General Employment Policy*

General work visa applications for foreign professionals taking up a genuine job position that a local professional cannot fill.

1. The Applicant has no criminal record;
2. The Applicant has a good education background, usually a university degree in a relevant field, but can be technical qualifications or proven professional abilities or relevant experience and achievements;
3. There is a genuine job vacancy;
4. The Applicant has accepted a job offer; the position is relevant to their academic qualifications or work experience, and a local professional cannot readily fill the position; and
5. The remuneration package is broadly commensurate with the prevailing market standard for Hong Kong professionals.

No specific requirements for the applicant’s educational institute.

Job offer required.

Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates

Foreign graduates of a Hong Kong university or a joint Hong Kong-Mainland China campus in one of the mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

1. The Applicant is a non-local who has obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification in a full-time and locally-accredited program in Hong Kong;
2. The Applicant is a non-local graduate who has obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification in a full-time program offered by a higher education institution in the mainland cities of the GBA jointly established by universities of the Mainland and Hong Kong.

Specific requirements for the applicant’s educational institute.

Job offer not required.

Top Talent Pass Scheme

Foreign professionals with rich work experience and good academic qualifications, including high-income talents and graduates from the world’s top universities.

1. The Applicant has secured an offer of employment in Hong Kong;
2. The Applicant falls under one of the below categories:
1. Category A: Has an annual income of HK$2.5 million (US$319,535) or above, or its equivalent in foreign currency, in the year immediately preceding the date of application;
2. Category B: is a graduate of the world’s top 100 universities with at least three years of work experience over the past five years immediately preceding the date of application;
3. Category C: Graduated from one of the world’s top 100 universities in the past five years immediately preceding the date of application with less than three years of work experience, subject to an annual quota which is to be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis (excludes those eligible for the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates scheme).
3. The Applicant is not an Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Nepal, or Vietnam national.

Specific requirements for the applicant’s educational institute.

Job offer required.

Technology Talent Admission Scheme

Non-local technology talent to undertake research and development (R&D) work in specific high-tech industries, subject to quota application by the company.

1. There is no security objection and no known record of serious crime in respect of the applicant;
2. The company has a valid quota approved by the  Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) at the time of application;
3. The applicant is employed as a full-time employee in Hong Kong;
4. The applicant is engaged principally in conducting R&D in the areas of advanced communication technologies, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity, data analytics, digital entertainment, financial technologies, green technology, integrated circuit design, Internet-of-Things, material science, microelectronics, quantum technology, or robotics;
5. The applicant is a degree-holder in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) from a well-recognized university, which is among the top 100 universities for STEM-related subjects in the latest publication of certain university ranking tables;
6. The Applicant is offered remuneration not lower than the prevailing market level for comparable jobs in Hong Kong;
7. The applicant meets the specific particulars pertaining to the job position set out in the quota allotment letter issued by ITC;
8. The bona fides of the employing company and the applicant are not in doubt; and
9. Applicant is not an Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Nepal, or Vietnam national.

Special requirements for applicant’s education institute.

Applicant must work in a specific position and industry.

Job offer required.

Quality Migrant Admission Scheme

Highly skilled or talented persons to settle in Hong Kong to enhance Hong Kong's economic competitiveness and fulfill a set of prerequisites

1. The applicant is aged 18 or above.
2. The applicant can support and accommodate themselves and their dependents (if any) on their own financial resources without relying on public assistance during their stay in Hong Kong.
3. The applicant has no criminal or adverse immigration record in Hong Kong or elsewhere.
4. The Applicant is proficient in written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English.
5. The applicant has a good educational background, a degree from a recognized university or a tertiary educational institution, good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities, or experience and achievements.
6. The applicant is not an Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Nepal, or Vietnam national.

Job offer not required.

Specific language requirements.

Foreign Domestic Helpers

Foreigners working as domestic helpers in Hong Kong and are subject to employees’ eligibility requirements.

1. The employer is financially capable of employing a helper after their household expenditure has been deducted; the employer has a monthly household income of at least HK$15,000 (US$1,916) per helper or assets of comparable amount for the whole contractual period (required income amount subject to change);
2. The helper and the employer have entered into a standard Employment Contract (ID 407);
3. The helper can only be required to perform domestic duties for the employer.
4. The helper cannot take up any other employment with any other person during their stay in Hong Kong within the contract period.
5. The employer must pay the helper a salary that is no less than Hong Kong's minimum wage at the date of application for employing the helper.
6. The helper shall work and reside in the employer's residence.
7. The helper shall be provided with suitable accommodation and with reasonable privacy.
8. Neither the employer nor the helper has breached Hong Kong's immigration or labor laws.
9. The employer is a resident of Hong Kong.

Workers can only perform domestic duties.

Job offer required.

Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals

Chinese residents of the Chinese mainland possess special skills, knowledge, or experience of value that are not readily available in Hong Kong.

1. The applicant has a clean criminal record;
2. The applicant has a good educational background, such as a first degree in a relevant field or proven good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities, or relevant experience and achievements;
3. There is a genuine job vacancy;
4. The applicant has a confirmed job offer for a position that is relevant to their academic qualifications or work experience;
5. A local professional cannot readily take up the position; and
6. The remuneration package is broadly commensurate with the prevailing market level for professionals in Hong Kong.

No specific requirements for the applicant’s educational institute.

Job offer required.

Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents

Persons who are the second generation of Chinese Hong Kong emigrants who are permanent residents overseas.

1. The applicant is aged between 18 and 40 at the time of application;
2. The applicant was born overseas (not in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan);
3. The applicant has at least one parent who is a holder of a valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card at the time of application and was a Chinese national who settled overseas at the time of the applicant's birth;
4. The applicant has a good educational background, such as a first degree in a relevant field or proven good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities, or relevant experience and achievements;
5. The applicant is proficient in written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English; and
6. The applicant has sufficient financial means and is able to meet the living expenses for their maintenance and accommodation in Hong Kong without needing public funds, as well as that of any dependents.
7. The applicant is not an Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Nepal, or Vietnam national.

No specific requirements for the applicant’s educational institute.

Job offer not required.

*Some companies may be eligible for facilitation measures under the General Employment Policy. Consult the Hong Kong Immigration Department for details.

Note: Information provided for reference only. Consult the Hong Kong Immigration Department for specific requirements.

Source: Hong Kong Immigration Department.