Last reviewed 6 Oct 2026
This is a plain-English summary of the official rules, not immigration advice. The Immigration Department (ImmD) pages linked below are the only authority; read them before you apply, and get professional advice if your case is unusual.
Which route fits you?
| You are… | Look at | Job offer needed first? | First visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| A high earner (HK$2.5m+ last year) | Top Talent Pass, Category A | No | 36 months |
| A graduate of an eligible university with 3+ years’ experience | Top Talent Pass, Category B | No | 24 months |
| A recent graduate of an eligible university | Top Talent Pass, Category C | No (quota applies) | 24 months |
| A STEM graduate hired for R&D by a company with a TechTAS quota | TechTAS | Yes, by that company | Up to 36 months |
| A non-local student graduating from a Hong Kong university | IANG | Not if you apply within 6 months | 24 months |
Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)
TTPS lets you come to Hong Kong to look for work or start a business without a job offer. You get a visa on “time limitation only”, so you are free to work, change jobs or found a company.
- Category A: annual income of HK$2.5 million or more (or the foreign-currency equivalent) in the year before you apply. First stay: 36 months.
- Category B: a bachelor’s degree from an eligible university and at least three years of work experience in the past five years. First stay: 24 months.
- Category C: a bachelor’s degree from an eligible university in the past five years, with less than three years of experience. There is a yearly quota, filled first come, first served. First stay: 24 months.
“Eligible university” means one on the government’s aggregate list, built from the Times Higher Education, QS, U.S. News and Shanghai Jiao Tong rankings plus some specialist schools. Check the list before you apply.
Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS)
TechTAS is a fast track for companies hiring non-local people to do research and development. The company applies first: it needs a quota from the Innovation and Technology Commission. The person it hires then applies for a visa with the company’s support.
The person must:
- be employed full time by the quota-holding company, mainly doing R&D in a technology area;
- hold at least a bachelor’s degree in a STEM subject from a university in the global top 100 of one of the major rankings (QS, Shanghai, Times Higher Education or U.S. News);
- have at least one year of relevant experience if they hold only a bachelor’s degree (none is needed with a master’s or doctorate);
- be paid no less than the market rate for the job.
ImmD aims to process complete applications in about two weeks. The first stay is 36 months or the length of the contract, whichever is shorter. Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea are excluded.
If you are a startup founder, TechTAS is a hiring tool: it helps you bring in R&D staff once your company is established, for example in a science park.
Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)
IANG is for non-local students who graduate from a full-time, locally accredited degree programme (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate of at least one academic year) in Hong Kong, or from eligible Greater Bay Area campuses of Hong Kong universities.
- Fresh graduates who apply within six months of graduating do not need a job offer.
- Returning graduates who apply later must already have a job at degree level with market-rate pay.
- Either way, the first stay is 24 months with no conditions other than the time limit, so you can work, change jobs or start a company.
- After that, extensions of three years are possible if you are in qualifying employment; people with assessable income of at least HK$2 million in the previous year may get six years instead.
ImmD says fresh-graduate applications take about two weeks and later ones about four.
Practical tips
- Apply from the official pages only. ImmD accepts applications online; be wary of agents promising shortcuts.
- Keep transcripts and payslips ready. Most delays come from missing documents.
- Founders: a visa with no conditions of stay (TTPS or IANG) is the simplest base for starting a company. Other routes tie you to one employer.
- Check the revision date. Each ImmD page shows when it last changed; the dates above are when we read them.