//Willis Fu Yiu-wai, the immigration programme director at city consultants Goldmax Associates, said the increase was because Hongkongers in Canada had satisfied the working requirement long before the qualifications restriction was dropped, including some who had earlier planned to use other immigration methods. “This is the easiest way to secure permanent residency when compared to other immigration pathways … applicants do not need to improve their English level or worry if they are too old to apply in this bespoke scheme,” he explained.//
//Fu agreed that people who wanted to move to Canada had applied for open work permits in 2021 and 2022, so the relaxed measures would not boost application numbers under the programme.//
//Fu said he believed there would be another peak in 2025, as people rushed to qualify a year before the scheme is scheduled to end.//
