Submission to The Social Lens: A Social Action Blog by Miu Chung Yan, Professor, PhD Program Chair
Recently the Canadian government has introduced a new pathway, also known as the Lifeboat Project, to grant open work permits to Hong Kong residents who have recently graduated from college or university. As stated in the announcement made by Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship of Canada, this new pathway reflects that “Canada continues to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Hong Kong, and is deeply concerned about the new National Security Law and the deteriorating human rights situation there.”
This new pathway is particularly critical to many young social workers in Hong Kong. During the recent democratic movement, many young social workers have courageously provided keen supports to the protesters not only through their regular services, but also through a voluntarily formed “Battlefield Social Workers” group standing side by side with the protesters on the street. Their involvements in the movement have made the social work profession one of the three mountains (including health care professions and teachers) that the government must level down (i.e., suppress), as portrayed and urged by many pro-government groups and media. Although it is a tough choice, many young social workers are planning to leave Hong Kong for their safety and to have a new life in a free country.
The new pathway is deemed important to some of these young social workers if they have graduated within the last five years. However, the success of this project also requires the support of the social service field in Canada. We need to open our door to welcome them to our country and to our job market. Indeed, social work education in Hong Kong has over 70 years of history. As one of the international assessors of the Hong Kong Social Worker’s Registration Board, I can testify that the quality of social work training programs is guaranteed by a highly rigorous accreditation system. In addition, we also need to open our doors for young social workers from Hong Kong who want to pursue Canadian qualifications. This year, our MSW program has received seven applications from Hong Kong. This is a historically high number. It is imaginable that more will come in the coming few years. Now that our government has taken the first step to create this new pathway, we, as a profession that upholds social justice and human rights, should step up and make the Lifeboat Project work.
THE SOCIAL LENS: A SOCIAL WORK ACTION BLOG - The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the original author(s) and do not express the views of the UBC School of Social Work and/or the other contributors to the blog. The blog aims to uphold the School's values and mission.
