Hong Kong Immigration Routes: TTPS, QMAS, Work Visas and New CIES

Mar 1

5 min read

Updated: 7 hours ago

Choose a Hong Kong immigration route by your nationality and current status, qualifications, income, job or business, available capital and family plans. A route comparison should identify eligibility and evidence before comparing processing claims. Permission to stay, extension, permanent residence and a Hong Kong passport have different requirements.

Compare the routes before preparing a full application

The table is an initial guide, not an exhaustive list of Hong Kong admission policies. A Chinese resident of the Mainland should not automatically apply under the same employment route as a foreign national or another overseas applicant. State the actual passport and residence history first.

Route	Who should compare it	First eligibility check
TTPS	High-income applicants or eligible degree graduates	Category A income or B/C qualification and experience; C has a quota
QMAS	Applicants with relevant qualifications and achievements	Prerequisites, then current 6-of-12 GPT threshold or achievement route
GEP / ASMTP	Applicants with a genuine Hong Kong job offer	Correct population, suitable role, employer evidence and market remuneration
IANG	Eligible non-local or designated GBA campus graduates	Qualifying programme and recent/non-recent graduate rules
New CIES	Eligible applicants committing investment capital	Eligible nationality/status, six-month net-asset record and qualifying investment

TTPS: income and eligible qualifications

Category A requires annual income of at least HK$2.5 million in the year immediately preceding application under the official definition. Taxable employment or business income may qualify; personal investment income is excluded. Categories B and C require eligible qualifications and their respective experience or graduation conditions. Use the current aggregate university list rather than treating any highly ranked institution or a master’s degree alone as sufficient. Category C is subject to an annual quota. Initial permission is normally 36 months for A and 24 months for B/C, with individual document limits; the initial grant is available only once.

QMAS: replace the old points table

The current General Points Test uses 12 assessment criteria across six areas and a prevailing passing threshold of six criteria. The old 80-point or 245-point tables are not the present test. Applicants must first meet prerequisites; meeting the threshold allows an application, not guaranteed selection. The separate achievement route has its own demanding requirements. Use the current assessment descriptions and evidence rather than a promised approval score.

Employment: distinguish GEP and ASMTP

Both professional employment routes examine a genuine vacancy, the applicant’s suitability and market-level remuneration, with employer evidence. ASMTP is the relevant professional route for Chinese residents of the Mainland; GEP serves its defined population, including applicable overseas Chinese cases under specific residence conditions. Separate any technical-professional stream from the standard professional route because its trade, age and quota rules differ. A job offer or a company registered in Hong Kong does not automatically establish approval.

IANG and study planning

IANG applies to qualifying non-local graduates and specified GBA campus graduates under the official programme rules. Recent and non-recent graduate applications have different employment requirements. Admission to a course, student permission and post-graduation IANG are separate stages. Check the actual programme, award and graduate timing before paying tuition; study is not the only possible alternative when TTPS or QMAS is unavailable, and graduation does not guarantee permanent residence.

New CIES: investment, assessment and maintenance

The scheme generally requires eligible status, net assets or equity of at least HK$30 million throughout the six months before net-asset assessment, and the required qualifying investment. Chinese nationals must meet the applicable population condition, such as foreign permanent residence where required. The allocation includes at least HK$27 million in permissible assets and HK$3 million in the CIES Investment Portfolio. Qualifying real estate has category and transaction conditions, so neither “all property excluded” nor “any home qualifies” is accurate. InvestHK assesses the relevant asset and investment requirements; Immigration decides entry and stay. Follow the formal sequence, investment windows and portfolio-maintenance rules rather than assuming every market fall requires a top-up or that capital is automatically free after seven calendar years.

Documents, costs and processing stages

Start with valid identity and permission records, family relationships and the evidence specific to the chosen route: income and qualifications, an employer’s genuine role, a qualifying programme or investment records. Background and police-document requirements depend on the official route and checklist; do not promise a waiver or use one generic certificate rule for all applicants. Distinguish preparation, filing, requests, approval, payment and activation. Published processing indications are not guaranteed personal deadlines.

Budget item	What to separate
Specified-scheme government fee	HK$600 per application; approved issuance HK$1,300 over 180 days or HK$600 at 180 days or less
Investment capital	New CIES qualifying commitment is separate from administrative and professional costs
Documents and professional services	Translation, verification, accounting or other applicable work; obtain an itemised quote
Household life and renewal	Housing, education, insurance, travel and later applications depend on actual circumstances

Renewal, ordinary residence and a passport

Renewal depends on the selected scheme and actual circumstances. TTPS holders generally need qualifying Hong Kong employment or business evidence at extension; an initial grant is not a fixed 2+3+3 guarantee. Permanent residence requires the applicable legal criteria, including ordinary residence where relevant, rather than merely holding an identity card for seven years. Non-Chinese applicants have additional legal requirements for their category. A Hong Kong passport separately requires Chinese citizenship, right of abode and a valid permanent identity card; permanent residence alone does not give every foreign national a passport.

Family benefits and cross-border obligations

Check each dependant’s eligibility, conditions and permission separately. School fee status, public-healthcare eligibility, taxation, banking acceptance and Mainland household or foreign-exchange obligations do not follow automatically from a new Hong Kong identity card. The outcome depends on the applicable rules and personal circumstances. Obtain the appropriate professional assessment instead of relying on a universal tax-saving calculation or guaranteed tuition benefit.

Start with a route and evidence review

Send your nationality, residence, qualifications, income or job, family ages, capital and intended Hong Kong activity to PremierVisa’s Hong Kong team. Request a written comparison of feasible routes, document gaps, charges, responsible professionals and renewal commitments. Legal, tax and investment work should identify the actual instructed professional and scope; overseas credentials do not establish Hong Kong legal authority. Reviewed 13 November 2026.