Author / Soso FUNG

Hi everyone, I’m Soso FUNG, a migration consultant. I graduated from Auckland University of Technology in 2010. After returning to China in 2019, I began working on the Hong Kong Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, and to date I have helped more than 100 families successfully obtain Hong Kong status through the programme. Sincerity is my core working attitude, professionalism my core code of conduct, and dedication the reputation I have built in this industry. I will not let you down—with my most dedicated and professional service, I will help you and your family successfully secure Hong Kong or Macau status.

The Macau Talent Recruitment Legal Regime took effect on 1 July. Built around the needs of four key industries (big health, modern finance, high technology, and culture and sport), it recruits three categories of talent—top-tier talent, outstanding talent and senior professional talent. For some applicants, a residence permit may be renewed regardless of whether they ordinarily reside in Macau.

Note that the Top-Tier Talent Scheme, the Outstanding Talent Scheme (Big Health Industry) and the Senior Professional Talent Scheme (Big Health Industry) each set their own valid application window. Interested applicants should act early and seize this policy “opportunity” ahead of others.

01 Top-Tier Talent Scheme

Application period: 4 August 2023 to 3 February 2024

– For talent with recognised, outstanding achievements

– For example, Nobel Prize laureates, Olympic medallists, national-level experts and scholars, or those who have made outstanding contributions to their industry.

– The scheme sets no quota—the more, the better.

– For visa renewal, residing in Macau is not mandatory, but you must demonstrate your contribution to Macau’s development

02 Outstanding Talent Scheme (Big Health Industry)

Application period: 4 August 2023 to 3 December 2023

This scheme aims to recruit individuals who can drive the development of the big health industry, possess professional experience and technical ability, and have performed outstandingly in the following professional fields:

(1) Medical services;

(2) Hospital and pharmaceutical-plant management;

(3) Smart-healthcare technology development;

(4) Innovative drug research, development, supervision and management;

(5) Standardisation of medical equipment and instruments;

(6) Pharmaceutical and biological teaching and research;

(7) Pharmaceutical registration, product patents and marketing activities

Applicants must simultaneously meet the following requirements:

　　• Hold a bachelor’s degree or above in medicine, pharmacy, public health, medical administration, life sciences or a related discipline, with no fewer than four years’ work experience in the above professional fields; or hold a bachelor’s degree or above in another discipline with no fewer than six years’ work experience in the above professional fields;

　　• Be at least 21 years of age;

　　• Have a good command of any one of Chinese, Portuguese or English;

• Score 200 out of a total of 300 points on the scheme’s scoring table.

03 Senior Professional Talent Scheme (Big Health Industry)

Application period: 4 August 2023 to 3 December 2023

This scheme aims to recruit individuals who can support the development of the big health industry and possess professional experience and technical ability in the following professional fields:

(1) Medical services;

(2) Hospital and pharmaceutical-plant management;

(3) Smart-healthcare technology development;

(4) Innovative drug research, development, supervision and management;

(5) Standardisation of medical equipment and instruments;

(6) Pharmaceutical and biological teaching and research;

(7) Pharmaceutical registration, product patents and marketing activities

Applicants must simultaneously meet the following requirements:

　　• Hold a bachelor’s degree or above in medicine, pharmacy, public health, medical administration, life sciences or a related discipline, with no fewer than two years’ work experience in the above professional fields; or hold a bachelor’s degree or above in another discipline with no fewer than four years’ work experience in the above professional fields;

　　• Be at least 21 years of age;

　　• Have a good command of any one of Chinese, Portuguese or English; and score 150 out of a total of 300 points on the scheme’s scoring table;

　　• Be employed by a local employer, or have a commitment to employ within ninety days of the residence-permit decision taking effect, and hold a professional position that matches a labour-shortage occupation listed under the scheme;

　　• The remuneration for the above professional position must reach an annual salary of MOP 600,000, calculated as total pre-tax remuneration for the year.

Hong Kong and Macau Talent Recruitment Scheme Comparison

NO1: Target applicants

[Macau]: Attracts outstanding leaders within a specific profession or industry.

[Hong Kong]: Attracts highly skilled talent and industry-leading professionals from around the world.

NO2: Industry requirements

[Macau]: In the first phase, the focus is on recruiting talent across four key industries: big health, modern finance, high technology, and culture and sport.

[Hong Kong]: Industry/sector requirements are relaxed.

NO3: Education requirements

[Macau]: A master’s degree or two bachelor’s degrees.

[Hong Kong]: A bachelor’s degree or equivalent and above.

NO4: Work experience

[Macau]: No fewer than 5 years’ work experience in the four key industries, including at least 2 years in a senior position.

[Hong Kong]: No hard requirement; the more experience you have, the more favourable your score.

NO5: Scoring requirements

[Macau]: An assessment score is required, but there is no stated minimum score.

[Hong Kong]: Under the Quality Migrant scheme, the maximum is 245 points with a pass mark of 80.

NO6: Employer engagement

[Macau]: Senior professional talent must secure a local employer in advance.

[Hong Kong]: Skilled professionals must secure a local employer in advance.

NO7: Quota arrangements

[Macau]: Senior professional talent is capped at 1,000 places.

[Hong Kong]: The Top Talent Pass (Category C) is capped at 10,000 places.

Hong Kong Status and Macau Status Advantage Comparison

NO1: Tax-rate advantages

[Macau]: Macau’s economy is still developing, and low tax rates are a fundamental factor in attracting foreign and local investment. Corporate income tax offers an exemption on profits of up to MOP 600,000, and the top personal income-tax rate is only 12%.

[Hong Kong]: In Hong Kong, the standard rate for individuals and the progressive salaries-tax rates for non-corporate entities run from 2%–17%, while the corporate profits-tax rate is 8.25%–16.5%.

NO2: Education advantages

[Macau]: Enjoy 15 years of free bilingual education. With a Home Return Permit after finishing high school, students can sit the Joint Entrance Examination for Overseas Chinese Students and, with just over 400 points, gain entry to 985/211 universities—or study overseas.

[Hong Kong]: Enjoy 15 years of free education with internationally aligned “two written languages, three spoken languages” schooling from an early age. Candidates with Hong Kong status can use their DSE results for priority admission to local Hong Kong universities, as well as progression to prestigious universities on the Mainland.

NO3: Passport visa-free access

[Macau]: The Macau SAR passport enjoys visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 144 countries and territories, including EU member states and Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

[Hong Kong]: Once you obtain Hong Kong permanent-resident status, you can apply for a Hong Kong passport. The Hong Kong passport provides access to 168 countries, including Canada (6 months), Japan (90 days), South Korea (90 days) and Singapore (30 days).

NO4: Healthcare benefits

[Macau]: Macau’s health services fall into two broad categories: government and non-government. On the government side, the main providers are the health centres delivering primary care and the Conde S. Januário Hospital (commonly known as the Hilltop Hospital) providing specialist services. On the non-government side are medical bodies that receive government and community funding—such as Kiang Wu Hospital, MUST Hospital and the Workers’ Medical Clinic—as well as services provided by various private clinics and laboratories. Of these, services provided by the health centres and the Tung Sin Tong clinics are essentially free.

Macau residents enjoy fairly comprehensive medical coverage. All Macau residents who attend a health centre for services, and who are referred by a health centre to the Conde S. Januário Hospital for supplementary examinations, pay no fees. For services provided by the Conde S. Januário Hospital, Macau residents enjoy a 30% fee reduction.

[Hong Kong]: Following the April 2003 restructuring of fees at public hospitals and clinics, the Hospital Authority continues to uphold the government’s core principle: no member of the public should be denied appropriate medical care for financial reasons.

Hong Kong’s healthcare system is characterised by a “dual-track” model made up of public and private hospitals that together provide comprehensive care. Public hospitals are managed by the Health Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR and provide free or low-cost services, handling more than 90% of inpatient care; private hospitals provide basic medical services and around 70% of outpatient care, with relatively better facilities and surroundings. In addition, Hong Kong’s healthcare system includes medical insurance and medical-assistance schemes that provide financial support to patients.

NO5: Retirement benefits

[Macau]: As long as you contribute MOP 90 each month in Macau for five consecutive years, from age 60 you receive MOP 3,350 a month; after age 65 this rises to the MOP 8,000 old-age allowance and provident-fund payments, alongside free healthcare, social-relief payments, unemployment benefits and more.

[Hong Kong]: Hong Kong offers an old-age allowance of nearly HKD 3,000 a month. As a Hong Kong permanent resident you also enjoy internationally advanced medical technology, with public-hospital specialist outpatient visits costing HKD 100 for the first visit and only HKD 50 for each visit thereafter.

NO6: Relocation advantages

[Macau]: There is no rule requiring you to live in Macau once you obtain status—you can travel freely back and forth, which saves on local living costs.
and saves on local living costs.

It is worth emphasising that, among the three talent schemes, apart from the [Senior Professional Talent Scheme]

none requires you to ordinarily reside in Macau, yet you can still successfully renew through to permanent residency. On renewal, this is far more relaxed than Hong Kong!

[Hong Kong]: There is no rule requiring you to live in Hong Kong once you obtain status; you simply need to maintain “ordinary” residence.

The Three Migration Schemes (Senior Professional Talent Scheme, Outstanding Talent Scheme, Top-Tier Talent Scheme)

Hong Kong Quality Migrant Admission Scheme: Application Conditions

· Age: 18 years and over

· Finances: proof of savings required—HKD 200,000+ for an individual application, HKD 300,000+ for a family application

· Character: no criminal record and no adverse immigration record

· Education: bachelor’s degree or above (issued by a recognised university or institution)

Once you meet the basic eligibility, you must also choose one of two points tests and complete a self-assessment, reaching the required score before you can apply. The two points tests are the ‘General Points Test’ and the ‘Achievement-based Points Test’. As the [Achievement-based Points Test] offers only 0 or full marks, most people apply via the [General Points Test], where 80 points is the pass mark.

Based on the information currently released by the Macau Talent Development Committee, its threshold is higher than Hong Kong’s. The two also target different talent needs: every industry in Hong Kong needs talent, so its demand is diverse and the overall calibre sought is high; Macau leans mainly towards professionals in certain fields, where the level of specialisation is higher.

If you hold Hong Kong and Macau status while keeping your Mainland household registration, the benefits and entitlements you are due will not be affected by not having cancelled your Mainland hukou. To learn more about structuring Hong Kong and Macau status, scan the QR code to get in touch.

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