Hong Kong Watch Stream B campaign: A timeline
The Canadian government announced the expansion of the Stream B Pathway for Hong Kongers on 11 July 2023. Here is a timeline of our campaign to expand Canada’s lifeboat scheme:
In May 2022, Hong Kong Watch began the campaign to extend and expand the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway for Hong Kongers with meetings with officials from Global Affairs Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as well as parliamentarians.
On 23 August 2022, a cross-party group of 19 parliamentarians wrote to the Minister of Immigration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs calling for the extension and expansion of the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway.
On 4 October 2022, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Trustee Aileen Calverley gave evidence to the Canada-PRC Relations Committee and called on the government to extend and expand the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway.
From 17 to 20 October 2022, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Trustee and Canada Policy Advisor met with seven parliamentarians, including NDP Immigration Critic Jenny Kwan MP, and Global Affairs to discuss the need for the extension and expansion of the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway.
On 1 November 2022, Hong Kong Watch published a research paper outlining real-life case studies of Hong Kongers struggling to access the Open Work Permit and qualify for the Stream B Pathway.
On 8 November 2022, Hong Kong Watch Patron and the last Governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten of Barnes, wrote to the Minister of Immigration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs calling for the extension and expansion of the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway.
On 17 November 2022, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Trustee met with the Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration and the Hong Kong Pathway team to discuss the policy change of extending and expanding the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway.
From 22 to 24 November 2022, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive and Canada Policy Advisor met with 11 parliamentarians and Global Affairs to discuss the need for the extension and expansion of the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway.
On 9 December 2022, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Trustee met with the Assistant Deputy Minister of Immigration and the Hong Kong Pathway team to discuss the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
On 15 December 2022, Hong Kong Watch submitted a special proposal requested by the Assistant Deputy Minister of Immigration on the expansion of Stream B to include Hong Kong 2016-17 graduates.
In January 2023, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Trustee communicated with the Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration and the Hong Kong Pathway team about the policy change and proposal to extend and expand the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway.
On 26 January 2023, Conservative Leader Hon. Pierre Poilievre MP and NDP Leader Hon. Jagmeet Singh MP threw their support behind Hong Kong Watch’s campaign to extend and expand the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway.
On 2 February 2023, a cross-party group of 28 parliamentarians wrote to the Minister of Immigration to call for the extension and expansion of the Open Work Permit and Stream B Pathway.
On 6 February 2023, following the announcement of the extension and expansion of the Open Work Permit scheme, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Trustee had a call with a senior official from IRCC about the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
On 14 February 2023, the group “HK Pathway Stream B (Classes of 2016 and 17 Graduates) Alliance” was formed. Hong Kong Watch helped arrange meetings for the Alliance with officials from IRCC as well as over 20 parliamentarians.
On 25 February 2023, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Trustee and Community Outreach and Communications Advisor held a roundtable discussion at the HongKonger Community Centre in Toronto on the Stream B Pathway. Hong Kong Watch worked with the Stream B Alliance to collect signatures from Hong Kong Canadians for a House of Commons petition calling for the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
On 2 March 2023, Hong Kong Watch Patron and the last Governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten of Barnes, wrote to the Minister of Immigration to call for the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
On 7 March 2023, Hong Kong Watch helped inform senior officials at the IRCC headquarters in Ottawa about the Stream B Alliance’s visit. The Alliance delivered a petition to an IRCC staffer calling for the expansion of the Stream B Pathway. Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Trustee attended and spoke at a rally for the Stream B Alliance outside the IRCC headquarters.
From 7 to 8 March 2023, Hong Kong Watch facilitated meetings for the Stream B Alliance with a cross-party group of 11 parliamentarians, including Chair of the Immigration Committee Salma Zahid MP, calling for the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
On 25 March 2023, Hong Kong Watch and the Stream B Alliance met with Conservative Leader Hon. Pierre Poilievre MP and secured his help to deliver a petition to the Minister of Immigration Hon. Sean Fraser MP, calling for the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
On 26 April 2023, Hong Kong Watch Patron Garnett Genuis MP introduced a House of Commons petition calling on IRCC to expand the Stream B Pathway and remove the five-year graduation restriction.
On 14 May 2023, Hong Kong Watch held a roundtable discussion in Toronto with the Shadow Minister of Immigration Tom Kmiec MP on the expansion of the Stream B Pathway and the removal of the requirement for a police certificate for Open Work Permit applicants.
On 27 May 2023, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive and Director of Policy and Advocacy held a roundtable event with Hong Kong Watch Patron Garnett Genuis MP at the HongKonger Community Centre in Toronto to discuss the Stream B Pathway.
On 30 May 2023, Hong Kong Watch arranged meetings between the Stream B Alliance and a cross-party group of over 10 parliamentarians to discuss the need for the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
On 30 May 2023, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive spoke at a Stream B Alliance rally in Ottawa calling for the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
On 30 May 2023, at the launch of Hong Kong Watch Canada, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive and co-founder and Trustee called on the government to expand the Stream B Pathway.
On 30 May 2023, Hong Kong Watch arranged for the Stream B Alliance to deliver a petition to a senior official from IRCC at the IRCC headquarters.
On 31 May 2023, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive, Director of Policy and Advocacy, and co-founder and Trustee gave evidence to the Hong Kong Friendship Group in the Canadian Parliament and called for the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
From 31 May to 1 June 2023, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive and Director of Policy and Advocacy met with 14 parliamentarians, including the Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Michael Chong MP, and Global Affairs to discuss the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
In June 2023, Hong Kong Watch continued to communicate with senior officials from IRCC about the expansion of the Stream B Pathway. The Stream B Alliance secured support from a number of parliamentarians who sent letters or spoke to the Minister of Immigration calling for an announcement of the expansion of Stream B.
On 6 July 2023, Hong Kong Watch and the Stream B Alliance were informed by a number of parliamentarians that an announcement about the Stream B Pathway would be imminent.
On 10 July 2023, Hong Kong Watch’s co-founder and Trustee received an invitation from IRCC to attend the press conference, which would be joined by Jean Yip MP from the Liberal Party.
On 11 July 2023, IRCC announced the expansion of the Stream B Pathway.
加拿大政府於2023年7月11日宣布擴大香港人救生艇計劃Stream B，以下是香港監察爭取擴大救生艇的時序：
2022年5月，香港監察開始爭取延長及擴大OWP開放式工作簽證計劃和Stream B永久居留政策，就此會晤加拿大外交部和移民部官員，以及國會議員。
2022年8月23日，香港監察與19名跨黨派國會議員協調致函移民部長和外交部長，呼籲延長及擴大OWP和Stream B。
2022年10月4日，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人Aileen Calverley向加中關係委員會作證，敦促加拿大政府延長及擴大OWP和Stream B。
2022年10月17至20日，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人和加拿大政策顧問會見民主黨移民評議員關慧貞 Jenny Kwan MP等七名國會議員，討論延長及擴大OWP和Stream B的必要。
2022年11月1日，香港監察發布個案研究簡報，揭示香港人申請OWP和Stream B時面對的困難。
2022年11月8日，香港監察贊助人、前港督彭定康勳爵致函移民部長和外交部長，呼籲延長及擴大OWP和Stream B。
2022年11月17日，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人會見副移民部長及「Hong Kong Pathway」團隊，商議延長及擴大OWP和Stream B的政策修訂。
2022年11月22至24日，香港監察行政總監和加拿大政策顧問會見11名國會議員，討論延長及擴大OWP和Stream B的必要。
2022年12月9日，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人會見助理副移民部長及「Hong Kong Pathway」團隊，商議擴大Stream B。
2022年12月15日，香港監察應助理副移民部長的要求提交擴大Stream B的特別建議書，以期涵蓋香港2016-17屆畢業生。
2023年1月，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人就延長及擴大OWP和Stream B的政策修訂和建議，與副移民部長及「Hong Kong Pathway」團隊通訊。
2023年1月26日，保守黨黨魁博勵治（Pierre Poilievre）和新民主黨黨魁駔勉誠 （Jagmeet Singh）表示支持延長及擴大OWP和Stream B。
2023年2月2日，香港監察與28名跨黨派國會議員協調致函移民部長，呼籲延長及擴大OWP和Stream B。
2023年2月6日，移民部宣布延長及擴大OWP計劃後，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人就擴大Stream B與移民部高層官員通話。
2023年2月14日，本地團體「HK Pathway Stream B (Classes of 2016 and 17 Graduates) Alliance」成立。香港監察安排聯盟與移民部官員及20多名國會議員會面。
2023年2月25日，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人和社區外展及傳訊顧問在多倫多香港人社區中心就Stream B主持圓桌討論。香港監察聯同Stream B聯盟向港裔加拿大人收集眾議院聯署簽名，要求擴大Stream B。
2023年3月2日，香港監察贊助人、前港督彭定康勳爵致函移民部長，呼籲擴大Stream B。
2023年3月7日，香港監察協助告知渥太華移民部總部的高層官員Stream B聯盟到場請願。聯盟向移民部工作人員遞交請願信，要求擴大Stream B。香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人出席在移民部總部外舉行的Stream B聯盟集會，並在會上發言。
2023年3月7至8日，香港監察安排Stream B聯盟與移民委員會主席Salma Zahid MP等11名跨黨派國會議員會面，表達擴大Stream B的訴求。
2023年3月25日，香港監察和Stream B聯盟會見保守黨黨魁博勵治，並獲他協助向移民部長弗雷澤（Sean Fraser）轉交擴大Stream B的請願信。
2023年4月26日，香港監察贊助人Garnett Genuis MP向眾議院提呈聯署，呼籲移民部擴大Stream B及撤銷五年內畢業限制。
2023年5月14日，香港監察與影子移民部長Tom Kmiec MP在多倫多討論擴大Stream B及撤銷OWP申請所需的「良民證」要求。
2023年5月27日，香港監察行政總監和政策及倡議總監聯同香港監察贊助人Garnett Genuis MP在多倫多香港人社區中心主持圓桌，討論Stream B議題。
2023年5月30日，香港監察安排Stream B聯盟與逾10名跨黨派國會議員會面，討論擴大Stream B的必要。
2023年5月30日，香港監察行政總監在渥太華Stream B聯盟集會上發言，呼籲擴大Stream B。
2023年5月30日，香港監察行政總監和共同創辦人兼信託人在加拿大香港監察成立典禮上敦促加拿大政府擴大Stream B。
2023年5月30日，香港監察安排Stream B聯盟在移民部總部向移民部高層官員遞交請願信。
2023年5月31日，香港監察行政總監、政策及倡議總監和共同創辦人兼信託人向加拿大國會香港小組作證，呼籲擴大Stream B。
2023年5月31日至6月1日，香港監察行政總監和政策及倡議總監會見影子外交部長Hon. Michael Chong MP等14名國會議員，討論擴大Stream B。
2023年6月，香港監察持續就擴大Stream B與移民部高層官員通訊。數名國會議員支持Stream B聯盟，以書面或口頭方式要求移民部長宣布擴大Stream B。
2023年7月6日，香港監察和Stream B聯盟獲數名國會議員告知移民部即將就Stream B作宣布。
2023年7月10日，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託人獲移民部邀請出席新聞發布會，發言人包括自由黨國會議員葉嘉麗 Jean Yip MP。
2023年7月11日，移民部宣布擴大Stream B。
