New data reveals that thousands of Chinese millionaires are queuing to immigrate to Canada through the province of Quebec, attempting to bypass the federal government's freeze on its controversial cash-for-visa program. However, as authorities struggle to clear a backlog of tens of thousands of applications, these prospective "investor immigrants" may face a delay of eight years or more.
Last year, Quebec approved 2,123 applications submitted in Hong Kong and added them to the federal backlog, despite the federal freeze. Previous data shows that, with few exceptions, almost all applicants in Hong Kong were from mainland China: the number of mainland investor immigrants arriving in British Columbia last year exceeded those from Hong Kong by a ratio of approximately 100 to 1, with mainlanders accounting for 76% of such applications approved last year.
Applicants approved by Quebec will join the ranks of the federal backlog, which exceeded 85,000 people last year. Only 9,359 visas were issued last year, meaning that new applicants at the end of the queue will face a very long wait.
In August of this year, Quebec set a cap on the number of investor visa applications it will accept annually. The cap for 2013 was set at 1,750, with a limit of 1,200 applications from any single country.