About the Author

Soso FUNG

Hello, I’m Soso FUNG, a migration consultant who graduated from Auckland University of Technology in 2010. Since returning to China in 2019, I have been specialising in Hong Kong talent admission programmes, and have helped more than 100 families successfully obtain Hong Kong status. Sincerity is my foundational work ethic, professionalism is my baseline standard, and wholehearted dedication defines my reputation in this industry. I will honour your trust and use my most dedicated and professional service to help you and your family successfully obtain Hong Kong status.

WithHong Kong residency programmessurging in popularity, most applicants share a common dilemma when pursuing Hong Kong status —they do not want to cancel their mainland household registration (hukou), yet they also want to enjoy all the benefits that Hong Kong status brings。

First, let’s understand the Hong Kong identity card, which is issued by the Immigration Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China,and is the primary identity document for both permanent and non-permanent residents in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has only two types of identity card:

Hong Kong Resident Identity Card;

Hong Kong Permanent Resident Identity Card.

When people refer to Hong Kong status in everyday conversation, they are generally referring to the Hong Kong Resident Identity Card. Many people have a misconception about it — they assume the Hong Kong Resident Identity Card is a temporary identity document.This is not the case. Hong Kong does not have a temporary identity card.

Is it mandatory to apply for permanent residency after seven years?

Identity cards obtained through pathways such as the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS), General Employment Policy, or Top Talent Pass Scheme are all Hong Kong Resident Identity Cards. Subsequent renewals follow the “3+3+2” or “2+6” arrangement. Only after meeting the requirement of “ordinarily residing” in Hong Kong for 7 years may an applicant apply to become a Hong Kong Permanent Resident and obtain a Hong Kong Permanent Resident Identity Card.

While holding Hong Kong resident status, your mainland household registration (hukou) is not affected — you can continue to enjoy the benefits of both places, holding both your mainland hukou and Hong Kong status simultaneously!

After 7 years, whether or not to apply for Hong Kong permanent residency is entirely up to the individual — you may simply continue renewing your Hong Kong Resident Identity Card.

Do you need to cancel your mainland hukou when applying for Hong Kong permanent residency?

When applying for permanent residency, the Hong Kong Immigration Department does not require you to cancel your mainland hukou.Holding permanent residency status and maintaining a mainland hukou are not mutually exclusive. Cancellation of the mainland hukou is mainly required when applying for a Home Return Permit or a One-Way Permit — if you do not need either, there is absolutely no need to cancel your hukou.

It is important to note that under current policy, Hong Kong residents travelling to and from the mainland must use their Home Return Permit — the SAR passport or Hong Kong identity card alone is not accepted for this purpose. Therefore, if you have obtained Hong Kong permanent status but have not applied for a Home Return Permit, entering the mainland from Hong Kong would require the mainland-issued Permit to Travel to Hong Kong and Macao, just like any mainland resident entering Hong Kong.

Regardless of whether you hold Hong Kong resident status or Hong Kong permanent resident status,without a Home Return Permit, use your Permit to Travel to Hong Kong and Macao when crossing the mainland border, and your Hong Kong identity card when entering or leaving Hong Kong.

In what circumstances is a Home Return Permit required?

1. After obtaining Hong Kong permanent resident status, if you wish to sit the Joint Entrance Examination for Overseas Chinese Students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan

2. After obtaining Hong Kong permanent resident status, if you wish to sit the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exam solely to apply to mainland universities

Note: Overseas universities and local Hong Kong universities do not require permanent resident status for admission

3. After obtaining Hong Kong permanent resident status, if you wish to enrol in a foreigner-only international school on the mainland

4. In certain mainland cities with property purchase restrictions, the identification of Hong Kong-status buyers requires a Home Return Permit — for example, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

Can parents and children apply for Home Return Permits separately?

If only the child needs to sit the Joint Entrance Examination for Overseas Chinese Students or the DSE, only the child needs to cancel their mainland hukou — parents may retain theirs.Parents who obtained Hong Kong status for their children’s education need not worry about this.

How to Obtain Hong Kong Status

Pathways to obtaining Hong Kong status

To attract talent, Hong Kong has introduced a number of favourable policies. If you meet the relevant criteria, you have an opportunity to obtain Hong Kong status — now is an excellent time to start planning.

01 01 Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) — Eligibility

1. Applicant must be at least 18 years of age with no criminal record

2. Must have sufficient funds to support the entire family in Hong Kong for the first year (bank balance proof of HK$200,000–500,000)

3. Must have good proficiency in Chinese or English

4. Must hold a bachelor’s degree or above

5. Must meet the eligibility criteria under one of two scoring systems:

· Comprehensive Assessment: score of 80 or above (out of 245 points)

· Achievement-based Assessment: score of 225 (out of 225 points)

Application information

1. Family members may be included — one application covers the whole family

2. Processing timeline: approximately 6–9 months from submission to approval

3. Initial approval grants a 3-year stay; after 7 years, the whole family may apply for a Hong Kong SAR passport

2023 updates to the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme:

· Annual quota removed from 1 January 2023, for a two-year period

· Streamlined approval process to attract more world-class talent to Hong Kong

· For entrants under the Comprehensive Assessment, the permitted stay arrangement has been relaxed from 2+3+3 to 3+3+2 years

· Extra points awarded under the Comprehensive Assessment to applicants with experience at multinational corporations or well-known enterprises

02 General Employment Policy — Eligibility

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age with no criminal record, and must possess good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities, or documented relevant experience and achievements.

Applicants must have secured employment prior to application; the employing Hong Kong company must have genuine local business operations. Self-employment through a personally established Hong Kong company, or secondment from a well-established mainland parent company to Hong Kong, is also acceptable.

03 Top Talent Pass Scheme

Top Talent Pass Scheme — meet any one of the following to apply:

(Category A) Annual income of HK$2.5 million or above in the past year — no academic qualification required;

(Category B) Bachelor’s degree from a globally ranked top-100 university, plus at least 3 years of accumulated work experience in the 5 years immediately preceding the application

(Category C) Bachelor’s degree from a globally ranked top-100 university obtained within the 5 years immediately preceding the application, with fewer than 3 years of work experience or none — subject to an annual cap of 10,000 places

What are the key advantages of the Hong Kong Quality Migrant Admission Scheme?

1. Children’s Education

Children’s education planning: upon obtaining Hong Kong status, children are entitled to the same 15 years of free compulsory education as local Hong Kong residents. DSE results can be used to gain direct entry to 112 mainland universities through the Admission Scheme for Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Students, or to sit the Joint Entrance Examination for Overseas Chinese Students.

2. Dual Status

You need not renounce Chinese citizenship. Because Hong Kong is part of China, holding a Hong Kong SAR passport still means you remain a Chinese citizen. You can travel back to the mainland using your Home Return Permit and continue to enjoy all rights as a Chinese citizen.

4. Free Business Environment

Setting up a company in Hong Kong is straightforward and fast, with low costs and low barriers to entry.

Import duties, corporate tax, and personal income tax are all low in Hong Kong — personal income tax (salaries tax) is capped at 15%.

5. No Birth Restrictions

Children born in Hong Kong are eligible for an SAR passport.

6. Greater Opportunities

Hong Kong is an international trade hub with greater development prospects and better career opportunities. Upon obtaining permanent residency, the Hong Kong SAR passport grants visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 170 countries and regions worldwide.

Hong Kong status has long been regarded as a springboard for migration overseas. Major destination countries offer more accommodating policies for Hong Kong status holders compared with direct mainland applicants — a decisive advantage. If you want Hong Kong status, act now and do not wait.

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