Hong Kong talent scheme: 10,810 have signed up, with half being elite graduates worldwide and a sixth comprising top earners making HK$2.5 million or more annually
- Labour minister Chris Sun reveals figures on Wednesday, says about 8,400 applications processed, among which some 7,700 already approved
- Two-thirds of applicants live on mainland, according to latest figures from Labour and Welfare Bureau
Hong Kong’s new talent scheme has received 10,810 applications nearly two months after its launch, with half of the candidates being recent graduates from the world’s top universities and a sixth comprising high earners.
As of Monday, 8,395 applications had been processed by the Immigration Department, of which 7,689 – or 92 per cent – had been approved. About two-thirds of the applicants were from mainland China, according to the latest figures from the Labour and Welfare Bureau.
Speaking to the media after an informal exchange with lawmakers in the legislature on Wednesday, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han noted that most of the applications came from young people, with those aged under 30 accounting for half, while 97 per cent of the total were 50 or younger.
Half of all applications also came from graduates of the top 100 universities worldwide and have more than three years of work experience. People earning HK$2.5 million (US$318,500) or more in annual income roughly formed a sixth of applicants, Sun said.
The Top Talent Pass Scheme, which offers successful candidates a two-year visa, was announced by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in his maiden policy address in October under a drive to lure professionals and top graduates amid a brain drain.
The scheme, officially launched on December 28, is open to individuals who have earned no less than HK$2.5 million over the past 12 months and graduates from the world’s top 100 universities who have been working for three of the past five years.
The government has not set any limit on the number of applicants from either group.