The Quality Migrant Admission Scheme is an entrant scheme. It is quota-based and seeks to attract highly skilled or talented persons who are fresh entrants not having the right to enter and remain in Hong Kong to settle in Hong Kong in order to enhance Hong Kong’s economic competitiveness in the global market. Successful applicants are not required to secure an offer of local employment before their entry to Hong Kong for settlement. All applicants are required to fulfill a set of prerequisites before they can be awarded points under one of the two points-based tests, namely the General Points Test and Achievement-based Points Test , and compete for quota allocation with other applicants. Successful applicants under the Scheme may bring their spouse and unmarried dependent children under the age of 18 to Hong Kong provided that they are capable of supporting and accommodating their dependants on their own financial resources without relying on public assistance in Hong Kong.
Stage 1: Prerequisites
All applicants under the Scheme are required to fulfill a set of prerequisites before they can be awarded points under one of the two points-based tests under the Scheme.
Stage 2: Points-based test
Applicants who have met all the prerequisites may choose to be assessed either under a General Points Test or Achievement-based Points Test. There are five point-scoring factors under the General Points Test and one point-scoring factor under the Achievement-based Points Test.
A minimum passing mark is set under the General Points Test. Persons who choose the General Points Test category are advised to assess whether their credentials are adequate to meet the minimum passing mark before submitting an application.
Stage 3: Selection exercise
Selection exercises will be done on a regular basis for quota allocation to applicants. During each selection exercise, applications which satisfy both the prerequisites and the minimum passing mark (under the General Points Test) or the one point-scoring factor (under the Achievement-based Points Test) will be ranked according to scores awarded. High scoring applications will be short-listed for further assessment. The Director of Immigration may seek advice from an Advisory Committee on the assessment, point-scoring and allocation of quota under the Scheme. The Advisory Committee comprises official and non-official members appointed by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR. The Advisory Committee will consider the socio-economic needs of Hong Kong, the sectoral mix of candidates and other relevant factors, and recommend to the Director of Immigration how best to allocate available quota in each selection exercise. High-scoring applications do not necessarily secure quota allotment. Results of each selection exercise will be published on the Immigration Department website. As it will take time to process applications, applicants may regard their applications as being under processing unless they have received a notification of refusal from the Immigration Department.
Stage 4: Approval-in-principle
Applicants who are allotted a quota in the selection exercise will be issued with an Approval-in-principle letter. Such applicants are required to come to Hong Kong to personally attend an interview and present originals of all documents submitted during the application to the Immigration Department for verification. They may enter Hong Kong on visitor conditions for this purpose.
An Approval-in-principle letter issued to an applicant does not automatically guarantee approval of his/her entry to or remain in Hong Kong under the Scheme.
Stage 5: Issue of visa/entry permit
If all original documents are satisfactorily verified and all relevant application procedures are finalized, the successful applicant will be issued with a visa/entry permit under the Scheme for stay in Hong Kong.
All applicants must satisfy all of the following prerequisites:
Age
The applicant must be aged 18 or above when lodging an application under the Scheme.
Financial requirement
The applicant must be able to demonstrate that he/she is capable of supporting and accommodating himself/herself and his/her dependants, if any, on his/her own financial resources without relying on public assistance during his/her stay in Hong Kong.
Good character
The applicant should not have any criminal record or adverse immigration record in Hong Kong or elsewhere.
Language proficiency
The applicant should be proficient in written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English.
Basic educational qualification
The applicant must have a good education background, normally a first degree from a recognized university or a tertiary educational institution. In special circumstances, good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities and/or experience and achievements supported by documentary evidence may be considered.
If the applicant fails to provide satisfactory supporting documents showing that he/she meets all the above prerequisites, his/her application will not be processed further and will be refused immediately.
Applicants who are allotted a quota in the selection exercise will be issued with an Approval-in-principle letter through which they are invited to come to Hong Kong to attend an interview in person and submit the original of a certificate of no criminal conviction, or the equivalent, from each country/territory where he/she has lived in for 12 months or longer in the 10 years immediately before the issuing date of the “Approval-in-principle” letter, and produce originals of all documents submitted during the application to the Immigration Department for verification. In addition to the above, an applicant who is a resident in the Mainland of China, including those who are currently residing in Hong Kong or Macao on a temporary basis, must submit a letter of consent from his/her present working unit or relevant Mainland authorities where his/her records are kept agreeing to release him/her to reside in Hong Kong. A sample of this letter of consent will be sent to the Mainland applicant together with the Approval-in-principle letter. Dependents of an applicant are not required to come to Hong Kong to attend the interview.
An Approval-in-principle is not a formal approval of a visa/entry permit under the Scheme. An applicant must fully satisfy the Immigration Department that all statements made or information provided during the application are true and complete before a formal approval could be granted.
After formal approval is granted, the applicant and his/her dependents, if any, will be issued with a visa/entry permit for stay in Hong Kong under the Scheme. The visa/entry permit label should be affixed onto a blank visa page of the applicant’s valid travel document for presentation to an immigration officer upon arrival in Hong Kong.
A Hong Kong resident who has previously entered Hong Kong pursuant to any immigration policy or scheme (including, but not limited to, the General Employment Policy and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals) and is subject to a condition/conditions of stay in Hong Kong may only apply under the Scheme on condition that his/her application will be assessed on the basis that the applicant, his/her spouse and dependent children(if any), are regarded as fresh entrants not having the right to enter and remain in Hong Kong. Upon formal approval, the applicant will be issued with a visa/entry permit under the Scheme.
A resident of the Mainland of China, including such a resident who is currently residing in Hong Kong or Macao on a temporary basis, is required to obtain a proper Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (EEP) and a relevant exit endorsement before coming to Hong Kong for residence under the Scheme if his/her application is approved. In case the EEP bearing the relevant exit endorsement of the applicant and/or his/her dependants, if any, is an electronic EEP, it should be presented together with the entry permit label issued to him/her under the Scheme for immigration arrival clearance.
An overseas Chinese national holding a PRC passport who submits an application from overseas and who has obtained overseas permanent residence or who has been residing overseas for at least one year immediately before submission of the application (“overseas” means places outside the Mainland, the HKSAR and the Macao SAR) may apply to come to Hong Kong for residence under the Scheme on strength of his/her valid PRC passport. The EEP and relevant exit endorsement mentioned in the above paragraph are not required for the purpose of entering Hong Kong under the Scheme in respect of the above mentioned overseas Chinese national.
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