Hong Kong government urged to expand criteria allowing overseas talent to pursue short-term work in city
- Pilot scheme currently allows overseas talent to apply for two-week work trip in Hong Kong without visa if invited by host organisations from authorised list
- But lawmaker Duncan Chiu urges government to expand list of host organisations and allow foreign professionals longer stay in city
The government should expand admission criteria for a pilot scheme that allows overseas talent to temporarily work in Hong Kong without a visa, a lawmaker and an adviser on innovation have said, ahead of a relaxation of Covid-19 travel curbs.
The scheme, which rolled out in June, allows overseas professionals from 10 designated industries to take up pro bono or paid jobs in Hong Kong for two weeks without applying for a work visa.
Under the current criteria, talent may qualify if they are involved in large-scale international events, as well as sectors such as innovation and technology, arts and culture, medical and healthcare, sports, higher education, heritage, aviation and the creative sector.
But lawmaker Duncan Chiu, who represents the technology sector, said the scope of the initiative was too narrow, as only select semi-official bodies approved by the Security Bureau, such as the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, could apply to invite people from overseas to come to the city on a visa-free basis.
“This won’t help to solve the manpower shortage in the industry,” he said, adding that innovation and technology experts from mainland China were among the professionals needed by local start-ups to help develop new software.
Eric Yeung Chuen-sing, an honorary president of the Smart City Consortium, which offers advice to the government on innovation, said the technology sector had not widely benefited from the scheme as it was mainly aimed at helping government-backed institutions host events.
“Attracting talents to come to Hong Kong would require other policies and facilities. For example, tech companies are excited about Hong Kong’s recent shift to the ‘0+3’ policy, even though we are still eagerly hoping for the mainland border to be reopened,” he said.
Hong Kong is set to implement a relaxed “0+3” entry scheme from Monday, with inbound travellers no longer required to undergo hotel quarantine and just three days of medical surveillance at home or in a hotel room.