In response to the travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Immigration Department introduced new measures to allow non-local students of universities in Hong Kong to apply for visas online so they can work in the city, under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) scheme. Through the government’s website , applicants can fill out the application forms and submit the supporting documents without being present in Hong Kong. As master’s students from the mainland, we welcome the department’s efforts to help non-local graduates and believe that the government should work with the local universities and mainland authorities to further simplify the paperwork. In addition to the application form, IANG applicants need to submit a photocopy of the page of their travel document containing the latest arrival stamp/landing slip/extension of stay label in Hong Kong. It is puzzling that this document is needed given that the Immigration Department should have such records in its databases. Regarding the requirement of transcripts of academic records and graduation certificates, instead of asking students for these documents, the department should create an online document-sharing system that allows the local universities, upon authorisation of the students, to send the documents directly to the immigration officers. Job vacancies for Hong Kong graduates fall 55 per cent amid protests, pandemic IANG applicants from the mainland are also required to submit a letter of consent from the applicant’s present working unit or relevant mainland authorities. We believe this requirement is unnecessary as most applicants studying in local universities do not belong to working units on the mainland. The Hong Kong government should review this policy, together with the mainland authorities, to ensure that non-local students’ rights are fully respected. Tingting Pan and Ying Dong, Kowloon Tong