Hong Kong graduate visa (IANG)

Recent graduates apply within six months of the graduation date. They do not need a job offer, and if the certificate has not yet been issued they can apply with the institution's proof of graduation. Non-recent graduates apply more than six months after graduation and must hold a job offer for a post normally taken by degree holders, at a market-level salary; applications meeting these conditions are normally viewed favourably.

IANG is for former non-local students who obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification in a full-time, locally accredited programme of at least one academic year in Hong Kong, awarded by an authorised institution listed by ImmD. Graduates of full-time programmes at campuses in Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area that were jointly set up by Mainland and Hong Kong universities are also covered. The arrangement is quota-free and not limited to particular sectors.

Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and the DPRK are excluded, and nationals of Laos, Nepal and Vietnam are limited to graduates of UGC-funded programmes.

Submit the application online through GovHK, upload the documents and pay the non-refundable HK$600 application fee. Non-recent graduates also upload the employer's documents: the employment contract or appointment letter, Business Registration Certificate, proof of financial standing and, for companies set up within 12 months, a business plan. Some of these are waived for listed companies or employers that obtained a visa for non-local staff in the past 24 months.

Processing normally takes about two weeks for recent graduates and about four weeks for non-recent graduates, and can be longer during the June to August peak. After approval you pay the issuance fee through the link in the notice and download the e-Visa.

Extensions are applied for within the three months before expiry and at least six weeks before. You need a degree-level job at market pay, or proof that you have established or joined a business in Hong Kong; successful applicants normally receive extensions on a 3+3 year pattern. After two years under IANG, holders with HK$2 million or more of assessable salaries-tax income in the previous year can normally receive six years in the top-tier stream.

Your spouse or registered partner and unmarried children under 18 can join you if you can support them well above subsistence level with suitable housing; they may work or study.

The first stay is normally 24 months on time limitation only, without other conditions, so you may look for work, take a job and change employer without asking ImmD first. Non-permanent residents do not need a re-entry visa if they return within their permitted stay and their circumstances have not changed.