Canada will process all remaining permanent residence applications from Hong Kongers and Ukrainians already living in the country by the end of 2027, the federal government has confirmed. The move is part of a time-limited measure designed to clear long-standing backlogs for people who have built their lives in Canada but have waited years for a decision.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the plan on 10 November, saying it would use new admission space in 2027 to work through two closed pathways. The Hong Kong permanent residence pathways, which closed to new applications in August 2026, are expected to result in up to 32,000 admissions. The Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway, which closed to new applications in October 2024, is expected to result in up to 18,800 admissions.

Who the measure covers

The measure covers only people who are already in Canada and already have applications in the system. It does not reopen either pathway to new applicants, and it does not create a new immigration programme. IRCC stressed that the people affected are already living, working and contributing in Canada, and that they do not represent net new arrivals.

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab met leaders of Canada's Ukrainian and Hong Kong communities on 7 November to explain the details before the announcement. She said the measure would let the department deliver faster on promises made to people from Hong Kong and Ukraine, giving them certainty as they continue to build their lives in Canada.

Part of a wider 200,000-person measure

The fast-track sits inside a broader time-limited measure proposed in Budget 2026, which aims to help up to 200,000 people already in Canada move to permanent residence by the end of 2027. Half of that total is a workers cohort of up to 100,000 people eligible through routes such as Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Program. The other half is the humanitarian cohort that covers the Hong Kong and Ukraine cases, alongside up to 45,000 spouses, partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents awaiting decisions.

The measure sits on top of Canada's regular immigration targets rather than replacing them. The 2027-2029 Immigration Levels Plan, tabled on 5 November, holds permanent resident admissions at 380,000 a year and new temporary resident arrivals at 370,000 a year through 2029.

Community reaction

Community groups welcomed the announcement after years of advocacy. Alexandra Chyczij, national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said the community welcomed measures that would clear the backlog of Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway applications by the end of 2027, and thanked the minister for hearing the community's views, including on pathways for Ukrainians in Canada on the CUAET visa.

Dr Henry Pang, a physician and community representative, said the measure gave Hong Kongers in Canada renewed hope after five years of advocacy, and would unlock health care workers already in the country who are contributing to the economy and public services.

IRCC said the additional spaces would allow faster processing, shorter wait times and the fulfilment of earlier humanitarian commitments, without displacing other vulnerable groups such as resettled refugees. The department has not published a new application form or opening date for the measure, because it works through existing applications and inventories rather than a new intake.