CALLING FOR GLOBAL TALENT – LAUNCH OF ONE-STOP VISA APPLICATION PORTAL

Greetings from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Singapore.

We are excited to share with you that a one-stop visa application portal (www.hkengage.gov.hk) under the Talents Service Unit has been rolled out, as part of Hong Kong’s relentless efforts to attract talents around the world following the blueprint outlined in Chief Executive Mr John Lee’s Policy Address on 19 October 2022.

A new “Top Talent Pass Scheme” is in place to welcome talents of different background and professions to this vibrant city. Under the scheme, individuals with annual salary reaching HK$2.5 million or the equivalent in foreign currency in the past year, or graduates from the world’s top 100 universities with at least three years of work experience over the past five years will be issued a two-year pass to explore opportunities in Hong Kong, without the need to secure a job offer. Graduates from the world’s top 100 universities in the past five years but with less than three years of work experience are also eligible, subject to an annual quota of 10 000. Seize the opportunity now to bring your career to the next level. For details please check the online portal.

In addition we have enhanced some existing talent admission schemes as follows:

- For General Employment Policy (GEP) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) regarding vacancies with local labour shortage as listed in the Talent List or jobs with annual salary of HK$2 million or above, Hong Kong employers no longer need to prove difficulties in local employment before recruiting overseas talents.

- For Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS), the annual quota of 4000 will be suspended for two years

- For Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG), the limit of stay will be extended from one to two years. Graduates from Hong Kong universities in the Greater Bay Area are eligible to join.

- For Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS), the local employment requirement for Hong Kong employers is also lifted, while the quota validity will be extended to two years.

- For talents admitted under various pathways including above schemes and the Top Talent Pass Scheme, the extra stamp duty paid for the first residential property will be refunded upon obtaining permanent residency in Hong Kong.

If you are a bit confused while navigating a myriad of schemes, here is a handy matching tool for you to find out the one(s) you are eligible for. All visa applications, payment and visa collections can be completed online. Applications will be vetted within four weeks upon receipt of all necessary documents.
https://www.hkengage.gov.hk/en/how-to-apply-for-a-visa/

As one of the world’s most competitive economies, we will continue to invest in future. The newly established Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) under the Financial Secretary spearheads efforts to attract companies of strategic importance to Hong Kong, including life and health technology, artificial intelligence and data science, financial technology, advanced manufacturing and new-energy technology. OASES will formulate attractive facilitation measures covering land, financing, tax and investment. Employees of target enterprises will enjoy one-stop services like visa application and education arrangements for their children. For details please check out https://www.oases.gov.hk/en/index.html.

We are pleased that dedicated teams for attracting businesses and talents have been established globally in each Mainland and overseas office of Hong Kong SAR Government. If you are interested to work or set up operations in Hong Kong, please email us at DedicatedTeam@hketosin.gov.hk.

Hong Kong is where global talents converge. We welcome you onboard to live, work and thrive in the city.

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HKETO in Singapore
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www.hketosin.gov.hk