Hong Kong SAR: Key Updates for Top Talent Pass Scheme and Quality Migrant Scheme Introduced

Update – March 10, 2025: The Hong Kong SAR government has updated its Talent List, which took effect on March 1, 2025. The updated list now includes 60 professions facing local talent shortages, allowing eligible foreign professionals to benefit from streamlined immigration under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS), General Employment Policy (GEP), and Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP). Nine new professions have been added in key industries: financial services (accountants, financial professionals with Islamic market experience, commodities trading professionals), innovation & technology (systems architects, patent professionals), legal & dispute resolution (legal knowledge engineers), and aviation & shipping (ship surveyors, green shipping professionals, aircraft maintenance engineers).

Additionally, employers hiring professionals on the Talent List through the GEP and ASMTP no longer need to prove local recruitment difficulties, expediting the hiring process.

November 13, 2024: The Hong Kong SAR government has introduced significant updates to its Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) and Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) to increase flexibility and attract more foreign professionals.

First, under the enhanced TTPS, Top Talent Pass holders now have up to three months before their visa expiration to submit renewal applications, an extension from the previous four-week deadline. Additionally, 13 top universities from Mainland China and overseas have been added to the TTPS list, increasing the total to 198 eligible universities. For Category A TTPS applicants with an annual income of HKD 2,500,00 or more, the initial visa validity has been extended to three years.

Separately, the government updated the QMAS, a points-based talent admission program launched in 2006. The General Points Test now features a more objective, streamlined assessment process through a 12-criteria questionnaire that evaluates applicants’ age, qualifications and income. The system has no annual quotas and incorporates a new online platform to facilitate faster application processing, where applicants must check at least six out of the 12 criteria boxes to proceed, with officials scoring candidates through an internal system based on Hong Kong SAR’s evolving needs (although the scoring specifics remain undisclosed). Lastly, the language requirements have been simplified as applicants now only need to confirm proficiency in two languages, and there are no specific requirements for Chinese language abilities.