Hong Kong has always welcomed foreign talents to come to Hong Kong for development in order to enrich the local talent pool. In order to cope with the aging population and shortage of talents, the Hong Kong Government has announced a series of "Talent Grabbing" measures in the 2022 Policy Address.
These include the implementation of the High-end Talent Pass Scheme (HMTPS) targeting people with high salaries and high academic qualifications, the Premium Talent, IANG and Admission of Mainland Talents and Professionals Schemes, as well as the re-launching of the new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES), with a view to attracting more high-quality talents to Hong Kong, which has so far attracted more than 240,000 global elites of different disciplines to come to Hong Kong for development.
Among them, the Highly Talented Persons (HTP) Program has received enthusiastic responses. From its launch to December 2025, more than 120,000 talents have been approved and more than 100,000 have already come to Hong Kong, and among the first batch of 33,000 talents whose visas are due to expire, only 53% have applied for renewal of their visas, and most of them are engaged in the key industries with considerable incomes, which demonstrates their strong competitiveness in the market. After attracting talents to come to Hong Kong successfully, how to retain talents is the biggest challenge. After successfully attracting talents to Hong Kong, how to "retain talents" is the biggest challenge.
Today, a clear article from the application to the renewal of the Hong Kong High Talent Pass from the whole process of strategy, for you to plan to apply for Hong Kong status to help.
01 Eligibility Criteria for Hong Kong High Achievers
Recently, there are rumors circulating on the Internet that High Talent may be canceled or tightened. If you are eligible to apply for High Talent, it is recommended to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid missing the bonus period.
The Hong Kong High Talent Pass Scheme, known as the Hong Kong High Talent Pass Scheme, aims to attract top talents from all over the world to develop in Hong Kong. The main target groups of the program include high-income earners and undergraduates graduating from the world's top universities.
Persons who wish to apply for admission to the HKSAR under the Highly Talented Persons (HSP) Scheme may choose one of the following three categories of talents to apply for the HSP:
Category A applications: Individuals with an annual income (if applying from company profits, the income for the previous year of assessment should be taken into account) of HK$2.5 million or above (or its equivalent in foreign currency) in the year immediately preceding the date of application, with no quota restriction.
(b) Category B applicants: persons who have obtained a bachelor's degree from a recognized university and have accumulated at least three years of work experience in the five years immediately preceding the date of application, with no quota restriction.
Category C applicants: persons who have obtained a bachelor's degree from a recognized university within the five years immediately preceding the date of application, but have less than three years of work experience.
Remarks:
① Category C applications are subject to an annual quota (10,000) and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
(ii) Category C applications are not applicable to non-local students pursuing full-time locally-accredited programmes leading to a bachelor's degree in the HKSAR.
According to the analysis of the application requirements of the Hong Kong High Achiever Scheme, three categories of suitable people are summarized:
Class A fits the population:
Generally, they are elites or corporate executives in high-tech industries (such as finance, technology, artificial intelligence, etc.) with relatively high incomes, or shareholders and bosses who hold stakes in enterprises, as well as self-employed businessmen with relatively high incomes. Top corporate executives, senior practitioners in the financial industry, and founders of well-known enterprises are among the popular candidates.
Class B fits the population:
Graduates of prestigious universities with rich work experience, the undergraduate school must be the world's top schools (usually top100), and the advantage will be even greater if they are in the industry of finance, science and technology, international trade, etc., and journalism majors of the world's top schools.
Category C fits the population:
Young high achievers whose undergraduate institutions are among the top 100 universities in the world (or top 20 in the Mainland) and whose undergraduate degree is no more than 5 years old, and whose work experience should be less than 3 years.
Hong Kong High Talent Pass Scheme in October 2025 application requirements have not been adjusted, but the application process for the A, B and C categories of talents seems simple but hides many "invisible thresholds".
The following combines the latest implementation criteria in October 2025 to break down the application requirements and specific information for each of the three categories of talents under the High Talent Pass.
1）A类：
年入250万+的高薪人士（无配额，首次签证3年）
Corequisite:Individual annual income ≥ HK$2.5 million (foreign currency equivalent) in the year immediately preceding the application or shareholding of more than 50% in the year of assessment immediately preceding the application (subject to conversion of shareholding ratio) and company profit income ≥ HK$2.5 million (foreign currency equivalent).
Revenue Composition:Includes salaries, allowances, stock options, and company profits from holdings ≥ 50% (subject to cost and tax deductions);
Required Material:
a. Notification of Assessment of Salaries Tax (Mainland applicants to provide personal tax payment records);
b. Proof of Company Profit: Audited Financial Report + Profit Tax Return + Proof of Shareholding (for the whole tax assessment year);
Corequisite:Bachelor's Degree from 199 qualified universities worldwide + 3 years of full-time work experience within 5 years prior to application.
University List:Updated to 199 in January 2025, with 23 selected from Mainland China (including Qingbei, Fudiao, etc.) The list is based on the four major world university rankings + Mainland China's university ranking.
Academic Requirements:Must be a full-time baccalaureate degree; evening, distance learning, and honorary degrees are not recognized.
Work Experience:需是毕业后累积的全职/自雇经验，兼职、实习不算，需提供雇主推荐信+社保/个税记录。
材料清单：学信网认证的学位证书、劳动合同、社保记录三证必备。
3）C类：
本科毕业院校是世界百强大学+毕业5年内（年度配额1万）
Corequisite:Bachelor's degree from an eligible 199 universities within 5 years (with a bachelor's degree certificate) + <3 years of work experience.
Suggestions for avoiding pitfalls: The annual quota for Class C is only 10,000, and although it has not been made public how much quota has been used, it is recommended to submit an application as soon as possible as the last quarter of 2025 is already in full swing.
If you have not yet applied for Hong Kong status but have plans to do so, you can directly identify the QR code below, or call or WeChat: 13045886252 to assess whether you can apply for the High Talent Pass Scheme/other talent policies ↓↓↓
02 Requirements for Renewal of Hong Kong Talent Pass
Business owners applying for High Talent Pass Category A need to have a company revenue of more than HK$2.5 million and be able to provide proof of tax payment, corresponding company shareholding information, relevant financial status of the company and other supporting documents.
There are four renewal requirements for the Highly Talented A category:
According to the Hong Kong Immigration Department's policy on the renewal of Highly Talented Persons (HSP) visas, HSPs need to fulfill one of the following requirements in order to renew their visas:
① Employment:I am employed by a local company in Hong Kong + Degree holder to take up a position + Market level salary + Payment of tax in Hong Kong, etc.
② Entrepreneurship:I registered a company in Hong Kong to set up business or share in other companies to participate in the business + the actual operation of the company + business plan + office space + contribute to the Hong Kong economy (tax payment / provide jobs), etc.
(iii) Non-employment mode of employment in Hong Kong:Another way of belonging to ①, I work for a Hong Kong company in a non-employment mode + the degree holder takes up the position + market level salary + paying tax in Hong Kong + staying in Hong Kong for a period of time, etc.
④ Transfers within cross-border enterprises:I am employed by a non-Hong Kong company + contract with proof that the job includes coming to Hong Kong for business + annual salary of HK$1.2 million or above + tax payment in Hong Kong for 1 year prior to the renewal of the visa + length of stay in Hong Kong, etc.
Highly Talented BC Class Renewal Requirements
The renewal of the Hong Kong Highly Talented Persons Scheme Category B\C is 2+3+3, the initial visa period is only 2 years, 2 years after the renewal of the visa, the renewal, the applicant must be employed in Hong Kong or has set up a business in Hong Kong, and the same requirements as the renewal of Category A. However, it is indeed difficult for applicants who have no plans to go to Hong Kong.
If you are interested in Hong Kong identity and high talent application, you may directly recognize the QR code to do a qualification assessment:
If you have a Hong Kong identity, see if you meet the Hong Kong identity renewal requirements, you can also do a renewal assessment ↓↓↓↓
03 How to renew the Hong Kong Highly Talented Person Category A visa without having to visit Hong Kong for a long period of time?
Some of the mainland elites applying for the High Talent Pass do not have the intention of settling in Hong Kong on a long-term basis, and the Hong Kong Government has fully taken into account the needs of this group of people. Mr. LEE Ka-chiu has once said publicly that even if the high talents live in other cities in the Greater Bay Area, as long as they work, pay tax and spend money in Hong Kong, they are contributing to the economy of Hong Kong.
Translated, this means that you may not live in Hong Kong, but you have to go to Hong Kong to work or start a business, spend money in Hong Kong and contribute to the Hong Kong economy.
Therefore, we know that if you do not live in Hong Kong for a long time, it will have an impact on the later transfer of permanent residence, after all, the transfer of permanent residence is very important to the "proof of residence", so we have to combine the Hong Kong permanent residence status approval requirements to see: Hong Kong Immigration Department for the applicant for permanent residence is the most important is whether there is no continuous usually reside in Hong Kong for more than 7 years, the length of time not in Hong Kong, and the time of absence. There is no reasonable explanation, whether the applicant has residence in Hong Kong, whether family members are in Hong Kong, whether the applicant has paid tax (Salaries Tax/Profits Tax) in Hong Kong, etc.
One of the important assessment criteria mentioned is [reasonable explanation for absence from Hong Kong]. According to the requirements of the Immigration Department, reasons for absence from Hong Kong that are related to personal career development or necessary family matters are understandable.
✅ Reason for working: e.g. Mainland company's expatriation/business trip, Hong Kong company's development of overseas market/business, participation in necessary overseas training/conferences, etc. Able to provide relevant dispatch letters, project contracts, business correspondence emails, invitation letters, certificates of attendance, entry/exit itineraries, etc.
✅Family reasons: For reasons such as serious illness or marriage or funeral of immediate family members, children's short-term study or examination outside the country, epidemic, etc., medical certificates, proof of kinship, notification of school admission/examination, notification of epidemic, etc. are required.
✅ Other reasons: e.g. health reasons requiring specific treatment outside the country (medical certificate required), etc.
Combining the four renewal routes of the Hong Kong High Talent Pass and reasonable explanations for absence from Hong Kong, it can be known that the following two renewal routes allow the applicant to explain his/her long term absence from Hong Kong on the basis of [work-related reasons], and he/she can provide corresponding evidential materials that are convincing to the Immigration Department:
1) Transfer within cross-border enterprises
Applicants who meet the requirements of an annual salary of HK$1.2 million or above, have signed a contract or work content that is linked to business in Hong Kong, have a certain amount of time to come to Hong Kong and have paid tax in Hong Kong for one year prior to the renewal of their visas, and even if they work in the Mainland for a long period of time, they only need to travel to Hong Kong occasionally to deal with work-related matters will be able to satisfy the requirements of the renewal of their visas.
(2) Renewal of self-employment in Hong Kong
Starting a company in Hong Kong and operating it independently can be realized for renewal as long as it can be fully proved that the business of the Hong Kong company operates truly and effectively in Hong Kong, has a healthy and stable operation status and potential for continuous development, and can make positive contributions to the development of the local economy of Hong Kong.
However, the first renewal route is not easy to realize, and is more suitable for companies with cross-border cooperation business in both the Mainland and Hong Kong or enterprises with both business in the two places themselves, and the annual salary requirement for applicants is also higher.
So in the end, the most suitable renewal route for Category A with the center of gravity of life in the Mainland is the self-employment renewal route by registering a Hong Kong company to/from starting a business in Hong Kong!
Highly talented self-employed renewal: real business and substantial contribution to build the path Hong Kong Immigration Department examiners will be through a series of interlocking chain of evidence to assess the authenticity of the Hong Kong company, if you want to finally and smoothly renew the visa as well as the later can get the status of Hong Kong permanent resident, you can follow the following path to planning:
Month 1: Setting the direction and writing a good business plan
Month 2: Hong Kong company registration + physical office rental
Hong Kong company registration is not complicated, after submitting the materials can be completed in about 1-7 days, Hong Kong company registration need to choose a formal organization, equipped with statutory secretarial firms such as Enterprise Caiying Group, to ensure that the structure of shareholders include the applicant's own and shareholding ≥ 50%, in order to prove the right of control.
The office address must be a physical address. Virtual addresses or "blacklisted addresses" (e.g. repeatedly used for shell companies) will be rejected by the Immigration Department.
A formal lease must be signed and stamp duty paid, and leases, utility bills, etc. must be retained as evidence of "physical operation".
Month 3: Open a public account + MPF
Hong Kong companies should give priority to large banks in Hong Kong (e.g. BOC Hong Kong, HSBC) for their public accounts, and clearly state "self-employment renewal purpose" when opening an account to avoid the bank's risk control concerns.
MPF is a statutory welfare program in Hong Kong, even if your Hong Kong company is only one applicant, you are required to open an account and make regular contributions, and omission of payment will be regarded as a violation of labor laws, and become a "hard" to renew the visa.
Months 4-8: Hire staff + sign business contracts
After registering a Hong Kong company, it is advisable to employ 1-2 Hong Kong local employees (applicants and spouses are not counted), with a monthly salary referring to the median of the Hong Kong market (approximately HK$22,500), as low-paid employment may be challenged as "failing to create quality employment", which will affect the scoring.
At the same time need to sign the first business contract (regardless of the amount of money), and retain the complete chain: communication mail, invoices, public account water, no water or the authenticity of the contract is doubtful, easy to be challenged as a "shell company".
Month 12-13: Annual company review + audit + tax filing
Such evidence reinforces the image of being "rooted in Hong Kong" and significantly increases the probability of approval.
Warm tips: registered Hong Kong company self-employment renewal process, there are risk points at different stages, such as low staff salaries, Hong Kong company documents are not updated in a timely manner, the account funds and business relevance is not high, the MPF payment record is missing, address fraudulent use of commercial addresses, etc., each step needs to be carefully planned, and accumulate irrefutable "real traces of operation! Each step needs to be carefully planned to accumulate irrefutable "traces of real operation".
If you are interested in Hong Kong identity, high talent application, or need to register a Hong Kong company to start a business for development, you may want to directly recognize the QR code to do a qualification assessment:
Today, we would like to share with you a successful client case of Hong Kong High Talent Pass Type A application: With professional services, the team of Enterprise Cai Ying has successfully approved the Hong Kong identity for Ms. D of a network technology company in just 2 months.
See the chart below for details.
Chart originated from Enterprise Caiying 06 Some Hong Kong Identity Cases
07Services offered by Enterprise Caiying Group
Founded in 2015, Enterprise Caiying has always been adhering to the mission of "empowering every entrepreneurial dream", focusing on providing one-stop globalized industrial, commercial, taxation and business services for enterprises and individuals, covering domestic and international industrial and commercial qualifications/tax and equity/overseas identity and asset allocation/cross-border e-commerce, and other core businesses.
Details of the services provided by the Enterprise Finance Group:
Enterprise Caiying Group Strength:
Core strengths of the Enterprise Caiying Group:
The company employs nearly 400 people, and its core team consists of senior lawyers, accountants, tax experts and business consultants. At present, Enterprise Caiying has set up branches in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and the United States. So far, it has provided services for 300,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, with more than 50,000 long-term cooperative customers.
If you plan to register Shenzhen company / Guangzhou company / Shanghai company / Hangzhou company / Beijing company / Hong Kong company and other domestic company registration related business services, also provides the United States company / Canadian company / Mexican company / British company / New Zealand / Singapore company / Vietnam company / Malaysian company and other foreign company registration related business services, the company's annual review / bookkeeping and tax returns / payment of mandatory contributions / change of Information / bank account / ODI filing / cross-border e-commerce accompanied by running on behalf of the operation of the enterprise one-stop service, etc. can be found in the enterprise Caiying Group for, welcome to consult me (WeChat with the same number: 13045886252), or [Scan the following two-dimensional code] to match your needs, there will be a professional tax adviser to communicate with you in detail ↓↓↓↓
statement denying or limiting responsibility
Image source: some of the image material in this article from the network, such as copyright issues, please contact us to replace the deletion of processing.
Information reference: The content of this article is synthesized from the internal materials of Enterprise Caiying and relevant public network information.
Content Editor: This article was edited and designed by the Operations Department of the Enterprise Caiying Group.
Warm reminder: The relevant policies, conditions, time limits, fees and other information described in this article may be subject to dynamic adjustments, please refer to the latest official announcements or the actual application of the specific circumstances prevail.
Tags:
Hong Kong High Achiever Category A
Application for Hong Kong High Achievers
Hong Kong High Achievers Programme
Renewal of Hong Kong High Talent Pass
Hong Kong Identity
Hong Kong Identity Planning
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