Organisation Chart of the Visa and Policies Branch
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China but enjoys a high degree of autonomy over its affairs including immigration control. Article 154 of the Basic Law provides that the HKSAR Government may exercise immigration controls on entry into, stay in and departure from the HKSAR by persons from foreign states and regions. In other words, Hong Kong has maintained its own immigration control after its return to the Motherland, with autonomy over its immigration policy.
The Immigration Service in Hong Kong is committed to exercising effective immigration control and enforcing the laws, but equal emphasis is also placed on providing travel convenience and facilitation to tourists, business visitors and Hong Kong residents. The objectives of the department's work on visa control are therefore:
Persons who do not have the right of abode or right to land in Hong Kong require visas/entry permits before coming to Hong Kong for visit (except those who enjoy visa-free access under the prevailing immigration policy), employment, investment, training, residence or study. Such a pre-entry immigration examination system is effective in that it ensures only those who are qualified for entry under the prevailing immigration policy are admitted to Hong Kong. The system also ensures that undesirable persons are prevented from coming to Hong Kong.
To further expand the network for attracting talent, with effect from 1 November 2024, 13 top Mainland and overseas universities/institutions in the Mainland and overseas have been added to the list of eligible universities under the Top Talent Pass Scheme.
Commanded by an Assistant Director, the Visa and Policies Branch is responsible for the policy formulation and implementation regarding visas/entry permits and extension of stay. The branch comprises two divisions, namely the Visa Control (Policies) Division and the Visa Control (Operations) Division. Each division is headed by a Principal Immigration Officer. The major areas of work of the Visa and Policies Branch are:
Hong Kong has all along adopted an open immigration policy. Nationals of about 170 foreign countries and territories may come for business, social or pleasure visits visa-free for a stay ranging from 7 to 180 days.
There are separate arrangements for the entry of Mainland visitors. Those who wish to come to Hong Kong for visiting relatives or sightseeing should obtain an Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (EEP) and an appropriate exit endorsement from the Mainland authorities. They may stay in Hong Kong for a period from 7 to 90 days.
Visitors from the Mainland under the 'Individual Visit Scheme' (IVS) are permitted to remain in Hong Kong for a period of not more than 7 days upon each entry. The IVS was first introduced in 4 Guangdong cities and the number of eligible cities was gradually increased in the following years to a total of 49 Mainland cities in 2007, including all the 21 cities in Guangdong Province and 28 other cities, i.e. Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Taizhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Chengdu, Jinan, Shenyang, Dalian, Nanchang, Changsha, Nanning, Haikou, Guiyang, Kunming, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Changchun, Hefei and Wuhan.
With effect from 6 March 2024, the IVS has been expanded to cover Xi'an and Qingdao, and further expanded to cover Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and Urumqi since 27 May 2024.
Currently, the number of cities eligible for the IVS has been increased to 59, including all provincial capitals in the country. Residents of the cities may visit Hong Kong on an individual basis.
Shenzhen permanent residents holding EEPs which bear the 'one trip per week' Individual Visit Endorsement may visit Hong Kong once a week from Monday to Sunday for a period of not more than seven days.
With effect from 1 December 2024, the Central Government has resumed the multiple-entry IVS for Shenzhen permanent residents and implemented a new arrangement to expand the eligibility from Shenzhen permanent residents to Shenzhen non-permanent residents holding residence permits.
Mainland business people who wish to come to Hong Kong for business visits may apply to the Mainland authorities for business visit endorsements on their EEPs.
With effect from 6 May 2024, the period of stay for holders of an exit endorsement for business visit travelling to Hong Kong has been extended from 7 days to 14 days.
Taiwan residents holding a valid Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, commonly known as 'Tai Bao Zheng', may visit Hong Kong and stay for up to 30 days.
Eligible Taiwan residents may submit pre-arrival registration on their own through the 'Pre-arrival Registration for Taiwan Residents' e-Service platform on the GovHK website free of charge. The computer system will process the registration and display the result instantly. Each pre-arrival registration is valid for two months and good for two entries to Hong Kong as a visitor for a stay of up to 30 days on each landing. As at 31 December 2024, there had been around 3.9 million successful registrations.
At present, there are 19 APEC economies participating in and fully implementing the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) Scheme, namely Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam.
ABTC holders who have obtained pre-clearance from the participating economies may make multiple visa-free visits to these economies for a stay of up to two to three months on each occasion within the validity period of the card. ABTC holders visiting Hong Kong may use designated counters at control points of Hong Kong for immigration clearance. Those who have been granted pre-clearance by Hong Kong may also enrol for the e-Channel service.
ABTC holders may use the special service lanes at designated control points of participating economies regardless of whether pre-clearance has been granted by the economy concerned.
Special immigration lanes for ABTC holders are also provided by the United States and Canada at their international airports. However, ABTC holders are still required to meet the normal immigration requirements, such as presenting valid passports and, where applicable, visas of the United States or Canada.
As at 31 December 2024, over 150,000 ABTCs had been issued and over 940,000 requests for pre-clearance referred by other participating economies had been processed in Hong Kong.
The purpose of the 'Working Holiday Scheme' is to facilitate cultural and educational exchange and to strengthen bilateral relations between Hong Kong and the participating countries. Holders of national passports of the participating countries aged between 18 and 30, ordinarily residing in their home places and whose main intention of entry is holiday-making are eligible to come to Hong Kong under the scheme. Currently, the participating countries of the scheme include Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Participants are allowed to stay up to 12 months in Hong Kong for holiday and may take up short-term employment during their stay. As at 31 December 2024, over 17,200 applications had been approved by the department.
With effect from 23 January 2017, Indian nationals must apply for and successfully complete online pre-arrival registration before they can continue to enjoy 14-day visa-free visit or enter Hong Kong during transit (except those in direct transit by air and not leaving the airport transit area), unless they belong to one of the categories of persons who may continue to come to Hong Kong visa-free without pre-arrival registration. Indian nationals shall apply for pre-arrival registration through the 'Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals' platform on the GovHK website. Pre-arrival registration is free of charge. The computer system will process the registration and display the result instantly. Each pre-arrival registration is valid for 6 months and good for multiple visits to Hong Kong visa-free for a stay of up to 14 days on each visit during the validity period. As at 31 December 2024, there had been over 1.51 million successful registrations.
The department is fully committed to implementing various enhanced talent admission schemes in support of the government's initiatives of building Hong Kong into an international hub for talent.
The department has kept the visa control system and assessment procedures under constant review. New measures will be implemented as and when necessary to enhance the travel convenience for tourists and business visitors.
Multiple-journey visit visas may be issued to visa-required nationals who have a genuine need to visit Hong Kong frequently and have made 3 or more trouble-free visits to Hong Kong in the 12 months preceding the application, or can satisfy the department that their visits may bring benefits to Hong Kong.
In order to provide greater immigration convenience to Macao non-permanent residents, those aged 11 or above holding a valid Visit Permit for Residents of Macao to HKSAR (Visit Permit) may, after successful enrolment, use the e-Channel service as visitors at various control points in Hong Kong on the strength of their valid and enrolled Visit Permits.
To foster closer ties with countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), following the relaxation of criteria for Vietnamese nationals applying for multiple-entry visas for travel or business in 2023, the relaxation measure has been extended to include nationals of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar since 16 October 2024. Meanwhile, the validity period of multiple-entry visas for nationals of these four ASEAN countries has also been extended from two years to three years.
The department has put in place a fast-track arrangement for group visitors from ASEAN countries who submit their visa applications via local travel agents, so that the processing time of the applications can be significantly shortened to around two weeks upon receipt of all the required documents.
The government launched the Pilot Scheme for Arbitral Proceedings on 29 June 2020 for a period of two years to enable eligible foreign nationals who may visit Hong Kong visa-free to participate in arbitral proceedings in the HKSAR on a short-term basis as visitors. Upon review, the government announced on 28 February 2023 the extension of the Pilot Scheme for Arbitral Proceedings from 1 March 2023 to 28 Feburary 2025. Further, its scope has also been expanded to cover all visitors, including foreign nationals who require a visa to visit Hong Kong and residents of the Mainland, Macao and Taiwan.
The Pilot Scheme on Immigration Facilitation for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors has been implemented with effect from 1 June 2022.
Under the scheme, host organisations authorised by the relevant government bureaux/departments can issue invitation letters to relevant non-local talent in designated sectors. Invited persons may come to Hong Kong to participate in specified short-term activities as visitors, without the need to apply for employment visas/entry permits. Invited non-local talent must be talent in shortage or whose participation in specified short-term activities in Hong Kong is conducive to economic development or achievement of relevant policy objectives.
After review, the government regularised the scheme and expanded the scope of the scheme to cover more authorised organisations and designated activities, including adding 18 authorised organisations and expanding 1 designated short-term activity on 1 June 2024. Upon regularisation, the scheme has been named the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors, and continues to cover the existing 12 sectors (i.e. medical and healthcare, higher education, arts and culture, sports, heritage, creative industries, innovation and technology, the Hong Kong Laureate Forum, aviation, international/mega events, finance, and development and construction), while other arrangements remain unchanged.
In 2024, the scheme benefited over 16,000 non-local talent.
In support of the government's initiatives to attract and retain talent, as well as building Hong Kong into an international hub for talent, the department has continued to implement the various enhanced talent admission schemes, with a view to generating new impetus for Hong Kong's diversified development.
With effect from 1 November 2024, the General Points Test (GPT) under the QMAS has been enhanced by adopting clearer and more objective scoring criteria, as well as streamlining the application and selection process. The enhanced GPT replaced the original item-by-item scoring system with an assessment questionnaire comprising 12 assessment criteria across six major aspects, namely age, academic qualifications, language proficiency, work experience, income and business ownership. Applicants may submit applications if they meet a minimum of 6 assessment criteria. The department will pass the eligible applications to an assessment panel chaired by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, which will then provide advice to the Director of Immigration based on the selection results. There is no annual quota under the enhanced GPT.
To further expand the network for attracting talent, with effect from 1 November 2024, 13 top universities/institutions in the Mainland and overseas have been added to the list of eligible universities under the TTPS. As at the end of 2024, there was a total of 198 eligible institutions on the list.
With effect from 16 October 2024, the validity period of the first visa of applicants approved under Category A of the TTPS has been extended from two years to three years to facilitate their advance planning for relocation to Hong Kong with their families. The new measure also applies to Category A applicants whose applications were approved before the aforementioned date.
With effect from 1 November 2024, full-time non-local undergraduate students have been temporarily exempted from the restrictions on taking up part-time jobs to enhance their personal experience of working in Hong Kong, thereby increasing their incentive to stay in Hong Kong for development after graduation. Eligible full-time non-local undergraduate students are allowed to take up part-time employment within the duration of their approved course of study, with no restrictions on the number of working hours or the location.
In late 2022, GBA campus graduates were included in the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates on a trial basis for two years. The government announced in October 2024 that the arrangement would be extended for two years to the end of 2026.
The exit endorsement for talent has been implemented in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) on a pilot basis since 20 February 2023, with a view to providing GBA Mainland talent with convenience in travelling southbound to Hong Kong for exchanges and visits. The six categories of talent (i.e. outstanding talent, scientific research talent, education talent, healthcare talent, legal talent and other talent) who meet the eligibility criteria can apply to the Mainland authorities for the exit endorsement for talent. With the exit endorsement for talent on their EEPs, they may travel to and from Hong Kong multiple times for a period of not more than 30 days during each visit.
With effect from 6 May 2024, the exit endorsement for talent has been expanded to cover Beijing and Shanghai.
Electronic services for visa application have been extended to all visa types, including visas/entry permits for visits, employment, investment, training, residence and study, enabling applicants to complete the entire process of visa-related application online.
The TTPS has been launched on a trial basis with effect from 28 December 2022 for a period of two years to attract high-income talent and graduates from the world's top universities. Eligible talent include individuals whose annual salary reached HK$2.5 million or above in the year immediately preceding the date of application, individuals who graduated from eligible universities with three or more years of work experience over the past five years, and individuals who graduated from eligible universities in the past five years and have yet to fulfil the work experience requirement.
The pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the TTPS is 3-3-3 years (Category A) or 2-3-3 years (Categories B and C). Top-tier talent granted an extension of stay will normally be given an extension of stay on time limitation only without other conditions of stay for a period of 6 years. With effect from 1 November 2024, the acceptance period for applications for extension of stay under the TTPS has been temporarily advanced from 4 weeks to 3 months prior to the expiry of the current limit of stay. Since the implementation of the TTPS until the end of 2024, over 91,000 applications were approved.
Hong Kong is an international financial and business centre. Non-Mainland residents who possess special skills, knowledge or experience not readily available in but of value to Hong Kong and entrepreneurs who are in a position to make substantial contributions to the economy of Hong Kong may apply for entry to Hong Kong for employment/investment.
In 2024, a total of 35,058 professionals of various sectors from over 100 countries/territories were admitted to Hong Kong under the GEP for employment, either on a long-term or short-term basis, or for investment.
The objective of the ASMTP is to attract qualified Mainland talent and professionals to work in Hong Kong to meet the local demand for talent and enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness. This scheme places no sectoral restrictions. As at 31 December 2024, over 200,000 Mainland professionals of various sectors had been admitted to work in Hong Kong under the scheme.
Mainland professionals residing overseas may apply to come to Hong Kong for employment, provided that they apply from overseas and have been residing overseas for at least one year immediately before the submission of the application. Between November 2000 and December 2024, over 10,400 Mainland professionals residing overseas had been admitted to work in Hong Kong.
Under the GEP and the ASMTP, if the post offered falls under the 51 Industry Segments and Occupations that Hong Kong needs most as listed in the Talent List of Hong Kong, or the annual salary for the vacancy is HK$2 million or above, employers are not required to provide proof to substantiate their difficulties in local recruitment.
The pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the GEP and the ASMTP is 3-3-2 years. Top-tier talent granted permission to stay in Hong Kong follow a limit of stay pattern of 3-5 years.
The IANG was introduced to further attract non-local graduates to stay in/return to Hong Kong to work, so as to increase Hong Kong's human resources and competitiveness and enhance Hong Kong's attractiveness to non-local students.
Non-local graduates refer to non-local students who have obtained a degree at undergraduate level or a higher qualification in a full-time locally-accredited programme in Hong Kong.
Those who apply to stay and work in Hong Kong under the IANG within six months after the dates of their graduation (i.e. the dates shown on their graduation certificates) are classified as non-local recent graduates. They are not required to secure an offer of employment upon application. Non-local non-recent graduates are those who submit applications beyond six months of the dates of their graduation. They are required to secure an offer of employment upon application. Their applications will be favourably considered so long as the job is at a level commonly taken up by degree holders and the remuneration package is set at market level. Successful applicants are free to take up and change employment during their permitted stay without the need to seek prior approval from the department.
With effect from 28 December 2022, the applicable scope of the IANG has been expanded to cover persons who have obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification by completing a full-time programme offered by a higher education institution jointly established by universities of the Mainland and Hong Kong in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area. This arrangement was introduced on a trial basis for a period of two years. The government announced in October 2024 that the arrangement would be extended for two years to the end of 2026.
The pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the IANG is 2-3-3 years. The top-tier employment stream is also applicable to talent admitted under this scheme. Top-tier talent granted permission to stay in Hong Kong follow a limit of stay pattern of 2-6 years. As at 31 December 2024, over 160,000 non-local graduates had been approved to work in Hong Kong under the IANG.
The government launched the TechTAS in June 2018 to allow eligible technology companies/institutes to apply for importation of non-local technology talent to undertake research and development work in Hong Kong through a fast-track arrangement. Eligible technology companies/institutes would first have to apply for quotas. A company/institute allotted quotas by the Innovation and Technology Commission can accordingly sponsor eligible persons to apply to the department for employment visas/entry permits within the 24-month quota validity period.
The pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the TechTAS is 3-3-2 years. Top-tier talent granted permission to stay in Hong Kong follow a limit of stay pattern of 3-5 years. As at 31 December 2024, a total of 583 applicants had been admitted under the scheme.
The QMAS is quota-based and operated on a points-based system. It seeks to attract highly skilled or talented persons from around the world to settle in Hong Kong with a view to enhancing Hong Kong's economic competitiveness in the globalised market. Successful applicants are not required to secure an offer of local employment before taking up residence in Hong Kong. All applicants are required to fulfil a set of prerequisites before they can choose to be assessed under either the GPT or the Achievement-based Points Test (APT). There are 12 assessment criteria under the GPT, whereas applicants assessed under the APT may only be awarded points if they meet one of the following criteria: (i) having received an award of exceptional achievement (e.g. Olympic medal, Nobel Prize, national/international award); or (ii) being able to prove that their work has been acknowledged by their peers or has contributed significantly to the development of their field (e.g. having received a lifetime achievement award from the industry).
The pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the QMAS is 3-3-2 years. Top-tier talent granted permission to stay in Hong Kong follow a limit of stay pattern of 3-5 years. As at 31 December 2024, over 36,700 applicants had been successfully selected by the Advisory Committee on Admission of Quality Migrants and Professionals or the government's assessment panel under the scheme (including 392 applicants who had been awarded 30 bonus points for meeting the requirements of the Talent List).
The ASSG has been implemented to attract the second generation of Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents who have emigrated overseas to return to Hong Kong for development. There is no quota under this scheme and applicants are not required to have secured an offer of employment before entry.
The pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the ASSG is 2-3-3 years. The top-tier employment stream is also applicable to talent admitted under this scheme. Top-tier talent granted permission to stay in Hong Kong follow a limit of stay pattern of 2-6 years. As at 31 December 2024, a total of 750 applications had been approved by the department.
The government launched the Special Scheme on 19 June 2023 to allow operators of residential care homes having difficulties in recruiting suitable care workers locally to import care workers, with a total quota capped at 7,000, including the 4,000 plus care workers who have been previously approved under the Supplementary Labour Scheme and working in Hong Kong. The government announced in July 2024 that the quota would be increased by 8,000 to a cap of 15,000 for residential care homes to apply for by batches in the following three years. Since the implementation of the Special Scheme until the end of 2024, the department received a total of 6,233 visa/entry permit applications for imported care workers, of which 5,904 applications were approved.
The government introduced on 17 July 2023 the Sector-specific Schemes to allow employers of the construction and the transport sectors (including the aviation industry and the public light bus/coach trade) to apply for quotas for importation of labour subject to fulfilment of the specified parameters, comprising 12,000 for the construction sector and 8,000 for the transport sector, of which 6,300 were for the aviation industry and 1,700 for the public light bus/coach trade. As at the end of 2024, a total of 14,937 applications were approved by the department.
The SLS aimed to import workers on a limited scale for relieving shortage of labour by filling vacancies which could not be filled by local workers. The scheme is monitored by the Labour Advisory Board, which comprises representatives from employers and labour unions. To alleviate the manpower shortage across different sectors, the government implemented enhancement measures on the SLS and renamed it as ESLS on 4 September 2023. Relevant enhancement measures included suspending the general exclusion of 26 job categories as well as unskilled/low-skilled posts from the SLS for two years. Meanwhile, the department also relaxed the limit of stay of imported workers from a maximum of 12 months to a maximum of 24 months. In 2024, 17,832 applications under the ESLS were approved by the department.
Foreign domestic helpers are allowed to work in Hong Kong to relieve many families of household chores. Their employment is on a two-year contract basis. As at 31 December 2024, there were over 360,000 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong, of whom about 55 per cent and 42 per cent were from the Philippines and Indonesia respectively.
Foreign students are allowed to take up studies in private schools registered under the Education Ordinance and the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance. They may also apply for entry into Hong Kong to take up studies in full-time locally-accredited post-secondary programmes, including short-term courses, or part-time locally-accredited taught postgraduate local programmes; to go on exchanges in full-time locally-accredited local programmes at sub-degree level for not more than six months or in full-time locally-accredited local or non-local programmes at undergraduate or above level for not more than one year; or to enrol in full-time courses on the register of non-local higher education or professional courses as set up under the Non-local Higher and Professional Education (Regulation) Ordinance.
Chinese residents of the Mainland, Macao SAR and Taiwan may apply for entry to take up studies in full-time locally-accredited post-secondary local or non-local programmes (in respect of non-local programmes, with effect from the 2016/17 academic year, Mainland students may apply for entry to take up studies in full-time locally-accredited non-local programmes at undergraduate or above level which have been approved by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China), or part-time locally-accredited taught postgraduate local programmes (the programmes to be taken up by Mainland students must be offered by the University Grants Committee-funded institutions); to go on exchanges in full-time locally-accredited local programmes at sub-degree level for not more than six months or in full-time locally-accredited local or non-local programmes at undergraduate or above level for not more than one year (the programmes to be taken up by Mainland students must be local programmes); or to take up full-time short-term studies which fulfil relevant conditions. Mainland students may also attend secondary school level short-term exchange programmes approved by the Education Bureau for not more than two weeks, if accompanied by Mainland teachers.
Non-local students who fulfil relevant eligibility criteria may take up study/curriculum-related internship arranged or endorsed by the institutions that they are studying in. Furthermore, non-local students who fulfil relevant eligibility criteria may also take up part-time on-campus jobs throughout the year and summer jobs.
In 2024, 74,466 non-local students (including 65,284 Mainland students) were admitted for study in Hong Kong.
The department is committed to providing convenient and reliable visa application services for applicants.
The CIES aims at facilitating the entry for residence of persons who make capital investment in Hong Kong but would not be engaged in the running of business here. After review, the CIES has been suspended since 15 January 2015.
With a view to further enriching the talent pool and attracting more new capital to Hong Kong, the government implemented the New CIES on 1 March 2024. Under the New CIES, eligible investors who make investments of HK$30 million or above in financial assets such as stocks, funds, bonds, etc. and non-residential real estate in Hong Kong can apply for entry into Hong Kong.
With effect from 16 October 2024, applicants under the New CIES are allowed to invest in residential properties, provided that the transaction price of a single property must be HK$50 million or above. The total investment amount in real estate (the aggregate of all residential and non-residential properties) that counts towards meeting the minimum investment threshold is capped at HK$10 million.
Upon 'Formal Approval', applicants and their dependants (if any) will normally be granted permission to stay in Hong Kong for not more than 24 months on time limitation only, subject to the condition that the applicants continue to satisfy the requirements of the New CIES throughout the period. If the applicants continue to meet the Portfolio Maintenance Requirements under the New CIES as well as normal immigration requirements, they will normally be granted an extension of stay for not more than 3 years upon approval. They should follow the same procedures when applying for further extension of stay for not more than 3 years subsequently.
Since the implementation of the New CIES until 31 December 2024, 625 applicants had been given 'Approval-in-Principle' to enter and stay in Hong Kong on visitor status for not more than 180 days to make the committed investment. Meanwhile, a total of 215 applicants had been given 'Formal Approval' for entry for residence in Hong Kong.
In accordance with the prevailing immigration policy, for Hong Kong permanent residents or Hong Kong residents who are not subject to a limit of stay, persons who have been admitted to Hong Kong for employment (except foreign domestic helpers and imported workers) or study (in a full-time undergraduate or post-graduate local programme in a local degree-awarding institution), or persons who have been admitted under the TTPS, the CIES, the QMAS or the ASSG, their spouse; or the other party to a same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, 'same-sex marriage', opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union entered into by them in accordance with the local law in force of the place of celebration and with such status being legally and officially recognised by the local authorities of the place of celebration; and their unmarried dependent children under the age of 18 may apply for entry for residence as dependants in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, for Hong Kong permanent residents or Hong Kong residents who are not subject to a limit of stay, their parents aged 60 or above may also apply for entry for residence as dependants in Hong Kong. Dependency is an essential element of the policy on entry of dependants. The sponsors must be able to support the dependants' living at a standard well above the subsistence level and provide them with suitable accommodation in Hong Kong. In 2024, 108,410 dependant visas/entry permits were issued.
The entry of Mainland residents into Hong Kong for residence is provided for under Article 22 of the Basic Law. It states that, 'For entry into the HKSAR, people from other parts of China must apply for approval. Among them, the number of persons who enter the Region for the purpose of settlement shall be determined by the competent authorities of the Central People's Government after consulting the government of the Region'. Residents from the Mainland may come to Hong Kong for settlement through the One-way Permit Scheme. The scheme, mainly to facilitate family reunion, effectively regulates the entry of Mainland residents into Hong Kong for settlement.
One-way Permits are issued by the relevant authorities of the Public Security Bureau in the Mainland. The daily quota of One-way Permits is 150, including 60 reserved for persons who were born in the Mainland and have the right of abode in Hong Kong by descent from their either parent in accordance with Article 24(2)(3) of the Basic Law, and 30 reserved for long separated spouses. In 2024, 39,958 Mainland residents entered Hong Kong for settlement through the One-way Permit Scheme.
Persons claiming the right of abode in Hong Kong under Article 24(2)(3) of the Basic Law would need to have their claims verified by the relevant authorities and be issued with a Certificate of Entitlement, which would be affixed to their One-way Permits/valid travel documents, before they could establish their status as a permanent resident in Hong Kong. As at 31 December 2024, over 243,000 persons had entered Hong Kong under the scheme.
Any appeals against the Director of Immigration's decisions of not issuing Certificates of Entitlement or certified duplicates could be made to the Immigration Tribunal. As at 31 December 2024, over 1,570 appeals had been received from the Immigration Tribunal.