Nearly 120,000 talent admission applications approved in HK in first 10 months: Chris Sun

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun announced today (Nov. 27) that nearly 180,000 applications were received under various talent admission schemes in the first ten months of 2024, among which close to 120,000 were approved. Approximately 75,000 approved applicants have already arrived in Hong Kong, along with an additional 75,000 dependents accompanying these talents.

According to Sun, among the approved cases, 34,360 were under the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS), 9,423 under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS), and 21,296 under the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP).

To address HK's labor shortage, Chief Executive John Lee announced reforms to talent admission mechanisms in the 2024 Policy Address. Enhanced measures, effective from Nov. 1, include extending the initial visa validity for high-income individuals under the TTPS from two years to three years, expanding the list of eligible universities, and improving the criteria and arrangements for the General Points Test under the QMAS.

Sun stated that visa or entry permit applications submitted under the TTPS and the ASMTP are generally processed within four weeks after all required documents are provided. However, applications submitted before Nov. 1 under the General Points Test of the QMAS require longer processing times due to eligibility verification and consultation with the Advisory Committee on Admission of Quality Migrants and Professionals, typically taking six to nine months depending on case complexity.

Starting November 2024, the revamped General Points Test offers more objective and transparent scoring criteria, streamlining the application review process and improving approval efficiency. Existing applicants may opt to withdraw their previous applications and reapply under the new mechanism, which will result in shorter processing times.

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