Hong Kong talent visas: QMAS and TTPS

Category A is for people whose annual income reached HK$2.5 million or more, or the equivalent in foreign currency, in the year before applying. Employment income and profits from a self-owned company count; personal investment income does not. Category B is for holders of a bachelor's degree from an eligible university with at least three years of work experience in the five years before applying. Category C is for holders of a bachelor's degree from an eligible university obtained in the five years before applying, with less than three years of experience; it has an annual quota allotted first come, first served, and is not open to non-local students who took their undergraduate degree in a full-time locally accredited programme in Hong Kong.

Eligible universities are drawn from the top 100 of four international rankings plus other specified lists published by ImmD. A university outside Hong Kong is only eligible if it appears on that list, so check it before choosing Category B or C.

QMAS applicants must be at least 18, able to support themselves and their dependants without public assistance (with net worth sufficient for the first 12 months), free of any criminal or adverse immigration record, and normally hold a first degree from a recognised institution. Those who meet the prerequisites choose one of two routes.

The General Points Test has 12 criteria across six areas: age (50 or below), academic qualifications (a master's or doctorate from an eligible university, with extra credit for STEM), language skills (written and spoken proficiency in two languages, and in English), work experience (graduate or specialist experience, including in multinational companies or in fields such as innovation and technology, finance and international trade), annual income of HK$1 million or more, and family background. The Achievement-based Points Test is for people with exceptional achievements, such as an Olympic medal or a major national or international award, or work recognised by peers as a significant contribution to the field.

QMAS and TTPS are specified schemes: HK$600 non-refundable application fee per person, then a HK$1,300 issuance fee after approval for stays over 180 days. A spouse or registered partner and unmarried children under 18 can be included; under TTPS they may work or study, and under QMAS they must be supported from your own resources. Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and the DPRK are excluded from both schemes.

A passing threshold applies to the General Points Test, and applicants should check that they reach it before applying. ImmD runs selection exercises regularly; meeting the threshold makes an application eligible for consideration but does not guarantee approval, and applications meeting more criteria are viewed more favourably. A high-level Assessment Panel chaired by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare may advise the Director of Immigration. Applications are treated as still under processing until a result notice is issued.

QMAS through the General Points Test gives an initial 36 months; extensions normally follow a 3+2 pattern and depend on showing that you have settled and contributed in Hong Kong, with a five-year extension possible after two years for those with HK$2 million in assessable salaries-tax income. The Achievement-based route gives eight years, extendable if you remain self-supporting.

TTPS gives 36 months for Category A and 24 months for Categories B and C, on time limitation only, and only once per person. To extend, you must show employment with a stable income or a business established or joined in Hong Kong; extensions are normally up to three years, or six years in the top-tier stream after two years with HK$2 million in assessable income. For both schemes apply within the three months before expiry and at least six weeks before; extensions take about two to three weeks.