Hong Kong Quality Migrant Admission Scheme

How the selection process works: four stages

Stage one — preliminary requirements. There are four, and they are not scored: they are either met or they are not. If the applicant has not submitted satisfactory documents for all four, the application is not processed further and is rejected immediately.

Stage two — one of two tests, applicant’s choice. The General Test has 12 assessment criteria; the Achievement Test has two. An applicant submits only one application and is assessed under only one route at a time.

Stage three — selection exercises, held on a regular basis. In each round, those who have met both the preliminary requirements and the pass mark on the General Test, or at least one criterion of the Achievement Test, are considered. An important caveat from the department itself: not all applications that meet the threshold will necessarily be approved, and applications that satisfy more criteria are looked upon more favourably.

Stage four — issuance of a visa or entry permit in the form of an e-visa. It is downloaded or printed on a plain white A4 sheet, and the encrypted QR code is scanned at the border using an optical reader.

The scheme does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — this is stated in the section on its scope.

• A job offer is not required before applying
• One application, one assessment pathway at a time
• Selection takes place through events, not on a first-come, first-served basis
• The scheme does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, or North Korea.

Four preliminary conditions

Age: the applicant must be 18 or older at the time of application under the scheme.

Financial self-sufficiency: the applicant must demonstrate the ability to support themselves and any dependants — covering both living costs and accommodation — from their own financial resources, without relying on public assistance in Hong Kong during their stay.

Good character: the applicant must have no criminal convictions and no adverse immigration history — in Hong Kong or anywhere else. This must be declared, with full details, when applying through the online system.

Basic education: the applicant must have a strong educational background — usually a first degree from a recognized university or higher education institution. In exceptional circumstances, strong technical qualifications, demonstrated professional ability, and documented experience and achievements may be taken into account.

These are the four points where applications are screened out fastest: they are checked before any tests, and rejection at this stage is immediate.

• 18 years of age or older on the date of application
• Support yourself and your family without state assistance
• No criminal record, no adverse immigration history — anywhere.
• Usually a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university

General test: 12 criteria across six aspects

The criteria are listed in the scheme’s official guidance notes, and each one is a yes-or-no question, not a sliding scale.

Age: one criterion — the applicant is 50 years old or younger.

Education: two criteria — holding a master’s or doctoral degree from an eligible university; and that degree being in STEM, i.e. science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.

Languages: two criteria — the applicant is proficient in two languages, both written and spoken; and the applicant has written and spoken proficiency in English.

Work experience: four criteria — at least five years of graduate-level or professional experience; at least three years of that experience at multinational companies or reputable organisations, such as publicly listed companies or those on the Forbes Global 2000, Fortune Global 500, or Hurun China 500 lists; at least three years in one of the specified fields — innovation and technology, finance, or international trade, including cross-border maritime and aviation transport and supply chain management; and at least two years of experience with international exposure, meaning work outside the applicant’s home country.

Annual income: a single criterion — income reached one million Hong Kong dollars or more, or the equivalent in foreign currency, in the year immediately preceding the date of application.

Business ownership: two criteria — the applicant currently owns a business with an annual profit of at least HKD 5 million or equivalent; and the applicant currently owns a publicly listed company.

What exactly counts: universities, languages, income

Universities. Eligible institutions are those on the consolidated list maintained by the Labour and Welfare Bureau. The list is drawn from two sources: universities participating in the Top Talent Pass scheme and the top ten institutions in the QS Global MBA and Financial Times MBA rankings (graduate-only programmes) over the past five years. Qualifications issued by continuing-education and professional-education divisions, branch campuses, and affiliated schools of those universities are not accepted. Honorary master’s and doctoral degrees, and degrees from unaccredited institutions, are not accepted either.

Languages. For English, the department specifies particular results: IELTS with an overall band score of no less than 7.0; TOEFL with a score of no less than 94 on the internet-based version, or no less than 5 if the test was taken on or after 21 January 2026 on the 1–6 scale; or College English Test Band 6 administered under the supervision of China’s Ministry of Education with a score of no less than 520. For Chinese — passing the Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi or reaching at least level three in the HSK. A foreign language is defined as any language other than Chinese and English that is recognised as official by any country.

Income. Annual income means taxable income from employment or business, including salary, allowances, stock options and profit from own companies. Income from personal investments is not taken into account — this excludes those who live off a portfolio. A company is considered ’own’ when the holding is 50% or more.

Business ownership. A business is defined as a legally recognised company over which the applicant has legal and financial control: 50% or more of shares in a private company, or generally 10% or more in a public one.

Achievement test: two criteria and eight years at once

The second route is designed for people with exceptional talent, skills, and outstanding achievements. The department is straightforward about this: the bar for this route is very high.

There are two criteria, and one is enough. The first: the applicant has received an award for an exceptional achievement — examples given include an Olympic medal, a Nobel Prize, or a national or international award. The second: the applicant can demonstrate that their work has been recognised by peers or has made a significant contribution to their field — the example given is equally specific, a lifetime achievement award from an industry body.

Anyone who meets neither of the two criteria fails the route, and the application is rejected immediately. There are no intermediate outcomes.

Evidence of achievements may include published works, press coverage, scholarship and research award certificates, international award and honours certificates — in the latter two cases accompanied by details of the award, including selection criteria and information about the awarding organisation — proof of intellectual property rights such as copyright, trademark or patent, and letters of recommendation from industry colleagues on company letterhead, signed by an authorised person and stamped.

The reward for passing is not just a visa: this route grants eight years of stay right away, whereas the standard test gives you an initial period of 36 months.

• Award for exceptional achievement
• Recognition by peers or significant contribution to the field
• One of the two criteria is sufficient
• Not a single requirement met — immediate refusal

Length of stay and how it is extended

Under the general points test on entry, 36 months are typically granted — time-limited only, with no other conditions on stay.

To renew after these 36 months, applicants must provide evidence that they have taken steps to settle in Hong Kong — for example, by finding paid employment or establishing a business.

Further extensions carry higher requirements: the applicant must show they have settled in Hong Kong and made a contribution — for example, being in paid employment at graduate, professional or managerial level with a stable income, or having established or joined a business of reasonable size. Extensions, when approved, typically follow a 3+2 year scheme.

A separate rule applies to high earners: if a person admitted under the General Points Test has resided in Hong Kong for at least two years and their income assessable for salaries tax in the previous year of assessment was no less than HK$2,000,000, an extension of five years is normally granted. This is evidenced by a notice of salaries tax assessment issued by the Inland Revenue Department.

Points-based entry normally results in an eight-year permit; renewal requires demonstrating that the applicant can financially support themselves and any dependants.

Renewal application — within three months before the residence permit expires, and in any case no later than six weeks before the expiry date. Processing typically takes two to three weeks after all documents and payment have been received.

Family: who you can bring with you

The applicant may bring a spouse — or the other party to a same-sex or opposite-sex civil partnership, civil union, or same-sex marriage, entered into under the applicable local law of the place of registration and officially recognised by the authorities of that place — and unmarried dependent children under 18.

The requirement is simple and firm: the applicant must be able to support and house their dependants from their own financial resources, without relying on public assistance in Hong Kong.

The Department defines the concept separately and precisely: partnership and union means a legal institution similar in nature to marriage — registered with a competent authority, evidenced in writing, and involving a mutual commitment to permanent cohabitation to the exclusion of others. Common-law partners, cohabitants and those who are engaged do not fall within the definition.

Dependents’ length of stay is usually tied to the sponsor’s. Their renewals are considered only as long as they continue to meet the conditions of entry as dependents and the sponsor remains a bona fide resident of Hong Kong living in Hong Kong. A change in marital status or the death of the sponsor terminates the sponsorship.

Accompanying family members must be listed in the relevant section of the online application when you submit it.

• Spouse and registered partnerships recognised in the place of registration
• Unmarried dependent children under 18
• De facto partners, cohabitants and fiancés are not eligible
• Dependents’ duration is tied to the sponsor’s

Fees, switching from another scheme, and what comes next

The scheme is classified as a ’specified scheme’ for the purposes of Schedule 2 to the Immigration Regulations, and its fees are calculated under a dedicated tariff line. The application fee under a specified scheme is HK$600. A standard visa or entry permit issued upon approval of an application under a specified scheme costs HK$1,300 if the relevant period exceeds 180 days, and HK$600 if it does not. Changing the conditions of stay, including extending the period, costs the same: HK$1,300 or HK$600 depending on the period.

The application fee is non-refundable under any circumstances, regardless of the outcome.

A separate rule applies to people already in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong resident who entered under any immigration policy or scheme — including the General Employment Policy and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals — and who is subject to conditions of stay may apply under this scheme only on the condition that their application is assessed on the basis that they, their spouse, and dependent children are treated as new entrants with no right to land and remain in Hong Kong.

Moreover, if an applicant under the general talent test is in Hong Kong under any talent attraction scheme at the time of application or within six months before it, they must meet the criteria for both the entry application and the extension application — meaning they must already have a job with stable income or a business they have founded or joined.

And the ultimate goal that makes it all worthwhile. Those admitted under the scheme, having usually lived in Hong Kong continuously for at least seven years, are entitled to apply for permanent residence under the law. Until that point, a person remains a non-permanent resident — but does not need a re-entry visa to return, provided they return within the permitted period of stay and the circumstances under which they obtained their status have not changed.

Frequently asked questions

Verified September 8, 2026. The thresholds and amounts are tied to indicators that are reviewed annually — check the official source for your country before filing.