Wiselink Worldwide Limited
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme & Top Talent Pass Scheme
Hong Kong’s position as a global commercial and financial hub with full of opportunities, be it for advancing up your career ladder or realizing your dream. Living in Hong Kong will be an amazing experience. You will love this cosmopolitan city and earn valuable work experience in Hong Kong.
Wiselink Worldwide Limited provide a preliminary assessment for overseas individual and families to work and live in Hong Kong via Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and Top Talent Pass Scheme. We help all applicants & their dependants walk through the process to make the visa application and settle in HK.
1) Quality Migrant Admission Scheme
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) is a quota-based entrant scheme to attract highly skilled or talented persons to settle in Hong Kong in order to enhance Hong Kong’s economic competitiveness. All applicants are required to fulfill a set of prerequisites before they can be awarded points under one of the two points-based tests, namely the General Points Test and Achievement-based Points Test, and compete for quota allocation with other applicants. Successful applicants under the Scheme may bring their spouse and unmarried dependent children under the age of 18 to Hong Kong provided that they are capable of supporting and accommodating their dependants on their own financial resources without relying on public assistance in Hong Kong.
1.1 Selection Mechanism and Prerequisites
Successful applicants are not required to have secured an offer of local employment before their entry to Hong Kong for settlement. All applicants must satisfy all of the following prerequisites before they can be awarded points under one of the two points-based tests under the Scheme:
- Age – All applicants must be aged 18 or above when lodging an application under the Scheme.
- Financial Requirements – All applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are capable of supporting and accommodating themselves and their dependants, if any, on their own financial resources without relying on public assistance during their stay in Hong Kong.
- Good Character – All applicants should not have any criminal record or adverse immigration record in Hong Kong or elsewhere.
- Language Proficiency – All applicant should be proficient in written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English.
- Basic Educational Qualification – The applicant must have a good education background, normally a first degree from a recognized university or a tertiary educational institution. In special circumstances, good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities and/or experience and achievements supported by documentary evidence may be considered.
Two points-based tests:
- General Points Test – The prevailing minimum passing mark of General Points Test is 80 points, based on six point-scoring factors: age, academic/professional qualifications, work experience, talent list, language proficiency & family background. The minimum passing mark is subject to change from time to time without prior notice.
- Achievement-based Points Test – The Achievement-based Points Test caters for the entry of individuals with exceptional talent or skill who have outstanding achievements. They may choose to be assessed under a separate Achievement-based Points Test. Requirement under this test is very high. Those who are considered to have met one of the criteria under this test listed in the following paragraph will be awarded 245 points; otherwise, no point will be awarded. Applications which fail to score points under this test will be refused immediately. Points may be awarded under this test if the applicant: has received an award for exceptional achievement (e.g. Olympic Medal, Nobel Prize, or other national or international awards); or can show their work has been acknowledged by peers or significant contribution to the development of their field (e.g. lifetime achievement award from industry).
1.2 Process
- The QMAS application process normally takes 6 – 18 months from the date of submission.
- The Immigration Department will not be able to start processing the application unless all the required documents and information have been received.
- After the Immigration Department of Hong Kong receives your application, an acknowledgement will be mailed to your address within 2 – 4 weeks.
- The Immigration Department will conduct a selection exercise on a quarterly basis. During the selection exercise, you will be ranked according to the points you have secured.
- Under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, the core assessment standard is the socio-economic needs of Hong Kong. If the applicant satisfy the requirements in the Talent List, your chance of approval would be greater than others.
- The applicants who are allotted a quota in the selection exercise will be issued with an Approval-in-principle letter, which allows the applicants to enter Hong Kong on a visitor visa so that he/she can personally attend an interview and present originals of all documents submitted during the application. Dependents are not requested to attend the interview.
- Upon approval of the applications, the notification of the application result issued by the Immigration Department will include a webpage link for payment.
- Successful applicants will be issued with a visa/ entry permit (in the form of “e-Visa”) upon successful application and payment of fees under the Scheme for staying in Hong Kong.
1.3 Extension & Conditions of Stay
- Admitted through the General Points Test – Person admitted through the General Points Test under the Scheme will normally be granted an initial stay of 36 months (3 years) on time limitation only without other conditions of stay upon entry. To be eligible for further extension of stay will normally follow the 3 – 2 year pattern on time limitation only without other conditions of stay if a person admitted through the General Points Test under the Scheme is required to provide evidence demonstrating to the satisfaction of the Immigration Department such as he/she has settled in Hong Kong and has made contribution to Hong Kong, such as engaging in graduate, specialist or senior level gainful employment or establishing a business of a reasonable size in Hong Kong. If a person admitted through the General Points Test under the Scheme has been permitted to remain in Hong Kong for not less than two years and he/she has an assessable income for salaries tax of not less than HK$2 million in the previous year of tax assessment, an extension of stay on time limitation only without other conditions of stay for a period of five years may normally be granted. The applicant is required to provide documentary proof of the income level, e.g. notice of salaries tax assessment of the previous tax assessment year issued by the Inland Revenue Department or relevant tax documents.
- Admitted through the General Points Test – Persons admitted through the Achievement-based Points Test under the Scheme will normally be granted a stay of 8 years on time limitation only without other conditions of stay upon entry. Should an extension of stay be required, the applicant shall demonstrate that he/she is capable of supporting and accommodating himself/herself and his/her dependants, if any, on his/her own financial resources during his/her stay in Hong Kong.
2) Top Talent Pass Scheme
The Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) seeks to attract top talents with rich work experience and good academic qualifications from all over the world to explore opportunities in Hong Kong. These top talents include high-income talents and graduates from the world’s top universities. Successful TTPS applicant will normally be granted an initial stay of 24 months on time limitation only without other conditions of stay. Each applicant can only be granted such initial stay once.
2.1 Selection Mechanism
Persons who wish to apply to enter the HKSAR under the TTPS are not required to have secured an offer of employment in the HKSAR upon application. Applicants may choose to apply for the TTPS under one of the three categories as listed in paragraphs below:
- persons with annual income reaching HK$2.5 million or above, or its equivalent in foreign currency, in the year immediately preceding the date of application (Category A);
- degree graduates with at least three years of work experience over the past five years immediately preceding the date of application (Category B); or
- degree graduates in the past five years immediately preceding the date of application with less than three years of work experience, subject to an annual quota which is to be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis (Category C); however, Category C does not apply to those non-local students who have obtained the undergraduate qualification in a full-time and locally-accredited programme in the HKSAR.
- An application for a visa/entry permit to enter the HKSAR under the TTPS may be favourably considered if:
- there is no security objection and no known record of serious crime in respect of the applicant; and
- the annual quota is available for allotment (applicable to Category C’s applicants only).
- Overseas Chinese nationals holding People’s Republic of China (PRC) passports who meet the eligibility criteria stipulated above and normal immigration requirements may apply to enter the HKSAR for employment under the TTPS if:
- the applicant has permanent residence overseas; or
- the applicant has been residing overseas for at least one year immediately before the submission of application (“overseas” means countries or territories outside the Mainland, the HKSAR, the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) and Taiwan) and that the application is submitted from overseas.
In general, unless a person has the right of abode or right to land in the HKSAR, he/she requires:
- a visa/entry permit to work in the HKSAR. While each application is determined on its individual merits, an applicant should meet normal immigration requirements, such as holding a valid travel document with adequate returnability to his/her country of residence or citizenship;
- be of clear criminal record and raise no security or criminal concerns to the HKSAR; have no likelihood of becoming a burden on the HKSAR, etc, as well as the relevant specific eligibility criteria detailed above before he/she may be considered for the grant of a visa/entry permit.
It should be noted that the eligibility criteria may be subject to change from time to time without prior notice.
2.2 Process
- It normally takes 4 – 6 weeks to process visa/entry permit applications under the TTPS upon receipt of all the required documents.
- The Immigration Department will not be able to start processing the application unless all the required documents and information have been received.
- Upon approval, the notification of the application result issued by the Immigration Department will include a webpage link for payment.
- Successful applicants will be issued with a visa/ entry permit (in the form of “e-Visa”) upon successful application and payment of fees.
- All applications are processed and determined by the Immigration Department. Approval of applications is entirely discretionary and is subject to changes in government policies.
2.3 Extension & Conditions of Stay
Persons admitted under the TTPS will normally be granted an initial stay of 24 months (2 years) on time limitation only without other conditions of stay upon entry. They may apply for extension of stay in the HKSAR online within four weeks before their limit of stay expires. Upon applying for extension, they are required to have secured an offer of employment which is at a level commonly taken up by degree holders or persons with good professional/technical qualifications, proven professional abilities and/or relevant experience and achievements supported by documentary evidence, and the remuneration package is at market level. For those who have established or joined in business in the HKSAR, they are required to produce proof of their business. Successful applicants will normally be permitted to remain on time limitation only without other conditions of stay on the 3-3 year pattern.
Persons admitted under the TTPS who meet the criteria stipulated in the above paragraph and fulfil the following criteria at the time of application for extension of stay may apply for assessment under the top-tier employment stream:
- the applicant has been permitted to remain in the HKSAR under the TTPS for not less than two years; and
- the applicant has an assessable income for salaries tax of not less than HK$2 million in the previous year of tax assessment.
Persons admitted under the TTPS, who are on time limitation only without other conditions of stay, are free to take up and change employment or to establish or join in business in the HKSAR during their permitted stay without the need to seek prior approval from the Director of Immigration.
3) Right of Abode
Upon completion of a continuous period of ordinary residence in Hong Kong for not less than 7 years, the admitted person and/or his/her dependants under the Scheme may apply for the right of abode in Hong Kong in accordance with the law.
4) Important Notice
- The two schemes are not applicable to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of), Nepal and Vietnam.
- Interested parties are advised to assess whether their credentials are adequate to meet the minimum passing mark before submitting an application.
- If the applicants fail to provide satisfactory supporting documents showing that they meet all the above prerequisites, their application will be refused immediately.
- Any person who knowingly and wilfully makes a statement or gives information which he/she knows to be false or does not believe to be true under or for the purpose of the Scheme shall be guilty of an offence under the Laws of Hong Kong and is liable to prosecution and subsequent removal from Hong Kong. His/her application may be refused, and any visa / entry permit / extension of stay so granted or issued to him/her and his/her dependants and any conditions of stay so imposed on him/her and his/her dependants may become null and void.
- The Director of Immigration has absolute discretion to award points under the above two schemes to applicants as the Director thinks fit and to approve or refuse any application without giving any reason. The Scheme or details of the Scheme may also be subject to change as the Director thinks fit without prior notice.
Wiselink Service Procedures
Wiselink Worldwide Limited conduct comprehensive services for:
- Consultation and advice during the entire process of application(s)
- Assistance with the preparation of supporting documents required ;
- Review of application information and documents gathered by the applicant(s);
- Preparation of custom-made document checklist and visa application forms;
- Drafting of authorization letter(s), statements of personal future plans and reference letters;
- Submission of the relevant application profile to the Immigration Department of Hong Kong;
- Monitoring with the related authorities of Hong Kong and keeping the applicants updated about the progress;
- Responding to Immigration Department of Hong Kong enquiries and/or the request(s) for additional supporting documents if necessary;
- Guidance on the interview after receiving the Approval-in-principle letter;
- Coordinating with the payment of all visa fees and collection of the approved visa label when application is approved;
- Assistance with the application of Hong Kong Identity Card(s) if necessary.