Over 500 Hong Kongers visit IRCC in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa to call for action to address Hong Kong Pathway backlog

On 14 and 21 May, hundreds of Hong Kong Pathway applicants attended rallies outside Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) headquarters in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa, to call for higher admission targets and backlog clearance for the permanent residency scheme, including processing applications received in 2023 within 2 months, and the remaining within 6.5 months. A total of over 500 attended the three rallies, with 250 in Calgary, around 200 in Vancouver, and almost 100 in Ottawa.

Hong Kong Watch Canada helped liaise with IRCC and arranged meetings for the group with Parliamentarians. Shadow Immigration Minister Tom Kmiec MP attended the Calgary rally. He ascertained that the rally would pressure the government to continue supporting Hong Kongers. Member of the Immigration Committee, Jenny Kwan MP attended the Vancouver rally to show her support. She emphasised the importance of Hong Konger’s voices in democratic countries like Canada, and reiterated the support of the Canadian Government towards Hong Kongers.

Representatives handed over a petition to be passed on to the Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, and presented thank you cards to the two MPs for their unwavering support towards Hong Kongers. They also distributed flyers to explain the difficulties faced by Hong Kong Pathway applicants.

In Ottawa, Melissa Lantsman MP, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and Jean Yip MP, a member of the Special Committee on the Canada–People’s Republic of China Relationship, attended and spoke at the rally. Melissa Lantsman MP urged the Canadian government to swiftly clear the application backlog, and expressed her welcome to Hong Kongers in Canada. Jean Yip MP reiterated that Canada will continue its support for Hong Kongers and explained measures currently in place to help affected applicants.

The group handed over a petition together with a briefing by Hong Kong Watch Canada on the waiting times for Hong Kong Pathway applications to a senior IRCC official. Hong Kong Watch Canada recently conducted a survey and found that many applicants have waited longer than the officially claimed average priority processing time of 6.5 months. We have shared the survey results and cases we collected with the Deputy Minister of IRCC, and requested IRCC to approve permanent residency applications submitted in 2023 within two months.

Following the rally outside the IRCC headquarters, the group met with Paul Chiang MP on Parliament Hill to express their demands.

In the coming days and weeks, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Chair of Trustees Aileen Calverley and Canada Policy Advisor Katherine Leung will continue to communicate and meet with IRCC and members of the Immigration Committee to resolve the issue.

This rally was initiated by the Hong Kong Young Professionals Association Canada and the Hong Kong Pathway 2023 Backlog Alliance. Hong Kong Watch Canada helped coordinate and liaise with Parliamentarians and IRCC.

五百多名永居申請人赴溫哥華、卡加利和渥太華移民部請願  呼籲根治「Hong Kong Pathway」永居申請積壓問題

五月十四及二十一日，數百名加拿大「香港救生艇計劃」（Hong Kong Pathway）永居申請人分別於在溫哥華、卡加利和渥太華的加拿大移民部（IRCC）請願，呼籲增加「Hong Kong Pathway」的移民目標配額（admission targets），並要求IRCC在兩個月內完成審批於2023年收到的申請，同時確保在六個半月內向其後的合資格申請人簽發永久居留身分。三場請願行動聲勢浩大，卡加利集會的出席人數為250人、溫哥華為約200人、而渥太華則有近百名，總共超過500人。溫哥華移民部有派官員出來接收請願信。

加拿大香港監察協助聯絡IRCC接收請願信，並安排請願人士與國會議員會面。影子移民部長、國會議員Tom Kmiec MP出席卡加利請願，並發表講話。他指「此請願活動絕對能向政府施壓，為香港人做正確的事。加拿大政府未能改變香港的形勢，但有能力幫助香港人。我的家人（在東歐）也曾經歷過大家現正所經歷的，所以我們應幫助更多香港人。」

移民委員會委員、國會議員關慧貞 Jenny Kwan MP出席溫哥華請願，以表支持。她發言時指「十分感謝大家出席發表意見，加拿大作為民主國家，大家的意見甚為重要。我十分支持大家來加拿大，亦知道大家因不同原因放棄香港的一切而移居加拿大。加拿大政府一直都十分支持香港人，所以推出了香港救生艇計劃。但計劃不如理想，Hong Kong Pathway產生的漏洞亦需要大家向政府施壓。我亦想說『香港加油』。」

在兩位國會議員發言後，兩地請願代表分別向他們致送感謝卡，感謝兩位議員一直熱心關注港人事務，同時遞交請願信，促請兩位議員向移民部長Marc Miller轉達訴求。請願人士亦向途人派發傳單，解釋救生艇計劃申請人現時遇到的困難及訴求。

在渥太華，加拿大反對黨副領袖Melissa Lantsman MP和加中關係特別委員會委員葉嘉麗 Jean Yip MP應香港監察的邀請，出席集會並發言。Melissa Lantsman MP重申會致力為移加港人提供安穩的未來，期望當局儘快審批積壓個案。Jean Yip MP則表示加拿大會繼續支持香港人，指出政府已為港人推出過渡簽證，讓他們能夠暫時安居下來。

請願人士向IRCC高層官員遞交請願信及加拿大香港監察關於「Hong Kong Pathway」申請等候時間的調查簡報。加拿大香港監察最近展開的調查發現，不少申請人的等候時間超過官方聲稱的平均優先處理時間6.5個月。我們已向副移民部長呈交有關調查結果和所收集到的永居申請個案，要求移民部在兩個月內完成審批在2023年提交的申請。

渥太華IRCC總部外集會結束後，請願人士前往國會山莊會見國會議員蔣振宇 Paul Chiang MP，向他表達訴求。

請願行動隨後數日以至數週，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託董事會主席Aileen Calverley和加拿大政策顧問Katherine Leung會繼續與IRCC和移民委員會委員溝通並會面，務求既治標又治本地解決問題。

請願行動由加拿大香港菁英協會（簡稱HKYPA）和移加港人救生艇2023年滯後群組（簡稱Backlog Alliance）發起，並由加拿大香港監察協調及聯絡國會議員和移民部官員。