As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade. The currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world as of 2010. Hong Kong was once described by Milton Friedman as the world’s greatest experiment in laissez-faire capitalism (Wikipedia)

Hundreds at risk of immigration ax
Phila Siu 
Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Up to 1,000 Hongkongers who applied to emigrate to Canada may have to abandon their plans or reapply if the authorities there accept a proposal to scrap a backlog of pre-2008 applications.

A source close to the Canadian consulate in Hong Kong said currently there are fewer than 1,000 Hongkongers whose applications are still being processed.

The consulate can provide only “limited help” aside from passing a petition submitted by 80 Hongkongers and mainlanders in April to the country’s immigration department, the source said.
Hong Kong applicants will have to go through the same process as those from other countries, the source added.

The controversial proposal to ax the backlog was made by Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney in March because “having to process applications that are as many as eight years out of date reduces [Canada's] ability to focus on new applicants with skills and talents that our economy needs today.”

If the proposal is passed, the immigration department will close the files of those who applied under the Federal Skilled Worker Program before February 27, 2008, but who did not receive a decision based on selection criteria by March 29 this year.

Around 280,000 applications are set to be rejected.

For decades China was one of the top sources of immigrants to Canada.

In Beijing, activists Jiang Yiming and Vancouver-based Gabriel Yiu Wing-on, a Hongkonger who emigrated to Canada two decades ago, yesterday handed a petition signed by around 100 mainlanders to minister counsellor Louis Dumas of the Canadian embassy.

The petition calls on Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to intervene.

But the embassy’s second secretary and vice consul Wu Long told The Standard the latest petition will only be passed to the immigration department.

It “may or may not” be passed to the prime minister, as the decision is in the hands of the [immigration] department, Wu said.

Jiang and Yiu said although the embassy has not promised any help, apart from passing on the petition, they are confident the new immigration proposal will not be passed. This is because there are many potential immigrants, from countries such as India and the Philippines, who are protesting at the Canadian embassies in their respective countries.

“I am confident the proposal will not be passed,” Jiang said.

The activist added that he had earlier applied for an injunction in a Canadian court.

The ruling is expected in about two days and Jiang is confident he will win.

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  • Cheryl

    Why can’t people stay in their own country? Most emigrate here to take advantage of the health care and social systems get their citizenship and then return to their home country. They then return to use the systems and then leave. When will the Canadian government get this? I have read there is about 300,000 Canadians living I think in China and I don’t believe they are Canadian born!!!!!!

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/XJ3PDTMXOPAUKGQ62S7MU2BNIA Cecil

    This is a great example of what immigration is doing to Australia, which is analogous to what is happening in Canada.

    “As in other Western nations, those migrants from Asia (predominantly
    China) and their offspring are increasingly out-competing White
    Australians at gaining admission to the best schools and universities,
    and consequently in obtaining prestigious high-income jobs. The
    long-term result of this trend will inevitably be “that the entire White
    population (not including Jews) is likely to suffer a social status
    decline as these new immigrants become more numerous.”

    Australian scientist and writer Dr. Peter Wilkinson examined this
    trend in his book “The Howard Legacy: Displacement of Traditional
    Australia from the Professional and Managerial Classes”.

    Wilkinson is blunt in his assessment:

    “In 1994 the acerbic Lee Kuan Yew, then Prime Minister of Singapore,
    forecast that Australians were destined to be the poor white trash of
    Asia. Today one can say that white Australians are destined to be the
    poor trash of Australia.”

    He notes that

    “Australia has become the first ethnic European nation to openly
    invite in distinct ethnic groups to provide the skills required in
    today’s knowledge economy. The need arises because governments have not
    been prepared to provide the necessary finance and motivation to
    sufficiently educate our own children. They have allowed ideologues in
    the education system to persuade parents and children that achieving
    certain skill levels does not matter. Recent arrivals are not fooled,
    they exploit existing Australian human and physical capital at the
    expense of the long-standing Australian families in our schools and
    universities.

    The intergenerational transfer which has been an integral
    part of our society has been denied to many long established families
    without them realising it.”

    Wilkinson makes the obvious recommendations: immigration should be
    reduced, universities should not have to depend on full-fee paying
    foreign students for cash, and a degree from an Australian university
    should not be a ticket to citizenship. He even suggests preferences for
    native-born white Australians.

    Sadly, none of this seems likely at the moment.