Thank you, Chair.

Good morning, esteemed members of Parliament. I'm Andy Wong, president of Canada-Hong Kong Link. We are a non-partisan, non-profit organization established in 1997. We promote freedom and democracy in Hong Kong, and we stand on guard for Canada's democracy. Thank you for having me.

I thank this committee for again showing concern for Hong Kongers' situation. Hong Kong is increasingly totalitarian. Hong Kong's national security police are monitoring Hong Kongers in the U.K. and here in Canada.

The Hong Kong pathway is supposed to provide security and freedom from fear to fleeing Hong Kongers. However, severe delays in the pathway are causing more insecurity and uncertainty in life. Without PR status, Hong Kongers cannot truly settle. Their immigration status is not permanent. Hong Kongers are afraid they may have to go back to Hong Kong and, in fear of being monitored by Hong Kong and China, cannot truly enjoy their freedom and human rights in Canada. PR is a ticket to a new life in the free world.

Due to the delays in PR and work permit application processes, a lot of applicants have fallen into “maintained” status for over half a year. This is the most unsettling status. They hold work authorization letters that expire in only 180 days. Many employers and other levels of government do not recognize this letter. They are constantly being asked for their new permit by employers or HR departments, school boards, health care ministries, etc. Each is threatening that, if applicants do not have a new permit soon, they will lose their job, income, health care or education for their kids, and some really have lost them.

Our data shows that most people who applied for PR in May 2023 or later are processed very slowly, and in a number of cases know, from inquiries, that their PR applications have passed all stages but results are not released. We don't know why applications are being held up. A lot of these cases are in the Niagara Falls office, and half-jokingly, applicants said their cases were thrown down the falls. Some of these applicants have been here for more than three years now—two years of study and more than one year of waiting.

The processing time of the H and C category, including Hong Kong pathway cases, is now 24 months. In every quarter of 2023 there were over 1,000 Hong Kongers getting PR through the pathway. In the first quarter of this year there were just 335. Where is priority processing? Why are things slowing down when there is a huge backlog of over 9,000? How many years do they have to wait to get their PR? Is the Hong Kong pathway expedited, as promised by the government when responding to this committee?

To sum up, we have three demands: First, expedite the PR application process, and if that is really related, increase the PR admission targets for H and C consideration; two, automatically renew work permits for Hong Kong pathway applicants so that they can get out of maintained status; and three, in view of the worsening situation in Hong Kong, extend the policy of open work permits for Hong Kong recent graduates to 2027 and the Hong Kong pathway to 2028. Without PR, Hong Kongers are not able to get their MPF back. They're not really settled, even financially, so I hope this committee will reflect this.

Thank you very much, and I look forward to answering your questions.