Migration from Hong Kong to Canada increases by 85% in Jan-March 2016

The number of immigrants who moved from Hong Kong to Canada increased by 85 percent during the January-March quarter of 2016 when compared with the same period last year. The Ming Pao East Canada edition quoting the statistics released by the CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) of Canadian government said that the number of immigrants entering Canada in the first three months of 2016 was 300, an increase from 162 during the same quarter in 2015. On the other hand, the percentage of the number of immigration applications from Hongkongers increased by 17 percent in the first quarter of 2016 in comparison with the same period last year. According to CIC spokesperson Nancy Caron, Canada was a popular destination for immigration. Figures from the Security Bureau of 2015, however, revealed that the United States was the most sought after destination for the residents of Hong Kong. Of the 7,000 people who emigrated from this special administrative region of China, 2,100 headed to the US, 2,000 to Australia and 800 to Canada, according to the Apple Daily. Charles Mok, a lawmaker with the IT sector, was quoted by the Oriental Daily as saying that the number of Hong Kong citizens migrating to Canada was owing to the restrictive atmosphere and unsatisfactory government supervision. Another reason cited by Hongkongers for moving to developed nations was the educational standards, which still were not on par with the Western nations.