On January 1, 2026, the re-regulation of Hong Kong's Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) and the Highly Qualified Persons (HQP) Pass Scheme (hereinafter referred to as "HQP") came into effect. This is not a simple fine-tuning of policies, but is centered on the core logic of "accurately attracting quality talents + retaining practical talents in the long term".A full chain of upgrades to access thresholds, review criteria, and renewal requirements.

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The latest data from the Hong Kong Immigration Department shows that the number of enquiries on applications for Premium and High Talent Passes in the fourth quarter of 2025 surged by 1,20% compared with the previous quarter, behind which is precisely the applicants' eagerness to grasp the window period of the policy before the landing of the new regulations. For groups interested in planning for Hong Kong status, whether they can read and understand the core changes of the new regulations, step on the key time nodes, and lock the application strategy that suits them directly determines the success or failure of the 7-year permanent residence goal. In the following article, we will disassemble the key points of the new regulations for you one by one, and provide you with the planning guide that can be put into practice.

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Hi ~ I am the customer service of Enterprise Finance Group! We provide domestic (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, etc.) company registration, overseas (Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) company registration,Hong Kong Identity Card Application and Renewal ServicesWe also cover the whole chain of corporate services such as cross-border tax planning, equity structure design, compliance and risk control programs. Feel free to contact me at any time with your needs, Tel:16620947137, microsoft:Qicaiyingjituan(can be added by direct search)

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In-depth Explanation of the New Hong Kong Identity Rules::From "lenient entry, lenient renewal" to "strict entry, strict renewal"

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The core orientation of the new regulation: farewell to the speculative era of "getting status before planning".

Prior to 2026, the Talents and Professionals Pass became the mainstream route for Mainland talents to obtain Hong Kong status with convenience and speed. The core logic of the new regulation has shifted to "accurate screening", simultaneously tightening the entry threshold, tightening the renewal requirements, and making it clear that "the initial stay status will only be granted once", with no remedy for visa breaks, so as to completely eliminate speculative behavior of "obtaining the status before planning for the future". This completely eliminates the speculative behavior of "obtaining status before planning".

The adjustment releases three core signals:

First, it focuses on industrial adaptation, tilting towards key areas such as financial technology and biomedicine;

Secondly, we will strengthen the vetting of genuine residence and substantive contribution to weed out those with empty identities;

Third, strict control of material compliance, to eliminate the chaos of counterfeiting.

This means that the core of the 2026 HKID plan is the precise adaptation of policies and long-term compliance operations.

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Hi ~ I am the customer service of Enterprise Finance Group! We provide domestic (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, etc.) company registration, overseas (Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) company registration,Hong Kong Identity Card Application and Renewal ServicesWe also cover the whole chain of corporate services such as cross-border tax planning, equity structure design, compliance and risk control programs. Feel free to contact me at any time with your needs, Tel:16620947137, microsoft:Qicaiyingjituan(can be added by direct search)

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Dual re-regulation dismantling: a complete compendium of the thresholds and renewal points of the Premium Talent/High Talent passes

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New Rules of High Talent Pass: Dynamic Adjustment of Institution List, Implicit Increase of B/C Category Threshold, Quantification of Renewal Contribution

1. Dynamic adjustment of the list of institutions:The number of global eligible institutions has increased from 199 to 200 (5 new institutions and 4 excluded), and 23 Mainland universities have been retained but only recognized for full-time degrees; 10,000 quota per year for Category C on a first-come-first-served basis, so it is necessary to pay attention to the quota dynamics.

2. The B/C category threshold is implicitly raised:Category B needs to supplement the professional qualifications matching the post, and cross-sector applications need 3 years of relevant work results; Category C strengthens the authenticity audit of the scheme to go to Hong Kong, and blank letters of intent will be rejected.

3. Quantification of renewal contributions:Establishment of Hong Kong connection is required; renewal of visa must meet the "three choices" (monthly salary ≥HK$30,000/HK$40,000 for employment, self-employment with income tax, participation in key projects); the first stay status will be approved only once, and the status cannot be renewed if the visa is terminated.

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New Rules for Premium Talent: Tightened Scoring Rules, Dual-Track Audit System, and Upgraded Renewal Nexus

1. Tightening of the integrated scoring system:Only qualifications from eligible institutions are recognized; work experience requires triple proof of "social security + personal tax + recommendation letter", and multinational management experience requires a structural diagram; additional points for industrial suitability are added, and applicants are required to meet six assessment criteria.

2. Audit a two-track system:The potential contribution of the applicant will be assessed after the score is met. Those who have no industry qualification or plan to come to Hong Kong may be refused a visa, and it is not the case that the applicant will be granted a visa if he or she has enough scores.

3. Renewal of associated upgrades:Symbolic employment is not recognized. Employed persons are required to provide proof such as six months' salary flow, and self-employed persons are required to provide documents such as physical office and local customers, so as to eliminate shell companies from renewing their visas.

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Hi ~ I am the customer service of Enterprise Finance Group! We provide domestic (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, etc.) company registration, overseas (Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) company registration,Hong Kong Identity Card Application and Renewal ServicesWe also cover the whole chain of corporate services such as cross-border tax planning, equity structure design, compliance and risk control programs. Feel free to contact me at any time with your needs, Tel:16620947137, microsoft:Qicaiyingjituan(can be added by direct search)

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2026 Identity Planning Key Nodes::Advance on a timeline and avoid policy traps

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After the new regulations came into force, the "time window" and "key nodes" of Hong Kong identity planning have become clearer and clearer, and missing any part of the process may lead to prolonged planning cycle or even failure. The following 5 core nodes need to be grasped:

1. Application preparation period (1-3 months):Do an accurate assessment of your qualifications first, and identify the appropriate application path for you (Premier/Professionals A/B/C) to avoid blind submission. For Highly Talented Pass B/C category, you need to check whether your graduation institution is on the latest eligibility list; for Premium applicants, you need to accurately calculate the extra points against the scoring rules to ensure that you not only meet the required scores, but also adequately prepare your contribution supporting materials. Preparation of documents should be synchronized at this stage to avoid delay in application progress due to missing documents.

2. Application submission period (4-6 months):After the new regulations came into force, the review cycle has been extended from 1-2 months to 2-3 months, and it is recommended to avoid the low season of July-August summer vacation. High Talent Pass C applicants need to pay extra attention to the remaining quota situation. 2025 C quota will be sold out in October, 2026 is recommended to submit as early as possible to avoid missing the opportunity due to quota depletion.

3. Visa activation period (within 6 months after approval):Payment of the visa fee must be completed within 3 months after approval, and the visa must be activated in Hong Kong within another 3 months after receipt of the visa - the activation date is the starting date for the 7-year permanent residence calculation. In addition, you must apply for a Hong Kong Resident Identity Card within 30 days of your arrival in Hong Kong, and any delay will have a direct impact on the subsequent renewal of your visa.

4. Preparation period for renewal (3 months before the expiration of the initial period of stay):The new regulation relaxes the time for renewal application from "4 weeks prior to expiry" to "3 months prior to expiry", which is an important policy dividend. Applicants should sort out the three core documents of residence, work and contribution in advance, and focus on checking the consistency of the data, so as to avoid omission or discrepancy of the documents due to temporary preparation.

5. Application period for permanent residence (around the date of entry in the 7th year):Verify 6 months in advance whether the total number of days of residence in Hong Kong in the past 5 years has reached 730 days, if not, it is necessary to supplement the proof of "core living circle in Hong Kong" in a timely manner (e.g. local consumption records, proof of children's schooling in Hong Kong, etc.); and at the same time, systematically organize a complete record of 7 years of income, tax, and contribution to the workplace, to form a complete chain of evidence, so as to ensure that the application for permanent residence goes smoothly. Passed.

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Hi ~ I am the customer service of Enterprise Finance Group! We provide domestic (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, etc.) company registration, overseas (Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) company registration,Hong Kong Identity Card Application and Renewal ServicesWe also cover the whole chain of corporate services such as cross-border tax planning, equity structure design, compliance and risk control programs. Feel free to contact me at any time with your needs, Tel:16620947137, microsoft:Qicaiyingjituan(can be added by direct search)

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2026 HF Pit Avoidance Guide::5 Policy Red Lines Never to be Touched

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Under the background of the new regulations, the application vetting has become more and more stringent, the following five high-frequency "minefields" must be avoided, otherwise it may directly lead to the refusal of the visa or even be included in the Immigration Department's blacklist:

Minefield 1: Falsified/non-compliant academic materials.Highly talented applicants in B/C category submitting part-time academic qualifications such as self-study, post-secondary education, etc., or outstanding applicants misrepresenting their academic qualifications to gain extra points, will be refused visa directly upon verification and will be included in the Immigration Department's blacklist, which will affect all subsequent immigration-related applications.

Minefield 2: Insufficient Hong Kong connections.If you leave Hong Kong for a long period of time after activating your visa without keeping any record of your residence, consumption or work, you will be judged to have "no genuine intention to reside in Hong Kong" at the time of visa renewal, and your visa will be terminated without any chance of redress.

Minefield 3: Incomplete proof of income.High Talent Pass Category A applicants who only provide company profit statement without submitting personal dividend flow, personal tax payment certificate, etc., cannot prove that the income belongs to the individual, which will lead to application stagnation or even rejection.

Minefield 4: Self-employed shell operations.After registering a Hong Kong company, there is no actual business flow, no employees are employed, and only relying on a virtual address to cope with the renewal of the visa audit, which will be directly rejected once it is found, and will affect the subsequent other entry applications.

Minefield 5: Missing key time points.Failure to activate the visa within 6 months of approval, or failure to submit a renewal application 3 months prior to the expiration date, will result in the expiration of the status, and all of the preliminary planning will be for naught.

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Hi ~ I am the customer service of Enterprise Finance Group! We provide domestic (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, etc.) company registration, overseas (Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) company registration,Hong Kong Identity Card Application and Renewal ServicesWe also cover the whole chain of corporate services such as cross-border tax planning, equity structure design, compliance and risk control programs. Feel free to contact me at any time with your needs, Tel:16620947137, microsoft:Qicaiyingjituan(can be added by direct search)

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Recent Service Cases::Precise fit + professional operation, help smooth approval

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Case 1: Highly Talented Category A Application

Background:The main applicant is a business owner in the electrical machinery manufacturing industry, and the company's financial data is complicated. The core difficulty is how to clearly reflect the personal income in the material to meet the requirements of Highly Talented A. The main applicant is a business owner in the electrical machinery manufacturing industry.

Service focus:The Enterprise Caiying team comprehensively combed through the applicant's financial data in the past three years, accurately extracted valid tax certificates and corporate audit reports, and at the same time, deeply interpreted the company's industry status and the applicant's personal contribution, to ensure that the materials are clear and logical, in line with the requirements of the audit, and that the materials are molded in one go without any supplementary documents.

Results:The application was submitted on July 8, 2025 and successfully approved on December 18, 2025, and the applicant successfully obtained Hong Kong status together with his wife and children.

Case 2: Renewal of Senior Talent Category B

Background:The main applicant is coming to Hong Kong for development through the Highly Talented Person Class B Visa and his/her family members are working and living in Shanghai for a long period of time, so they need to apply for the renewal of the visa for the whole family at the same time.

Service focus:Our exclusive consultants take the initiative to follow up on the key points of the whole process, guiding customers to prepare the company's operational materials and personal materials, assisting in the completion of degree certification, reminding customers in advance to implement details such as renewal of MPF contributions and updating children's documents, accurately coordinating the timing of the submission to ensure that the whole family cooperates, and clearly informing customers of the follow-up process after approval.

Results:The service was initiated on August 18, 2025, and was successfully approved on December 19 (with no mid-course addendum), with the main applicant, spouse and children receiving simultaneous renewal permits.

Case 3: Hong Kong High Achiever Category C Application

Background:The client is a Canadian national and was in the UK at the time of application.

Service focus:Relying on the strong cross-border service capability of our professional team in Mainland China, we can realize "seamless cross-border application" without any geographical restriction - even if the clients are in the UK, they can efficiently promote the whole process through remote collaboration. At the same time, we accurately match the application strategy and optimize the presentation logic of the materials to the core requirements of Category C (graduates of the world's top universities) of the Highly Talented Pass. We also arrange exclusive consultants to closely follow up the progress of the application and synchronize with the review of the Immigration Department, so that we can quickly respond to all kinds of needs and efficiently achieve the goal of obtaining approval.

Results:Documents filed 10/31/2025 and successfully approved 5/1/2026!

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Hi ~ I am the customer service of Enterprise Finance Group! We provide domestic (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, etc.) company registration, overseas (Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) company registration,Hong Kong Identity Card Application and Renewal ServicesWe also cover the whole chain of corporate services such as cross-border tax planning, equity structure design, compliance and risk control programs. Feel free to contact me at any time with your needs, Tel:16620947137, microsoft:Qicaiyingjituan(can be added by direct search)

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Enterprise Cai Ying One-Stop Hong Kong Identity Solution::From application to permanent residence

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Hong Kong identity planning is a 7-year long protracted battle, a professional, reliable and policy-savvy partner is crucial. With years of industry deep cultivation and a professional service team of 400 people covering senior lawyers, tax experts and identity planning experts, Enterprise Caiying Group provides customers with one-stop Hong Kong identity solutions from qualification assessment to permanent residence approval, and its core advantages are reflected in four aspects:

1, the whole exclusive consultant escort:From the initial stage of qualification assessment and preparation of application materials, to the mid-term approval follow-up and response to supplementary documents, to the later stages of visa renewal planning and application for permanent residence, the key nodes are actively reminded, and the progress can be transparently tracked without the need for the client to bother to follow up;

2. Material compliance is handled with precision:We provide customized solutions for common difficulties such as unclear personal tax records, complex shareholding structure and fragmented financial data to ensure that the materials meet the Immigration Department's vetting standards and enhance the probability of approval;

3. High success rate endorsement:Serving 1000+ families every year, we are deeply familiar with the logic and preferences of the Hong Kong Immigration Department, and are experienced in dealing with all kinds of supplementary documents and difficult situations, with an industry-leading application success rate;

4. Intelligent management system empowerment:Customers can view the application progress in real time through the exclusive system, securely manage materials online, and be automatically reminded of key points such as visa renewal and permanent residence to ensure that no important link is missed.

The service concept of Enterprise Caiying is not only to help customers "get the identity smoothly", but also committed to accompanying customers "use the identity well", combined with the professional advantages of business and finance and taxation, to achieve the overall coordination of education planning, career development and tax optimization for customers.

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Hi ~ I am the customer service of Enterprise Finance Group! We provide domestic (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, etc.) company registration, overseas (Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.) company registration,Hong Kong Identity Card Application and Renewal ServicesWe also cover the whole chain of corporate services such as cross-border tax planning, equity structure design, compliance and risk control programs. Feel free to contact me at any time with your needs, Tel:16620947137, microsoft:Qicaiyingjituan(can be added by direct search)

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The landing of the new Hong Kong status rules in 2026 marks the end of the era of rough application of "fighting conditions and speed" and the beginning of the era of precise planning of "fighting suitability, compliance and contribution". For prospective applicants, instead of obsessing over "whether the policy is tightening", they should focus on "how to accurately adapt" - assessing their qualifications, sorting out the material system, and planning their contribution to Hong Kong in advance are the most important factors for the smooth progress of identity planning. The core logic of smooth identity planning is to make contributions in Hong Kong.

If you have any doubts about your qualifications, or want to know more about the new regulations and the list of application materials, please feel free to contact our exclusive consultants. We will combine your personal background and needs to provide customized planning solutions to help you on the road of Hong Kong identity planning to avoid detours and smooth approval.

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