According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), a record number of 12,484 open work permits were issued to Hong Kong residents from March 2017 through June 2022. Last year, the Government of Canada introduced two new pathways for Hong Kongers to immigrate to Canada: one for students and one for professionals. The overwhelming majority of applicants were young and middle-aged people. About 90% of those who received open work permits were under 40 years old, while 9% were over 41 years old.