HK's labour chief says new talent scheme receives ‘enthusiastic response’

Hone Kong authorities have received around 2,600 applications regarding to the talent attraction scheme that was launched last month, half of which were approved to work in Hong Kong, the labour minister revealed on Wednesday.

The city's secretary for labour and welfare Chris Sun told local press on 4 January, that the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) has received around 2,600 applications in one week and approved around 1,400 applications since it launched online last Wednesday. Some were approved within same day of application, while some were approved within a few days. “We have seen a very enthusiastic response,” he added.

When asked if most applicants came from Mainland China, Sun said that the "Hong Kong Talent Engage" website is launched recently with the central aim to let those who are interested in entering Hong Kong through different talent admission schemes can apply online as soon as possible. The authorities will continue to enrich the content of the online platform and analyse the identity of the applicants later. 

The scheme, which was open for applications in December 2022, seeks to attract top talents with rich work experience and good academic qualifications from all over the world to explore opportunities in Hong Kong. Under the Scheme, eligible people who wish to apply to enter Hong Kong will not be required to have secured an offer of employment in the city and can be granted 24 month's stay.

The eligibility criteria include persons with annual income reaching HK$2.5 million and above in the year immediately preceding the date of application, or degree graduates of the world's top 100 universities with at least three years of work experience over the past five years. Meanwhile, the degree holders of the top 100 universities with less than three years of working experience are subject to an annual quota of the scheme, which is allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Meanwhile, Sun is going on a seven-day visit to Singapore and Manila to tap overseas experience on talent recruitment, as well as exploring ways to better equip Filipino domestic helpers to meet the needs of Hong Kong’s aging society.

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