compliance grounds. It is not a blanket waiver.
State-care PR is fee-exempt and submitted by mail—not through the PR Portal.
- 01
Use the current instruction guide and document checklist IMM 0203.
- 02
Complete and print IMM 0008, IMM 5669 and IMM 5406 where applicable. In IMM 0008, select Other and then In-Canada — Humanitarian & Compassionate Considerations as instructed by IRCC.
- 03
Include the state-care attestation letter, attendance records, identity and residence evidence, family forms, photos and every item required by the checklist.
- 04
Sign the forms and mail one complete family package to IRCC — Humanitarian Migration Vancouver, FN/State Care, 300-800 Burrard Street, Vancouver BC V6Z 0B6.
- 05
There is no permanent-residence application fee for an eligible applicant under this policy. Use tracked mail or courier and retain proof of delivery.
- 06
Respond to any medical, police, identity, admissibility or additional-document request and report material changes while the file is processed.
A related fee-exempt TRP can provide temporary status, but it is a separate application.
- 01
The principal applicant must meet the age, 3-year residence, post-19 continuous-residence and 1-year state-care tests, be in Canada and have no valid temporary resident status when applying.
- 02
TRPs are discretionary and not guaranteed. The officer must find compelling reasons and that the need to remain outweighs risks to Canadian society.
- 03
An eligible applicant and eligible dependants pay no fee for this TRP, an accompanying open work permit or a study permit.
- 04
A TRP and work/study permit may be mailed together with the required form and a written statement explaining how state care affected the applicant's present lack of status.
- 05
A state-care TRP is usually valid for at least 1 year, may be cancelled, and generally stops being valid on departure unless re-entry was specifically authorized.
- 06
Receiving a TRP does not replace the separate permanent-residence application. A TRP already issued remains valid until its expiry or PR approval, subject to its conditions.
These programs do not use a points calculator.
Eligibility turns on mandatory definitions, dates, status, documentary history and admissibility. A score cannot compensate for a missing passport category, deadline, residence period, qualifying credential, work hours or court-ordered state-care history.
- 01
Create a date-by-date chronology before choosing a stream.
- 02
Match every period of study, work, status, residence or care to independent documents.
- 03
Check the current IRCC page and forms again on the day of filing.
- 04
The state-care pathway uses its own application process. Hong Kong PR is closed to new applications.
Official sources
Verify the current rules and forms with IRCC before filing.
This guide provides general information, not legal advice. Public policies, forms and deadlines can change.