Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of the most coveted immigration destinations, as it is becoming an economic, social and cultural centre for the Asia-Pacific region. Immigration to Hong Kong can improve your quality of life, but it can also add great value to your resume and boost your career prospects. The following are the roads for immigration from Hong Kong.

1. Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)

2. General Employment Policy

Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)

The Quality Immigration Admission Scheme (QMAS) is a quota-based immigration scheme for entry into Hong Kong. It is aimed at qualified individuals and entrepreneurs who wish to decide to immigrate to Hong Kong to pursue a career or start a business. To secure entry to the port city under QMAS, Hong Kong work visa applicants must meet several requirements, pass a points-based test and apply for fee allocation. Successful applicants will be issued a one-year Hong Kong work visa, allowing them to bring their families as long as they can support them with their own income. The eligibility criteria for the program are as follows.

Eligibility Requirements:

•   Applicants who intend to immigrate to Hong Kong must be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
•   Applicants intending to immigrate to Hong Kong must be able to be financially self-sufficient to obtain housing and support their dependents.
•   Applicants applying for a Hong Kong work visa must not have a criminal record or negative entry record from Hong Kong. Applicants must be able to present a criminal record certificate for all countries where they have stayed for more than 12 months in the past 10 years.
•   Applicants who intend to immigrate to Hong Kong must provide proof of spoken or written language proficiency in both Chinese and English. Applicants with an average IELTS score of 6.0 are eligible to apply under QMAS.
•   Ideally, applicants for a Hong Kong work visa should hold a university degree from a recognized leading university/institution. If applicants considered for immigration to Hong Kong are not eligible, their professional qualifications, work experience and achievements will be considered. Hong Kong work visa applicants with an advanced university degree have a good chance of being accepted.

Pathways for Hong Kong Immigration under QMAS

The following are the step by step pathways that one would need to go through in order to apply for immigration to Hong Kong under QMAS:

•   Meeting eligibility criteria and prerequisites.
•   Points-based test
•   Quota allocation through Selection exercise.
•   Approval-in-principle
•   Issue of visa under QMAS
•   Dependents of visa holder

General Employment Policy

This visa is for applicants who wish to enter/stay in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) under the general employment policy.

Eligibility criteria

•   Applicants must have a clean criminal record.
•   Applicants must have a sound educational background and a first-class degree in a relevant field of study. In special cases, professional qualifications and relevant experience will also be taken into account.
•   Applicants must have a confirmed job offer for a position relevant to their qualifications and experience, and the vacancy for that position is real and not filled by the local workforce..
•   The remuneration offered must be in line with the prevailing market level for employees holding similar positions in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Criteria for dependents

After the visa is approved, as long as the following conditions are met, the immediate family members of the main applicant can accompany the applicant.

•   There must be reasonable evidence of a genuine relationship between the main applicant and the dependants. The proof can be proved by relevant documents such as marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.
•   There is no reason to believe that this will be harmful to a loved one.
•   The main applicant can support dependents well above the living standard and accommodate them.