Immigration to Hong Kong

Highly skilled applicants can apply for residency in Hong Kong. Tests that award points to skilled applicants and for economic contributions by investors were recently introduced by the Immigration Department of Hong Kong.

See also: Immigration Department (Hong Kong)

Immigration Categories

There are two main immigration categories in effect as of March 2016.

Skilled immigrants

This is a quota-based program that seeks to attract highly skilled persons to settle in Hong Kong. An applicant does not need to obtain a job offer in advance before entering into Hong Kong on a "skilled immigrants" transfer. Two sets of points system are used to evaluate applicants. These are the Achievement Based Points Test[1] and the General Points Test.[2]

Family class

Permanent residents can sponsor family members to immigrate to Hong Kong. The family member sponsored by the Permanent Resident must be either "their spouse, or an unmarried dependent child under the age of 18, or a parent aged 60 years or above".[3]

Suspended Categories

Capital investment

Under this category, investors from outside had to have net assets of no less than HK$10 million (US$1,300,000) to which they are entitled throughout the 2 years before submitting their application. (This amount was increased from HK$6.5M on 14 October 2010, and is to be reviewed every three years.)[4][5] The Capital Investment Entrant Scheme was suspended on 15 January 2015

Opposition

Politician Gary Fan has taken an anti-immigration stance, Fan has been frequently calling for the government to take back the approval rights on One-way Permits from Chinese authorities and to reduce the quota of such permits.[6] Fan also refers to immigrants from mainland China and the quota of 150 daily permits as "the root of the housing problem".[7]

In January 2013, Gary Fan and Claudia Mo formed a group called "HK First". They co-sponsored a controversial ad which claimed that reducing immigration would help the people of Hong Kong to get to the bottom of the housing problem, while rejecting claims of bias or discrimination against mainlanders,[8] despite condemnation from the Equal Opportunities Commission.[9] Fan later introduced a motion on adhering to the need to "put Hong Kong people first" in formulating policies, but the motion was ultimately defeated.[10]

Many political parties in Hong Kong are opposed to large-scale Chinese immigration citing its impact on freedom and locals resources, especially in primary schools, public housing and certain jobs. These parties include Neo Democrats, Hong Kong Indigenous and Youngspiration.

A 2012, poll found more than half - 51 per cent - of Hong Kongers thought the number of mainland immigrants allowed into Hong Kong should decrease. Only 16% thought immigration should increase.[11][12]

See also

Notes
  1. "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - Immigration Department". Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2006.
  2. "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - Immigration Department". Archived from the original on 27 January 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2006.
  3. http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hkvisas_1.htm#residence accessed 11/2/2007
  4. "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - Immigration Department". Archived from the original on 9 August 2006. Retrieved 10 September 2006.
  5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) New Amendments to the Rules for Capital Investment Entrant Scheme Archived 10 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine accessed 2/5/2011
  6. "Lawmakers deny bias against mainlanders". The Standard. 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013.
  7. Lo, Alex (15 October 2013). "Lawmakers Gary Fan and Claudia Mo take disingenuous stand on housing". South China Morning Post.
  8. Chong, Tanna (14 October 2013). "Legislators defend controversial advert on mainland migrants". South China Morning Post.
  9. But, Joshua (12 October 2013). "Head of equality watchdog condemns lawmakers' ad on mainland migrants". South China Morning Post.
  10. "Legislaitve Council of Hong Kong" (PDF).
  11. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1088378/hongkongers-want-fewer-mainland-immigrants
  12. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1088517/many-hongkongers-urge-cut-number-mainland-chinese-immigrants

References
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