On November 10, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced a time-limited measure to accelerate processing of remaining permanent residence applications under the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways and the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway. The measure was proposed in Budget 2026 and is reflected in the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan.

What changed

IRCC will set aside permanent resident admission space in 2027 with the aim of processing all remaining applications under both programs. According to the announcement, this is expected to result in up to 32,000 admissions under the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways and up to 18,800 admissions under the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway. The additional space is in addition to the Humanitarian and Compassionate and Other category targets in the 2027–2029 Levels Plan and does not displace other vulnerable populations, including resettled refugees.

The announcement follows Minister Lena Metlege Diab’s November 7, 2026 meeting with Ukrainian and Hong Kong community leaders. MP Michael Ma has referenced finalizing all remaining Hong Kong pathway applications by the end of 2027, and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress has referenced addressing the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway backlog in the same timeframe. Full details are available in the official IRCC announcement.

Who is affected

The measure applies to people already in Canada with pending permanent residence applications under:

• The Hong Kong permanent residence pathways, which closed to new applications in August 2026.
• The Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway, which closed to new applications in October 2024.

Because applicants are already in Canada, these admissions do not represent net new arrivals.

What this means in practice

If you have a pending application under either program, your file sits within the pool that IRCC intends to work through in 2027. The announcement does not set out specific service standards, file prioritization rules, or fee changes. It also does not address how refused files or files under appeal will be treated, nor whether there are new requirements about maintaining temporary status while waiting.

For Ukrainians in Canada on a CUAET visa who did not apply under the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress has noted that a dedicated permanent residence pathway remains a subject of ongoing dialogue with the Minister. No new pathway has been announced.

Next steps

We recommend that applicants keep their contact information current with IRCC, retain copies of acknowledgement letters, and watch for operational instructions on how the humanitarian cohort will be implemented in 2027. Further details from IRCC are expected as the 2027 program year approaches.