Hong Kong top talent scheme’s 54% visa extension rate ‘ideal’, labour chief says

More than half of the professionals admitted to Hong Kong under a top talent scheme launched two years ago have applied to extend their stay, a rate that the city’s labour chief has hailed as “ideal”. Reviewing the Top Talent Pass Scheme, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han also revealed on Friday that the median monthly salary of those who had successfully extended their visas was HK$40,000 (US$5,128), while a quarter earned HK$80,000. Sun also dismissed concerns that the new arrivals had consumed Hong Kong resources, noting that half of those who had succeeded in extending their stay were aged 40 or below, while saying that small details in the scheme could be enhanced. The scheme, under which a two-year visa is usually issued to successful applicants, was launched by the government in December 2022 to counter a brain drain during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a closed-door media briefing on Friday, Sun revealed that the visas of 13,678 individuals had expired as of July 31, with 7,394 or 54 per cent submitting applications for an extension. Including 2,305 people whose visas had not expired before July 31 but who had already applied for extensions, the Immigration Department had received 9,699 applications in total. The department has processed 9,044 applications, with 94 per cent – or 8,511 – approved. “I find the extension application rate is ideal and satisfactory. That means one of every two talent who arrived in Hong Kong two years ago has managed to stay,” Sun said, noting that Britain’s graduate visa scheme had a 40 per cent extension application rate. He added that he did not think the application rate was related to Hong Kong’s attractiveness, saying talent schemes had always been “a two-way selection process” and the city had long been open. He said the department scrutinised visa renewal applications. Sun said the main reasons 533 individuals were unable to extend their visas was because they had supplied incomplete information or failed to submit documents as required. Yung Wing-ching, an assistant director of immigration, said failed cases included those whose monthly salaries were commission-based and no more than HK$10,000. He also said the department had conducted spot checks on companies that applicants claimed they had opened to see if the enterprises fulfilled the visa requirements. Meanwhile, a survey of the 8,511 successful applicants found that their median monthly salary was about HK$40,000, with around 25 per cent earning up to HK$80,000, 10 per cent making HK$120,000 or above, and 1 per cent earning HK$300,000, Sun said. Sun later added that around 20 per cent of the successful applicants responded to the survey. The top three sectors the successful applicants worked in were commerce and trade, financial services, and innovation and technology, the survey also found. As for the age breakdown, Sun said 53 per cent of the people successfully extending their visas were aged 40 or below. Nearly half of them had applied for dependant visas for their spouses and/or children. On average, they brought 1.7 children to the city, Sun added. A breakdown of dependant visa holders of successful applicants found that 28 per cent were employed, with a median monthly income of HK$30,000, while 37 per cent were studying locally, half of whom were enrolled in government-funded schools. While former chief executive Leung Chun-ying had earlier questioned whether the high number of arrivals under the talent scheme would add extra pressure on the city’s tight resources in education, health and housing, Sun dismissed such concerns. “I don’t see talent that has consumed Hong Kong’s medical resources. They are young while most of our resources go on senior residents,” he said. “And I don’t believe it is common for an applicant to apply for the visa just to give birth [in the city] for the sake of Hong Kong identities for their children.” He added: “Together the new talent will make a direct economic contribution of HK$34 billion to the city, accounting for 1.2 per cent of local gross domestic product [GDP].” The scheme requires applicants to have an annual income of at least HK$2.5 million (US$320,700) in the 12 months immediately before their application. The scheme is also open to graduates from the world’s top universities as selected by authorities who have been working for three of the past five years. Graduates with less than three years of experience can also apply, but the number accepted is capped at 10,000 annually. As of the end of July, nearly 140,000 applications had been received, with around 110,000 approved and over 90,000 having arrived in Hong Kong. Lawmaker Jesse Shang Hailong, who chairs the Hong Kong Top Talent Services Association, a group he set up to help new arrivals settle in the city, said the application rate was “expected and reasonable”. He said many of those who had chosen not to apply for an extension did so because their children had not enrolled in their desired schools or their competitiveness did not stand out in the local job market. Vegas Liu Tong, a human resources consultant from mainland China who has just successfully extended his visa, said the whole process took around a month. “I will have my first born in Hong Kong as I find the local English education is excellent,” he said.

Hong Kong top talent scheme’s 54% visa extension rate ‘ideal’, labour chief says

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Labour minister Chris Sun also dismisses concerns that new arrivals are using up resources

Labour minister Chris Sun also dismisses concerns that new arrivals are using up resources