Hong Kong approves 5,800 applications for new talent scheme, but lawmaker says focus should be on how many stay
- Johnny Ng, lawmaker and entrepreneur, says initiative’s success should be gauged by how many people end up staying long term
- Only 470 applications granted to those earning no less than HK$2.5 million in the previous year – an alternative criterion for new visas
Hong Kong has approved about 5,800 applications for a scheme aimed at luring global talent since its launch in December, but one entrepreneur turned lawmaker urged the government to keep track of how many end up staying in the city long term to better gauge the success of the initiative.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han on Wednesday revealed in a written reply to the Legislative Council that his bureau had received 7,417 applications as of January 27.
Most visas under the new initiative so far have been given to those aged 18 to 30 and recent graduates from top international universities with at least three years of work experience.
About 5,300 applications had been received by mid-January.
The scheme started accepting applications on December 28 for those who had earned more than HK$2.5 million (US$318,470) over the past 12 months and graduates from the world’s top 100 universities who had been working for three of the past five years.