Immigration to Canada│The rising trend in the second half of the year is expected to become the second most popular country for the outflow of Hong Kong people

Immigration Canada (IRCC) launched a 3-year open work permit for Hong Kong graduates at the beginning of this year, paving the way for permanent residency.

This new special visa program was launched from February to mid-May this year and has attracted nearly 6,000 Hong Kong residents to apply.

Some local immigration consultants estimate that the trend of immigrating to Canada will continue in the second half of the year.

Together with various other immigration programs, Canada is expected to become the most popular immigration destination outside the UK.

Jean-Francois Harvey, the global managing partner of Harvey Law Group, which provides investment immigration consulting services, recently explained the latest immigration trends in Hong Kong to "Hong Kong 01". He pointed out that the immigration demand of Hong Kong people has been increasing in recent years, and the number of immigrants is only Rising or not falling, the situation is quite different from the past, and family customers tend to be younger.

He also pointed out that since the epidemic, the company's scale in Hong Kong has doubled and its business has quadrupled.

Harvey also revealed that immigrants to Hong Kong have become younger and younger recently.

Previously, the company’s customers were mainly couples over 50 years old, successful in business, with certain assets, and most of their children were over 16 years old; but in the past year, the couple’s age has dropped to about 40 years old, with fewer assets, and children’s age is 10 years old. The following young families have become the main family customers. Among them, the education of their children is a more important factor in their consideration of immigration, and they tend to find a quiet and stable community environment.

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Hong Kong people who have emigrated in recent years are younger than in the past, and their mentality has changed.

(Data Picture/Photo by Zhang Haowei)

Another obvious change is that Hong Kong people used to immigrate to Canada mainly for business or future development, but now they are seeking peace of mind.

More and more people choose to invest in immigration projects, hoping to obtain one more citizenship, so that they can make every effort to make travel and travel more choices.

Regarding the recent increase in Hong Kong residents, Harvey believes that it is due to local political incidents in the past two years, such as anti-amendment incidents, the establishment of the National Security Law, and the impact of the new crown epidemic, as well as the preferential measures introduced by many countries to Hong Kong. People are more actively acquiring foreign citizenship.

In addition, the epidemic has also increased the society's demand for mobility. Many people find that free mobility is valuable, which makes more people want to obtain visas and citizenships from foreign countries to facilitate future travel.

"In the past, many people didn't think about immigrating until they retire, but now many people have discovered that during the epidemic, they can also conduct business and work remotely through Zoom and the Internet, which makes the immigration plan of some people more flexible." Immigration consultant Jean-Francois Harvey

Jean-Francois Harvey (left) and Lawyer He Jingzhen (right) shared the latest views on Hong Kong people immigrating to Canada with reporters.

(Photo by Luo Baoxi)

Possibly the second most popular immigration country for Hong Kong people

According to a recent market survey, more than 60 million adults in Hong Kong and Mainland China will consider immigrating to Canada in the next two years.

Most of these people are well-educated, wealthy, and relatively fluent in English.

The age group of immigrants from Hong Kong and China is mostly from 36 to 55 years old, and most from mainland China are from 46 to 64 years old.

Pat Pellegrini, Chief Executive Officer of Vividata, who participated in the survey, said: "Economic growth depends on immigration. The above results show that Canada is regarded as an ideal place to live. The Canadian government is preparing to accept a higher level of immigrants than before the epidemic. The relevant research is for future immigrants. The dynamic provides an unprecedented perspective."

New channels for

permanent residence

:

Two new channels for permanent residence for Hong Kong residents in Canada can apply after graduating from a local college or working

Canada is becoming Hong Kong's second most popular immigration country.

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Indeed, Canada has always been a country of immigration.

In order to make up for the decline in the number of immigrants during the epidemic over the past year and accelerate the economic recovery after the epidemic, the country plans to accept 1.2 million immigrants between 2020 and 2023, and the target for the number of new permanent residents this year is about 400,000.

To this end, the Ottawa government announced this year's family reunion immigration plan, which will continue to draw lots to invite qualified applicants to submit applications. This year, a record increase of 30,000 places will allow more qualified people to apply.

Applicants for this program must be at least 18 years old, have Canadian citizenship, permanent resident or aboriginal status, and have sufficient financial means to support their sponsored family members.

Parents or grandparents whose applications are approved will be granted permanent residency and can subsequently apply for Canadian citizenship.

The Trudeau government plans to accept 1.2 million immigrants between 2020 and 2023.

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The Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marco Mendicino, stated that the authorities are fulfilling their promise to help more families reunite in Canada, and through the strengthening of the family reunion immigration program, a record number of guarantors are invited to apply to assist them in Canadian settled life.

Some immigration consultants believe that because there are still some citizens planning to immigrate in Hong Kong, they believe that this wave of immigration will continue. The work visa and immigration program for Hong Kong residents launched in Canada at the beginning of the year can immigrate without passing the asset threshold. The local area is highly regarded by Hong Kong people, so it is believed that it will become the second most popular place for Hong Kong people to emigrate after the United Kingdom.

Over the years, many Hong Kong people have immigrated to Canada and have a better understanding of the country's environment and current situation.

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Immigrants must understand the tax rules

Although Canada’s work visa and immigration program for Hong Kong residents and the immigration threshold for the British BNO visa have been greatly reduced, it has not hindered the popular investment immigration program that has always been popular with Hong Kong people, including Canada’s entrepreneurial visa (SUV) and Australia's 188C Significant Investor Visa (SIV), etc.

Harvey Law Group lawyer He Jingzhen said that the company has provided more than 30 immigration plans, and no related plans are currently affected by other immigration plans.

She believes that for these high net worth individuals, there are more choices for immigration destinations, not necessarily to Canada.

He Jingzhen pointed out that those who intend to invest in immigrants should first understand their own actual situation and needs. Some people may choose Canada for family, business, education and other factors, but they should also choose more suitable investment immigrants based on their asset income and needs. plan.

She added: "Although many Hong Kong people are more familiar with the Canadian situation, it doesn't mean that other countries or immigration plans are not suitable for them. It's just that they may not know the ideal choice.

Jean-Francois Harvey reminded Hong Kong residents who intend to immigrate to Hong Kong not to buy a car or a property too quickly, but to understand tax arrangements first.

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She also pointed out that there are quite a few misunderstandings about the Canadian entrepreneurial visa. She gave an example: "If some people think it is a passive investment plan, that is, invest a sum of money, but do not need to operate it yourself, you can wait for the permanent resident status to be granted. "She clarified that the plan is actually a proactive plan and requires relevant experience to operate the business and prove that she will actively operate the business locally.

Applicants often go to professionals to deal with them after they fail, which is time-consuming and accidental in disguise.

Jean-Francois Harvey reiterated: "Immigration application is a complicated process, which involves many documents and certification work, which can cause headaches, but it is not a big problem as long as it is done step by step." He pointed out that many immigrant applicants have encountered problems. The biggest problem encountered is still adapting to the new local life. Therefore, it is generally recommended that prospective immigrants do not worry, "Don't rush to buy a house, first understand the local situation, find the community you like, find the ideal school for your children, find a job, etc."

He also pointed out that many Hong Kong people immigrated in a hurry, such as buying a car and buying a house soon after arriving in the UK, and then realized that they might have to spend 50% of their income to pay taxes, affecting cash flow; or after immigrating to the United States, did they realize that they would have to pay global income tax, etc. .

Therefore, immigrants should understand the tax situation of the destination, and handle the assets and arrangements after arrival in Hong Kong first, so as to reduce the tax burden in the future.

He reminded that because the circumstances of each immigration applicant are different, it is necessary to understand whether it constitutes an additional tax after immigration according to the actual situation.

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