Applying, extending, bringing family, and what comes after arrival: MPF, healthcare, insurance and tax, from the official documents

What the scheme is

The Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) is a Hong Kong talent admission scheme administered by the Immigration Department since 28 December 2022. Its defining feature is that no job offer is required at the time of application: a person who meets the income test (Category A) or holds a bachelor's degree from an eligible university (Categories B and C) can obtain a first visa to come to Hong Kong and explore employment or business opportunities. The visa carries only a limit of stay and no other conditions, so holders may change jobs without prior approval. The counterpart is that, by the time the first visa expires, the holder must be employed in Hong Kong or have established or joined a business to extend. Approval is at the discretion of the Director of Immigration and the criteria may change without notice.

The three categories

The eligible-university list is compiled by the Labour and Welfare Bureau from specified world rankings and contains 200 institutions from 1 January 2026. Degrees from continuing education arms, branch or extension campuses are not accepted; nor are honorary, online, distance, evening or part-time bachelor's degrees. Master's or doctoral degrees do not by themselves qualify. Since June 2024, Category B and C applicants must submit a third-party qualification verification report or verification direct from the awarding institution.

Fees, processing and the first years

Every applicant, each dependant included, pays a non-refundable application fee of HK$600 (from 11 am on 26 February 2025) and, on approval, a visa issuance fee of HK$600 for a limit of stay of 180 days or below or HK$1,300 for 181 days or more. Processing normally takes four weeks once documents and fees are complete. Anyone permitted to stay more than 180 days must register for a Hong Kong identity card within 30 days of arrival. The first visa is granted once only; a holder who leaves and lets it expire cannot reapply under the TTPS.

Extension of stay

An extension must be lodged online within three months before the limit of stay expires, ideally at least six weeks ahead, and is normally processed in two to three weeks. The applicant must show either employment in Hong Kong with a stable income, in a role commonly taken up by degree holders and at a market-level remuneration package, or a business that is operating healthily and sustainably and contributing to the economy. The Immigration Department also weighs economic contribution such as tax paid and time spent in Hong Kong. Extensions are usually granted for up to three years or until the employment contract ends. A top-tier stream grants six years to holders with at least two years under the scheme whose assessable income for salaries tax in the previous year reached HK$2 million. About 21,000 Category A applicants approved before 16 October 2024 could, from 1 November 2024, apply for an unconditional one-year extension, or up to three years with proof of a job or business. In September 2026 the Policy Address announced that founders of technology start-ups supported by designated public-sector organisations will be exempted from company-income proof on extension; implementation details rest with the Immigration Department.

Statistics

Immigration Department open data lists 1,947 applications and 875 approvals in the last days of 2022, 62,873 and 49,737 in 2023, 51,223 and 41,057 in 2024, and 35,705 and 31,508 in 2025. The Labour and Welfare Bureau's paper of 23 February 2026 gives cumulative figures to end-January 2026 of 155,607 applications received, 126,085 approved and more than 100,000 arrivals. Of about 40,200 holders whose stay had expired, about 20,800 had applied to extend, an application rate above 50%, with about 94% approved. Extended holders had a median monthly income of about HK$40,000, a quarter earned HK$80,000 or more, and the main sectors were commerce and trade (25%), innovation and technology (17%) and financial services (17%).

Dependants

A spouse or legally recognised civil partner and unmarried children under 18 may be sponsored. The sponsor must show a genuine relationship and the means to support dependants well above subsistence level with suitable accommodation. Dependants' stay is tied to the sponsor's, and they may work and study without further permission. Up to eight dependants can be included in one online application. Children aged 6 to 18 who are eligible for public-sector schools can use the Education Bureau's placement assistance service or apply to schools directly; direct subsidy and international schools admit on their own terms.

After arrival

• MPF: employees aged 18 to 64 must be enrolled after 60 days of continuous employment; employer and employee each contribute 5% of relevant income between HK$7,100 and HK$30,000 a month, capped at HK$1,500 each. Persons admitted for employment for not more than 13 months and members of overseas retirement schemes are exempt; a TTPS first visa of 24 or 36 months usually exceeds 13 months. Offsetting of severance and long service payments against employer mandatory contributions was abolished for service from 1 May 2025.
• Healthcare: a Hong Kong identity card makes the holder an eligible person at Hospital Authority facilities. From 1 January 2026 A&E costs HK$400 (critical and emergency cases exempt), an acute bed HK$300 a day and a first specialist consultation HK$250, with an annual cap of HK$10,000 on eligible persons' fees. Private care is paid out of pocket or by insurance; premiums for Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme certified plans are deductible up to HK$8,000 per insured person a year.
• Insurance underwriting: insurers assess place of residence, immigration status and health disclosure, and Hong Kong policies are signed in Hong Kong. Mainland residents must also sign the Important Facts Statement for Mainland Policyholders. Long-term policies carry a 21-day cooling-off period.
• Tax: salaries tax is charged on Hong Kong-sourced employment income at progressive rates of 2% to 17% or a two-tiered standard rate of 15% on the first HK$5 million of net income and 16% above, whichever is lower; the basic allowance is HK$132,000 for 2025/26 and HK$145,000 from 2026/27. Mainland individual income tax residence turns on domicile or 183 days of presence in a tax year (a day counts only if the person is present for 24 hours), with a six-year rule for individuals without domicile. The Mainland–Hong Kong Arrangement applies tie-breaker rules to dual residents, a 183-day rule to employment income and tax credits to eliminate double taxation.
• Permanent residence: seven years of continuous ordinary residence are required. The Immigration Department treats lawful, voluntary residence for a settled purpose as ordinary residence and weighs the reasons, length and frequency of absences, habitual home, employment and the whereabouts of spouse and minor children; there is no fixed day count and no discretion for those who fall short. Chinese citizens who become permanent residents may apply for an HKSAR passport and, through Mainland authorities, a Home Return Permit.

What this site is not

This site is an independent information desk. It does not handle applications, assess individual prospects, sell insurance or give immigration, legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules, quotas, limits of stay and fees change; rely on the current Immigration Department, Inland Revenue Department, MPFA and Hospital Authority documents and obtain professional advice in your own jurisdiction where needed.