Media Release: Open Letter to Immigration Minister on immigration measure for Hong Kong

The NDP is therefore calling on the government to apply this extension and expansion to the Permanent Residency stream for Hong Kongers. This is a gap that must be filled to ensure Hong Kongers have a sustainable pathway to safety.

In addition, I urge the government to lift the criminal record check requirements for individuals accused of violating the national security law or in the very minimum substitute that requirement with an alternate means to satisfy public safety concerns. This is an essential component to ensure the pathway to safety is workable on the ground for applications. As you could anticipate, for those who are being persecuted for violation of the national security law,

Dear Minister Fraser,

Open letter re: Immigration measures for Hong Kong

As the NDP critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship I am writing regarding the urgent situation of Hong Kongers who face persecution by the Hong Kong government, and the need for further immigration measures.

New Democrats welcome your recent announcement to extend the Hong Kong lifeboat scheme for two years and to change the 5-year graduation requirement to 10 years for an open work permit. The NDP and community advocates lobbied long and hard for the expansion of the lifeboat scheme, which was set to expire on February 7, 2023, and I am relieved that this major barrier has been eased for many Hong Kongers.
While these are important steps in the right direction, there remains much work to be done to support Hong Kongers. In this recent policy announcement, the government did not address the need for changes to the permanent residency stream for Hong Kongers.

The NDP is therefore calling on the government to apply this extension and expansion to the Permanent Residency stream for Hong Kongers. This is a gap that must be filled to ensure Hong Kongers have a sustainable pathway to safety.

In addition, I urge the government to lift the criminal record check requirements for individuals accused of violating the national security law or in the very minimum substitute that requirement with an alternate means to satisfy public safety concerns. This is an essential component to ensure the pathway to safety is workable on the ground for applications. As you could anticipate, for those who are being persecuted for violation of the national security law,

this requirement would red flag their desire to leave Hong Kong in pursuit of safety and put their ability to leave Hong Kong in jeopardy.

Hong Kong officials are working hard to promote the message that Hong Kong is returning to normal; however, the reality is that the Hong Kong government is still aggressively using the national security law to persecute dissidents and journalists, including those who participated in the primary election of the Legislative Council. In order for the lifeboat scheme to be effective, Canada must lift or use an alternate method to the standard criminal record check requirement for Hong Kongers.

In addition to these economic pathways, I am urging that the government of Canada to also play a compassionate and humanitarian role in the international community, by providing pathways for more vulnerable Hong Kongers to come to Canada through a special humanitarian immigration stream for human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists. For some Hong Kongers, this may be their only hope of reaching safety.

Furthermore, I am calling on the government to extend the family reunification stream to also allow loved ones to sponsor their extended family members to come to Canada. This is an effective measure in providing support to Hong Kongers. It goes without saying that applications need to be processed on an expedited timeline and these measures need to be implemented with corresponding additional immigration levels, so that other members of the global community fleeing persecuting are not impacted.

I hope that you will take these necessary steps to stand up for persecuted pro-democracy Hong Kong activists and human rights defenders and bring them to safety. Canada has a responsibility to speak out against the Hong Kong government's violation of the Sino- British Joint Declaration and the UN Charter of Human Rights, and offer practical assistance and effective pathways to safety.

As always, I remain willing to work with you on this important matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me to further discuss and explore how best to move forward on this important file. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Jenny Kwan
MP for Vancouver East
NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship