Work Visas and Immigration Support for Hong Kong

What’s included

• Assessment of the right visa route for an owner, investor or senior hire before the company applies
• Preparation and filing of General Employment Policy applications for investors and skilled staff
• Dependant visa applications for spouses and children
• Visa renewals and changes of employer or status
• Coordination with the company’s HR and payroll records so the application reflects a genuine, substantial operation

Hong Kong work visa (GEP) at a glance

Foreign professionals and entrepreneurs usually enter Hong Kong under the Immigration Department’s General Employment Policy (GEP). The Immigration Department (ImmD) normally decides an application within four weeks of receiving all documents and the fee, and grants an initial stay of up to 36 months.

Item	Detail
Main routes	GEP (professionals) with a job offer; GEP (investment as entrepreneurs) to establish or join a business
Not open to	Chinese residents of the Mainland (who use ASMTP) and nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and Korea (DPR)
Core criteria (professionals)	Normally a relevant degree; a genuine vacancy not readily filled locally; market-level pay
Core criteria (entrepreneurs)	A substantial contribution to the economy, judged on business plan, funds, investment and local jobs
Processing time	Normally 4 weeks once all documents and the fee are in; 6 weeks for dependants
Initial stay	Up to 36 months, or the contract length if shorter
Extensions	Normally a 3-2 year pattern; 5 years without conditions for top-tier earners (HK$2 million+ assessable income, 2+ years on GEP)
Government fees	HK$600 application fee plus HK$1,300 issuance fee for stays over 180 days
After arrival	Register for a Hong Kong identity card within 30 days
Permanent residence	Right of abode after 7 years’ continuous ordinary residence

Hong Kong work visa routes compared: GEP, TTPS, QMAS, ASMTP and IANG

Foreign professionals with a Hong Kong job offer normally apply under the GEP, and entrepreneurs use its investment route. The Top Talent Pass Scheme, QMAS and IANG for recent Hong Kong graduates need no job offer; Chinese residents of the Mainland use ASMTP.

Route	Who it is for	Job offer needed?	Initial stay	Key test
GEP (professionals)	Foreign professionals hired in Hong Kong	Yes	Up to 36 months, employment condition	Normally a relevant degree; job not readily filled locally; market-level pay
GEP (investment as entrepreneurs)	Owners starting or joining a Hong Kong business	No	Up to 36 months	Substantial contribution to the economy: plan, funds, investment, local jobs
TTPS Category A	Annual income of HK$2.5 million or more in the preceding year	No	36 months, time limitation only	Proof of income
TTPS Categories B and C	Eligible-university graduates: B with 3+ years’ experience in the last 5 years; C graduated in the last 5 years with less	No	24 months, time limitation only	Category C has an annual quota
QMAS	Highly skilled or talented people settling in Hong Kong	No	36 months (General Points Test); 8 years (Achievement-based Points Test)	Points test; aged 18 or over
ASMTP	Chinese residents of the Mainland	Yes	Up to 36 months, employment condition	Skills not readily available locally; market-level pay
IANG	Non-local graduates of full-time, locally accredited Hong Kong degree programmes	Not within 6 months of graduating; yes after	24 months, time limitation only	Free to take up and change jobs

How to apply for a Hong Kong work visa, step by step

GEP applications are made online, with the Hong Kong employer acting as sponsor. Once approved and paid for, the visa is issued as an e-Visa that the applicant downloads or prints.

1. Pick the route: GEP (professionals) for a job offer, GEP (investment as entrepreneurs) for owners, or a talent scheme such as the Top Talent Pass Scheme. Mainland residents use ASMTP.
2. The applicant completes Form ID 990A and the employer completes Form ID 990B, following ImmD guidebook ID(E) 991.
3. Submit online via GovHK, the ImmD website or the ImmD app, uploading all documents and paying the HK$600 application fee per applicant.
4. Answer ImmD queries quickly; the four-week processing time runs from receipt of all documents.
5. Pay the issuance fee through the link in the approval notice, then download or print the e-Visa.
6. Enter Hong Kong and register for an identity card within 30 days.
7. Apply for dependants with the visa holder as sponsor; processing normally takes six weeks.
8. Apply to extend within the three months before the limit of stay expires, and get prior approval before changing employer.

Documents for a Hong Kong employment visa application

ImmD needs evidence about the applicant, the job and the sponsoring company. Processing normally starts only once every required document is in.

• Forms ID 990A (applicant) and ID 990B (employer)
• Recent photograph
• Copy of the valid travel document
• Degree certificates and academic transcripts
• Proof of relevant work experience
• Employment contract or appointment letter stating post, salary and benefits
• Employer’s Business Registration Certificate
• Employer’s financial standing, such as latest audited accounts or profits tax return
• Entrepreneur route: three-year business plan, proof of funds and investment in Hong Kong, local jobs created
• Dependants: proof of relationship, and that the sponsor can support them well above subsistence level with suitable accommodation

How much does a Hong Kong work visa cost in 2026?

Under the ImmD fee structure for specified schemes, in force since 26 February 2025, each applicant pays a HK$600 application fee and, on approval, a HK$1,300 visa issuance fee for a stay of over 180 days. The same structure applies to dependants and to extensions of stay.

Item	Amount / deadline
Application fee (each applicant and dependant)	HK$600, on application
Visa issuance fee, stay over 180 days	HK$1,300, on approval
Visa issuance fee, stay of 180 days or less	HK$600, on approval
Extension of stay	Same fees; apply within 3 months before the limit of stay expires
Processing time	Normally 4 weeks (GEP); 6 weeks (dependants)
Hong Kong identity card	Within 30 days of arrival (aged 11+, stay over 180 days)
Employer: MPF enrolment	Within the first 60 days of employment
Employer: notify the IRD (IR56E)	Within 3 months of the start date

Government fees only, per ImmD’s fee structure for specified schemes (effective 26 February 2025). Fees are per person.

What does a Hong Kong work visa cost for a family of three? A worked example

Government fees for a GEP holder, spouse and child come to HK$5,700 for the first visas and the same again at each extension. HK$17,100 covers the three applications normally needed to reach 7 years of residence.

1. Application fees on submission: 3 × HK$600 = HK$1,800, not refundable even if the application is refused.
2. Visa issuance fees on approval, for stays of over 180 days: 3 × HK$1,300 = HK$3,900.
3. First visas: HK$1,800 + HK$3,900 = HK$5,700, which is HK$1,900 per person.
4. First extension, normally 3 years, applied for within the 3 months before the 36-month limit of stay: another HK$5,700.
5. Second extension, normally 2 years, at the 6-year point: another HK$5,700.
6. Total for the three applications: 3 × HK$5,700 = HK$17,100, covering 3 + 3 + 2 = 8 years of permitted stay, past the 7-year residence point for the right of abode.

Assumptions: GEP (professionals) on the normal 36-month initial stay and 3-2 year extension pattern; dependants’ stays linked to the holder’s; fees unchanged from 26 February 2025. Holders with assessable income of HK$2 million or more may get a 5-year extension instead. Professional costs are excluded.

From application to first extension: key dates for a GEP visa holder

For a GEP application submitted on 2 November 2026, with arrival and start on 4 January 2027, the first deadlines are the identity card by 3 February 2027, MPF enrolment within 60 days unless exempt, and the employer’s IRD notice within 3 months.

When	What	Deadline	Authority
2 November 2026	Submit Forms ID 990A and ID 990B online and pay HK$600 per applicant	Processing starts once all documents and the fee are in	Immigration Department
Around 30 November 2026	Decision normally within 4 weeks; pay the HK$1,300 issuance fee and download the e-Visa	The payment date in the approval notice	Immigration Department
4 January 2027	Employment starts; the employer must hold employees’ compensation insurance	From the start of employment	Labour Department
By 3 February 2027	Register for a Hong Kong identity card (aged 11 or over, stay of over 180 days)	Within 30 days of arrival	Immigration Department
By 4 March 2027	Employer enrols the employee in an MPF scheme, unless exempt: employed in Hong Kong for not more than 13 months, or a member of an overseas retirement scheme	Within the first 60 days of employment	eMPF Platform; MPFA
Early April 2027	Employer notifies the IRD of the new employee on Form IR56E	Within 3 months of the start date	IRD
October 2029 onwards	Apply to extend in the 3 months before the limit of stay (early January 2030); be in Hong Kong when applying	Before the limit of stay expires	Immigration Department

Common Hong Kong work visa mistakes

Refusals and delays usually come from the wrong route, missing documents or treating the conditions of stay loosely.

• Working on a visitor stay: visitors may not take up employment, paid or unpaid, or establish or join in any business.
• Changing jobs without approval: GEP holders on employment condition need ImmD’s prior approval.
• Leaving the extension late: apply in the three months before the limit of stay expires to avoid overstaying.
• Using GEP for a Mainland resident: GEP does not apply to Chinese residents of the Mainland.
• Missing the identity card deadline: register within 30 days of arrival.
• Hiring without employees’ compensation insurance: the maximum penalty is a HK$100,000 fine and two years’ imprisonment.

Hong Kong visa terms explained

These terms are used on Immigration Department forms and guidance for employment and talent visas.

Term	Meaning
GEP	General Employment Policy: the main route for foreign professionals with a Hong Kong job offer and, through its investment strand, for entrepreneurs.
ASMTP	Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals: the employment route for Chinese residents of the Mainland, who cannot use the GEP.
TTPS	Top Talent Pass Scheme: entry without a job offer for high earners (Category A) and graduates of eligible universities (Categories B and C).
QMAS	Quality Migrant Admission Scheme: a points-based route for highly skilled or talented people to settle in Hong Kong without a job offer.
IANG	Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates: lets non-local graduates of Hong Kong degree programmes stay and work for 24 months.
Limit of stay	The end date of a permitted stay. Extensions are applied for in the 3 months before it to avoid overstaying.
Time limitation only	A stay with no condition other than its end date. The holder can take up or change jobs, or start a business, without prior approval.