Latest news with #Hongkongers
HKFP
3 days ago
- Business
- HKFP
‘Hanging halfway': In wake of Canada's immigration delay, Hongkong emigrants ponder whether to stay or return home
When Hongkonger Leonald Lee emigrated to Toronto, Canada, in July 2023, his plan was simple: find a full-time job and work there for at least one year, submit his application for permanent residence, and enrol in a master's degree programme after obtaining his PR status for much cheaper tuition. Lee, a former journalist, was off to a good start when he secured a minimum-wage job at a telecommunications company a month after his arrival. It was not the most exciting work, and his salary often arrived late. However, the 26-year-old did not mind because he had a clear goal in mind: he needed to accumulate enough work hours for his permanent residence application under the Hong Kong Pathway programme. Lee's seemingly straightforward plan took a turn earlier this year when he 'sensed something was not right.' In group chats with other Hongkongers in Canada, he found that more and more people were complaining that there had been no updates on their PR applications submitted months, or even over a year, ago. One night in March, Lee could not fall asleep and turned his mind to calculating the processing time for his application, which he filed in September last year. Using statistics reported by Hong Kong media citing Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Lee estimated he might have to wait at least three years before his application was processed. Lee's estimation was confirmed by the IRCC soon after. On March 18, the IRCC announced there would be a years-long delay in processing permanent residence applications from Hongkongers under the lifeboat programme. The Canadian immigration authorities said that as of October 31, 80 per cent of permanent residence applications were processed within a year. But a backlog has emerged due to a high volume of applications received, and most applications are expected to be processed after 2027. 'What I thought would be a straightforward trilogy turned out to be much longer. I guess it is like The Lord of the Rings, with three thick volumes,' Lee said in Cantonese in a phone interview with HKFP. Moon Ho, a Hong Kong nurse who emigrated to Toronto in February 2023, has tried to follow up on her permanent residence application, which she submitted in September. In April, the 27-year-old spent a week trying to call the IRCC after reading guides provided by fellow Hongkongers in Canada on which lines were more likely to reach the office successfully. When she was finally put through to the office, she was told that her application had been received, but no one had 'opened her file' yet. The waiting time was 'far beyond' her expectations, Ho told HKFP, adding that she was constantly worried she might lose her job after her original permit expires in February next year. Although she can extend her permit or apply for a bridging work permit during her wait, news of other Hongkongers being rejected for unknown reasons has made her question her chances of success. 'I really love my current job in the intensive care unit, which I had to enrol in a course and take exams to get into,' she said. 'I really don't want to lose this job.' Ho's boyfriend, who moved to Toronto with her, is also waiting for his application to be processed. The architectural graduate from Hong Kong had intended to advance his career by pursuing a master's degree after gaining PR status. He is currently stuck in mid-senior jobs, as higher positions require a master's degree, but he cannot afford to pay the international student tuition fees. Confusion, frustration Lee and Ho are not the only ones pondering their future in Canada. In recent months, Hongkongers in Canada have taken to social media to express their confusion and frustration at the lack of updates on their permanent residence applications. Many provided timelines of their applications and said they had not been instructed to take the next step, like submitting biometrics. A netizen wrote on Threads in May that they felt 'very stressed and exhausted' because their work permit would expire in weeks, while their permanent residence application submitted last year had not been updated since. A renewal of the work permit was filed several months ago, but the application is still being processed, they said. The Threads user also said their grandmother's health had deteriorated, and they wanted to return to the city to see her, but they were also concerned about their status once they left Canada. It is unclear whether applicants can wait for their permanent residence applications to be processed outside Canada. The lifeboat scheme, introduced in June 2021 in response to the Beijing-imposed national security law enacted in Hong Kong in 2020, is set to expire on August 31, 2026. The lifeboat scheme offers two pathways. Stream A allows recent graduates from Canadian institutions to seek permanent residence. Stream B, on the other hand, allows Hongkongers to obtain a three-year permit to work in Canada. Those who have worked full-time in Canada for at least one year, or spent at least 1,560 hours in total undertaking part-time work, may apply for permanent residence. In June last year, advocacy group Hong Kong Watch told the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration of the Canadian parliament that around 60,000 Hongkongers had arrived in Canada three years after the temporary immigration policy was launched. Lee and Ho are among more than 40,500 Hongkongers under Stream B who had obtained a three-year permit to work in Canada as of December 31, 2024 – most of them recent postsecondary graduates. Lee said the threshold for emigrating to Canada was 'low' under the Pathway scheme, and many Hong Kong immigrants did not anticipate that the wait for PR applications would be long, as earlier batches of applicants obtained their status rather quickly when there were fewer applicants. The IRCC said in March that, with the two streams combined, it received more than 26,500 permanent residence applications as of October 31. Only more than 10,500 have been approved, while fewer than 200 applications have been refused. To accommodate the processing time, Canada offered a new work permit for Hongkongers in May last year to allow them to stay in the country while they await a decision on their applications. The permit is valid for up to three years and can be renewed. Advocacy efforts Since last year, advocacy groups and politicians have called on the Canadian government to tackle the backlog and maintain its pledge to grant permanent residence to Hongkongers. In September, Tom Kmiec, a Conservative Party MP, presented a petition to the Canadian parliament, urging the IRCC to accelerate the approval process and ensure that applications from Hongkongers would not be rejected due to the target restrictions. The petition referred to Canada's Immigration Levels Plan for 2025 to 2027 for the Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) and Other Category, under which the Hong Kong Pathway programme falls. Canada is seeking to reduce the annual number from 10,000 in 2025 to 6,900 in 2026. The number is expected to drop further to 4,300 in 2027. The reduced target number prompted further questions about whether Hong Kong immigrants under the lifeboat scheme would be affected. The petition, which gathered nearly 15,000 signatures, also asked Canadian authorities to automatically review permits or visas for the Hong Kong applicants who arrived in Canada via Stream A or B. Kmiec told HKFP in a video interview that the estimated backlog was over 18,300 as of December 2024. The Conservative Party MP said he received a lot of requests for assistance from Hongkongers who had issues when they tried to renew their work permits while waiting for their PR applications to be processed. Some Hongkongers received letters from the IRCC claiming that their maintained status – a legal mechanism allowing temporary residents to remain in Canada while their application to extend or change their status is being processed – would expire in five months, or when the IRCC issued a response to their PR application, whichever is earlier. Given that the waiting time has exceeded five months, some Hongkongers are concerned that they could lose their jobs if their employers refuse to continue hiring them after their maintained status expires, Kmiec said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tom Kmiec (@tomkmiec) When Kmiec presented the issue in parliament in November, James McNamee, director general of the IRCC's Family and Social Immigration Branch, said that what was stated in the letters was an 'error' and that the authorities would 'amend' the wording. 'It's an error in the wording of that letter,' McNamee said. 'When that letter was originally created, we were within a much faster processing time… in recent months, with delays, it's taking longer. We have asked to amend that letter.' The official added that applicants may retain their status until they receive a decision from the IRCC without any limitation. Kmiec, who is also the shadow minister for immigration, refugees and citizenship, criticised the Canadian government for having 'no intentionality' behind its immigration. Many temporary measures were introduced to 'get through a particular crisis' without considering the future of immigrants, he said. Sense of belonging With around 10 months left before her work permit expires, Ho does not want the stress concerning her future in Canada to affect her daily life. She has decided to put everything to the back of her mind until September, when she will have to start preparing to extend her work permit or apply for a new one. Lee will make a decision soon. He will see his family in Hong Kong in mid-June, and he will decide whether he should stay in Canada. The chance of staying is slim, he told HKFP, given the foreseeable years-long wait, which he said made him feel like 'hanging halfway up in the air.' 'I used to see a path ahead of me, but I began to wonder what I was doing here. Compared to the first year [in Canada], the feeling of sadness is stronger,' Lee said. Reflecting on his stay in Canada for around two and a half years, Lee said it made him contemplate the meaning of freedom. While Hong Kong's political landscape in recent years was one of the reasons the former journalist chose to move abroad, he felt that the freedom he experienced in Canada was 'a bit useless.' His lack of a sense of belonging to the community in Canada was also why he lost interest in continuing to work in journalism after emigrating. 'I think the reason why many Hongkongers wanted more freedom is that they wanted to shape the future direction of society. But when we are in a city that does not belong to us, even if we have the freedom to speak up, it is purely just talk,' he said. Push factors For many Hongkongers in Canada, the hope of becoming a permanent resident is what draws them to stay in the country. For some, however, the push factors are greater. Alex Chu, 41, returned to Hong Kong in July last year, shortly after obtaining his Canadian permanent residency. The software engineer and his wife moved to Toronto in early 2022. He told HKFP in an interview that after living there for six months, they noticed that the crime rates were high and they did not feel comfortable living in an area with legal drug injection sites and many homeless individuals. The slower pace of life in Toronto, which initially attracted Chu, also turned out to be a mismatch. While he enjoyed strolling in a park and resting on the lawn, repeating this activity almost every weekend made the Hongkonger feel it was 'too early for retirement.' Despite the difference in lifestyle, Chu still applied for permanent residence in August 2023 after completing his postgraduate diploma. What prompted him to return to Hong Kong was the IRCC's rejection of his wife's work permit renewal, stating that her work at the time could not be proven to be significant or beneficial to the Canadian economy. Chu said it was a mistake on the part of the immigration authorities, as such a requirement is not applicable to applicants under the Hong Kong Pathway programme. The couple decided to return to Hong Kong and travel to Japan briefly while their case is on appeal. This was also to ensure his wife was not staying in Canada illegally, Chu said. During their trip, Chu received updates from the IRCC indicating that the renewal denial was not a mistake. However, days later, the IRCC notified them again that the work permit renewal was 'in process,' and it was approved later. 'This experience really made me lose confidence in the Canadian immigration authorities,' he said. Criticism of the Canadian government is often unwelcome among Hong Kong immigrants, Chu said. He has seen comments online asking those who complained to be 'thankful' to Canada for offering additional permanent residence pathways to Hongkongers. 'Of course, we should not take it for granted, but it is a commercial deal. We are bringing money into Canada when we study, pay rent, pay tax and consume,' he said. Other options Pressure groups and politicians such as Kmiec continue to help Hongkongers who have difficulty extending their stay in Canada while waiting for their PR applications to be processed. Kmiec told HKFP that he has spoken with several provincial immigration ministers to find other settlement programmes for Hongkongers in Canada as alternative pathways to permanent residence. It is 'not very productive' to fight with the government on the target numbers, he said, especially with the general sentiment among the Canadian public that immigration levels should go down. He suggested that Hongkongers explore other options as a more feasible solution. Kmiec acknowledged that the Canadian government disappointed Hongkongers with the prolonged processing time. However, the politician also pointed out that the Pathway programme was meant to be a 'one-time escape' for Hongkongers involved in the 2019 protests, and people had to 'make the best decision for themselves.' 'I can't see this Pathway programme continuing on much longer, because the expectation is that those who wanted to escape had the opportunity, they just may not have the opportunity to get PR for an extended period of time until we sort out this immigration system,' he said.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
The GULU Introduces Smart Queuing Solutions to Address Long Wait Times at Chong Kee Gold Shop in Hong Kong Amid Gold Price Surge
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 30 May 2025 - In response to the recent surge in gold prices and the resulting long queues, THE GULU is announcing its collaboration with Chong Kee Gold Shop in Central to implement an advanced queuing solution. This initiative aims to improve the management of long queues outside Chong Kee and alleviate congestion in front of the shop, ensuring faster service for customers selling or buying gold. At the end of April, Chong Kee Gold Shop faced unprecedented customer volume as gold prices surpassed $3,500 per ounce, leading many sellers to sell gold and causing long queues to form outside the store. According to multiple media reports, the shop was bustling, and the extended wait times posed challenges for both customers and staff. THE GULU, with its professional queuing solutions, is providing a comprehensive queuing system that not only streamlines the waiting process but also allows Chong Kee Gold Shop customers to enjoy a smoother selling or buying experience. In addition to the ticketing machines chosen by Chong Kee Gold Shop, which allow customers to wait orderly according to system-assigned numbers without fear of missing their call, reducing on-site confusion and unnecessary wait times. THE GULU also offers smart queuing services, allowing customers to reserve their queue position through THE GULU app, reducing wait times and ensuring a more orderly flow of people. THE GULU Is Helping Chong Kee Gold Shop Meet Its Challenges: The queuing solutions bring several benefits: 1. Alleviating congestion in front of the shop: In Hong Kong's hot and humid summer weather, customers no longer need to wait outside for extended periods. They can wait for their number to be called in a shaded area, avoiding exposure to the sun and enjoying a smoother selling or buying experience. 2. Higher operational efficiency: Staff can focus on serving customers rather than managing crowds. In addition to customers being able to enter the shop faster, this also helps reduce staff workload. 3. Data analysis support: Ticketing machines can record the daily number of service users and peak hours, helping Chong Kee Gold Shop better understand resource allocation and quickly respond to high customer volumes due to persistently high gold prices. 'At THE GULU, we pride ourselves on being an industry leader in queuing solutions,' said Eric, founder of THE GULU. 'Our rapid response to Chong Kee's needs highlights our commitment to helping Hongkongers save time, using digital technology to improve queuing issues, and enhance the quality of life for citizens.' The new system has shown positive results, with customers expressing satisfaction with the reduced wait times and improved service quality. Through the digitized queuing process, Chong Kee can now manage customer flow more effectively, allowing staff to focus on providing excellent service. As major financial institutions continue to favor gold prices and Hongkongers have a time-is-money mentality, THE GULU will strive to support businesses like Chong Kee in quickly addressing these challenges. Our queuing solutions not only help manage people flow, but as pioneers of mobile queuing, we ensure businesses benefit from operational efficiency, enhance their technological image, and customers can flexibly arrange their time and enjoy better service. To learn more about how THE GULU can assist your business in optimizing customer flow and enhancing service efficiency, please visit to see various success stories from our clients! Use the promo code 'GOLDGULU' to book a free on-site demonstration and enjoy special offers for new customers. Offers are subject to terms and conditions.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Hongkongers feel tremors as magnitude 4.3 quake strikes Guangdong's Heyuan
Hongkongers reported feeling tremors as a magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck about 170km (105.6 miles) north-northeast of the city on Thursday afternoon. Advertisement The Hong Kong Observatory said that it had received more than 10 reports of residents experiencing earth tremors that lasted for several seconds. The forecaster said that its initial analysis 'indicated that an earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred at 1.17pm on Thursday in Heyuan, Guangdong'. It added that the quake's epicentre was about 170km north-northeast of Hong Kong. Last November, some residents also reported experiencing minor shaking following a magnitude 4.7 earthquake in Taiwan.
HKFP
7 days ago
- Health
- HKFP
Nearly half of Hongkongers who lost loved ones to suicide at high risk of PTSD, survey shows
Nearly half of Hongkongers who lost their loved ones to suicide are at high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a survey has found. According to a survey released by the Suicide Prevention Services (SPS), a non-profit organisation, on Tuesday, 47.4 per cent of 154 respondents whose family members died by suicide scored higher than 31 – the cutoff line in a PTSD screening tool. Scores above the cutoff line indicate probable PTSD. Conducted by the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the survey studied those who received SPS services from September 2022 to April 2025 after losing their children, spouses, or siblings to suicide. It also found that those bereaved by suicide struggled with guilt, self-blame, and thoughts questioning the reasons behind the suicides of their loved ones. Amy Chow, a professor at the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at HKU and a board member of the SPS, told HKFP on Tuesday that the study showed women were more likely than men to suffer from self-blame, a sense of abandonment, and feeling uncomfortable talking about the reasons for death. Cultural shame and stigma in Chinese communities often lead the bereaved to remain silent, Dr Fang Chun-kai, a senior attending physician in the Department of Psychiatry at MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taiwan, said at a press conference on Tuesday. They face not only overwhelming grief and guilt but also a lack of adequate social support and psychological care, he added. Each suicide incident affects an average of six family members or friends, Fang said. He called on people not to judge those bereaved by suicide. All the respondents received counselling services provided by the SPS, which had a positive impact on their grief symptoms, Chow said, adding that early intervention is critical. 'If we know anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide, even if they only show mild symptoms, please encourage them to seek help,' she said in Cantonese.
The Star
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Hong Kong warned of surge in inflammatory bowel disease rates
The number of Hongkongers suffering from incurable chronic gut conditions could surge by 150 per cent over a 20-year period due to unhealthy diets, high in sugar and fat, according to a global study. Scientists from the study that was co-led by researchers from Hong Kong and Canada raised the alarm after a projection model estimated that the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in the city would rise from 40 cases per 100,000 people in 2014 to 100 in 2034. 'The 150 per cent increase in the total number in terms of prevalence – this is quite scary,' said Professor Ng Siew Chien, associate dean of the Chinese University of Hong Kong's medical school and an expert in gastroenterology who co-led the study. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. 'We call this probably an explosion.' Researchers found that the rates were related to economic development and that less developed places, such as Malaysia and mainland China, had lower rates than Hong Kong, although they were also trending upwards. IBD refers to a group of conditions that cause swelling and inflammation of tissue in the digestive tract, with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis being the two most common types. Common symptoms of such conditions include diarrhoea, abdominal pains and cramps, and blood in the stool. IBD sufferers are also more likely to develop serious illnesses such as colon cancer. The researchers' projection model is based on real-world data collected from more than 500 studies in 82 regions that took place between 1920 and 2024. It also anticipated a rise in the local incidence rate for IBD, which involves the number of new cases per 100,000 people. While the rate in Hong Kong was 0.1 in 1985, it rose to about three in 2013 and is estimated to have exceeded four in 2023. The figures placed the city in the second part of a four-stage model outlined in the study, meaning it was experiencing a phase of 'acceleration in incidence' in IBD cases. Other jurisdictions that were seeing similar trends to Hong Kong included many relatively newly industrialised nations in Asia and Latin America, such as mainland China, Japan and South Korea. In the mainland, the rate of new cases rose from two per 100,000 people in 2010, to 15 in 2020. The total number of IBD patients in the country is expected to exceed 1.5 million by this year, according to Ng. The study, which was published in top scientific journal Nature last month, placed countries with low incidence and prevalence rates, such as many places in Africa, in the stage one category. Most countries in North America, Europe and Oceania were classified as being in stage three, meaning the number of new cases had already slowed down, but the total number of patients had steadily increased. While such conditions are not fatal and can be managed with medications and treatments, they cannot be cured. Serious cases can require surgery to remove a patient's colon and rectum, who must then carry a pouch to collect their waste. The late Shinzo Abe resigned as the prime minister of Japan in 2020 due to his struggles with ulcerative colitis. Study co-leader Professor Gilaad Kaplan, a gastroenterologist from the medical school of Canada's University of Calgary, said increases in new cases of IBD correlated with economic advancement. 'The earlier a country transitions into economic advancements, the earlier we see that trigger into stage two,' he said. Kaplan said that while higher incidence and prevalence rates were due to improved detection and diagnostic tools in economically advanced regions, environmental factors also played a crucial role. A person's diet was one of the strongest pillars under the category of environmental factors that contributed to a rise in cases, Kaplan and Ng said. Diets that were high in fat, sugar, ultra-processed foods, additives and colourings could change the health of a person's gut, she said. 'These foods actually affect our gut microbiome, which is the bacteria and viruses inside our gut,' the researcher said. 'They can induce [and] increase bacteria that can cause inflammation ... These bacteria produce toxins and chemicals inside the gut, and then it makes the gut very thin.' Ng explained that the resulting toxins and inflammatory responses inside the gut could then disturb one's immune system. She added that a growing number of IBD patients could see the local healthcare system face an increased economic burden, citing her own separate analysis on the topic. The academic noted that the average medical cost for a patient with the condition was about HK$40,000 to HK$50,000 (US$6,380) a year, about twice the amount paid by someone suffering from type 2 diabetes. Kaplan, meanwhile, said that IBD patients would get older and become more challenging to manage if they developed other conditions such as diabetes or dementia. Both researchers called for preventive actions to slow down IBD's growing prevalence and incidence rates. 'Our models show that if we can prevent the incidence of new diagnoses, even just by a small amount, that has a huge impact on blunting the overall growth or prevalence of the disease,' Kaplan said. He added that people could stave off such conditions by adopting a healthy, whole food diet, while officials could create policies that increased the availability of healthy foods. Sharing her tips on preventing the condition among the children of IBD patients, Ng said: 'Less processed food; just cook everything from scratch. Try not to use so many antibiotics if you can, because that changes the gut microbiome as well.' More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
