
Hongkonger Cecilia moved to Canada in 2023, believing it to be the cheapest and easiest way for her to get permanent residency overseas.
The 32-year-old, who asked to be referred to by her first name due to privacy concerns, was part of an emigration wave that saw tens of thousands of Hongkongers leave the city in recent years.
She expected to wait only six months after filing her permanent residency application in April last year, based on the experience of a friend who moved in 2021.
But more than 1½ years later, Cecilia, who now works in finance in Toronto, is still waiting. And with Canadian authorities warning that new applicants could wait for up to 10 years for their applications to be processed, there seems to be no end in sight.
Cecilia said she was happy with her life in Canada and hoped to buy a house in the country one day, but she would have chosen differently if she could go back in time.
“If I could go back to 2023, I would choose to stay in Hong Kong as I could earn more money [and] spend more time with my family,” she said.












