Begin a new life in Hong Kong

Literally meaning “fragrant harbour” in Chinese, Hong Kong offers endless possibilities.

Living in Hong Kong is a rewarding, as well as exciting, prospect. You can expect to make a lucrative career while you live and work in Hong Kong. There is a lot of culture to be discovered in the meanwhile.

Hong Kong has a long and impressive history of welcoming foreign workers and expats.

Offering rewarding career opportunities, Hong Kong is regarded to be an important gateway into the global market for many multinational companies. Hong Kong has many job opportunities in the financial sector, as well as in tech, HR, and advertising.

A vibrant city, Hong Kong offers a gateway into Mainland China.

About Hong Kong

A special administrative region of China, Hong Kong is located to the east of the Pearl River on the South China Sea delta.

Hong Kong is officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

Hong Kong is made up of Hong Kong Island, Ngong Shuen Island, the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories (includes the mainland area and 230 islands leased from China).

The entire territory came to be returned to China on July 1, 1997, in keeping with the Chinese-British joint declaration. While Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China in 1997, the Basic Law allows for a high level of autonomy.

The population of Hong Kong is around 7.5 million individuals. A majority of the population is of Chinese ethnicity. Other significant national groups include those from the Philippines, Indonesia, and India.

Initially developed based on its excellent natural harbour, Hong Kong has expanded across the years. Today, Hong Kong has emerged to be a prominent trade and financial centre.

The world’s 8th largest trading economy, Hong Kong’s economy is characterized by minimum government intervention, low taxation, and free trade.

Prominent cities in Hong Kong –

• Hong Kong (city)
• Kowloon
• Tai Po
• Wong Tai Sin
• Tsuen Wan
• Sha Tin
• Wan Chai
• Sai Kung
• Tung Chung
• Tuen Mun

Why settle in Hong Kong

With a modern and prosperous working environment, Hong Kong is among the wealthiest countries in the world.

The local language of Hong Kong is Cantonese. However, English is the de facto second language.

Hong Kong holds the unmistakable promise of a wonderfully privileged lifestyle, along with a great social life.

You can work in Hong Kong when in the country as a dependent of a Hong Kong visa holder. Setting up own business – either as a limited company or a proprietorship business – is also a generally easy process.

Hong Kong welcomes professionals and talent – skilled workers, experts, and entrepreneurs – from across the world to work, invest, and live in Hong Kong.

Many talent admission schemes are available as part of an initiative by the government.

Admission schemes for talent, professionals and entrepreneurs include, among others –

• General Employment Policy (GEP) (for non-Mainland residents) – Professionals
• General Employment Policy (GEP) (for non-Mainland residents) – Entrepreneurs
• Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
• Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS)
• Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)

Based on an annual quota, Hong Kong’s Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) seeks to attract talented or highly-skilled individuals to settle in Hong Kong, thereby enhancing Hong Kong’s global competitiveness on a global scale.  

No Hong Kong job offer is needed for entering the country for settlement purposes under the QMAS. Applicants will be required to fulfill a set of pre-requisites to be allotted points under any of the two points-based tests – the Achievement-based Points Test, and the General Points Test.

Factors	Points	Claimed Points
1	Age (Maximum 30 points)
	18-39	30
	40-44	20
	45-50	15
	51 or above	0
2	Academic/Professional Qualifications (Maximum 70 points)
	Doctoral Degree / Two or more master’s degrees	40
	Master’s Degree / Two or more bachelor’s degrees	20
	Bachelor’s Degree / Professional Qualification awarded by a nationally or internationally recognized or acclaimed professional body which demonstrates that the holder has a very high level of technical expertise or skill	10
	Additional points if a degree at bachelor level or higher is awarded by a renowned institution recognized internationally (Note1)	30
3	Work Experience (Maximum 75 points)
	Not less than 10 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience, including at least 5 years in a senior role	40
	Not less than 5 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience, including at least 2 years in a senior role	30
	Not less than 5 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience	15
	Not less than 2 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience	5
	Additional points for not less than 2 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience with international exposure (Note2)	15
	Additional points for not less than 3 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience in multi-national companies (MNCs) or reputable enterprises, such as listed companies or companies on the lists of The Global 2000 by Forbes, the Fortune Global 500 and the Hurun China 500	20
4	Talent List (Maximum 30 points) (Note3)
	Additional points if meeting the specifications of the respective profession under the Talent List	30
5	Language Proficiency (Maximum 20 points)
	Being proficient both in written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) and English	20
	Being proficient in at least one foreign language (written and spoken) in addition to written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English	15
	Being proficient in written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English	10
6	Family Background (Maximum 20 points)
6.1	At least one immediate family member (married spouse, parents, siblings, children) is a Hong Kong permanent resident residing in Hong Kong (Note4)	5
6.2	Accompanying married spouse is educated to the equivalent level of a degree or above (Note4)	5
6.3	5 points for each accompanying unmarried dependent child under the age of 18, maximum 10 points	5/10
	Maximum  245 points

Successful entrants might bring along their spouse/partner and unmarried children below 18 years of age when they come to Hong Kong. The dependent’s length of stay in Hong Kong will be as per that of the principal applicant,

Dependents can study or take up employment while in Hong Kong.

Permanent residence in Hong Kong

After seven years of continuous residence in Hong Kong, entrants and their dependents become eligible for applying for Hong Kong permanent resident status.

How can Y-Axis help you?

Y-Axis provides you with unbiased immigration advice, helping you to select the best overseas option for yourself, based on your educational background, qualifications, requirements, and preferences.