Foreign nationals may take employment in Hong Kong only with an immigration status permitting it; a visitor may not take any employment, whether paid or unpaid. The main routes are the General Employment Policy (GEP), which requires a genuine vacancy and confirmed offer; the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) and Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS), neither of which requires an offer at application; and the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) for qualifying graduates. Chinese residents of the Mainland fall outside the GEP and may instead be considered under the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) if they are not non-local graduates (Immigration Department, GEP page). Under the official criteria, TTPS Category A requires annual income of HK$2,500,000 or above in the year preceding application, Category B requires an eligible university degree with at least three years of work experience in the past five years, and Category C covers such graduates with less than three years of experience under an annual quota whose size the official page does not state; QMAS General Points Test entrants must meet the prevailing threshold of 6 out of 12 criteria (Immigration Department, TTPS and QMAS Assessment Routes pages).

Can visitors work in Hong Kong?

Regulation 2(1) of the Immigration Regulations (Cap. 115A) provides that a person landing as a visitor shall not take any employment, paid or unpaid, shall not establish or join any business, and shall not become a student. Contravening a condition of stay is an offence punishable by a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and imprisonment for two years under section 41 of the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115). A visitor may generally conclude contracts, attend short-term seminars and business meetings, and participate in exhibitions (Immigration Department, Permissible Activities for Visitors page).

Route comparison

RouteWho it suitsJob offer at applicationFirst stayKey condition
GEPProfessionals with skills or experience of value and not readily available locally; excludes Chinese residents of the Mainland and nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of)Yes36 months on employment condition, or contract duration if shorterOffer relevant to qualifications or experience, not readily taken up locally, at market remuneration; normally a first degree
TTPSHigh-income talents and top-university graduates; same nationality exclusionsNo36 months (Category A); 24 months (Categories B and C), time limitation onlyA: income HK$2,500,000 or above in the past year. B: eligible university degree plus three years’ experience in five years. C: same degree in five years with under three years’ experience, annual quota, first-come, first-served
QMASHighly skilled or talented persons settling in Hong Kong; same nationality exclusionsNo36 months for General Points Test entrants; eight years for Achievement-based entrants upon entry, time limitation onlyAll prerequisites plus the prevailing threshold of 6 of 12 General Points Test criteria, or the Achievement-based route
IANGNon-local graduates with an undergraduate or higher full-time locally-accredited Hong Kong qualification, and Greater Bay Area campus graduates; nationality limits applyRecent graduates within six months: no. Non-recent: yes24 months, time limitation onlyRecent graduates need no offer; non-recent graduates need a degree-holder-level job at market remuneration
ASMTPChinese residents of the Mainland who are not non-local graduatesThe official page does not state thisThe official page does not state thisApplies instead of GEP; shares facilitation measures with GEP

The details above are drawn from the Immigration Department’s GEP, TTPS, QMAS, QMAS Assessment Routes and IANG pages. The GEP also includes a Technical Professionals Stream for experienced non-degree professionals aged 18 to 40, subject to quota and specific trades, while top-tier employment streams may lead to longer stays for persons with not less than two years’ permitted stay and assessable income of not less than HK$2,000,000 in the previous year of assessment (Immigration Department, GEP, TTPS, IANG and QMAS pages). See also the TTPS eligible university list tool.

What employers must show and facilitation measures

Required GEP employer documents include the employment contract or appointment letter showing post, salary, fringe benefits and period, the Business Registration Certificate, financial-standing proof such as the latest audited financial report, trading profit and loss account or profit tax return, background documents and, for companies set up within 12 months, a detailed business plan; the applicant supplies a photograph, valid travel document, Hong Kong identity card if any, and proof of qualifications and experience, with certified translations where documents are not in Chinese or English (Immigration Department, GEP page). Facilitation measures may waive parts of this (Immigration Department, Facilitation Measures page; Labour and Welfare Bureau, Talent List Immigration Facilitation page):

  • Previous non-local employment visa in the past 24 months: no Business Registration Certificate, financial proof, background papers, business plan or staff list.
  • Main Board or GEM listed company: the same waivers.
  • Intra-company transfer to a managerial or professional post after at least one year with market pay: no proof of local recruitment.
  • Talent List post, or annual total remuneration including a housing allowance of HK$2 million or above: no proof of recruitment difficulties; Talent List vacancies are exempt from the market availability test.
  • Bachelor’s or higher degree from an internationally recognised top-tier institution defined by four global rankings or the US News liberal arts top 30: no proof of local recruitment or work experience.
  • Relevant master’s or doctoral degree: the same two waivers.
  • Previous approval under GEP, ASMTP, TechTAS or QMAS, not as a dependant: no resubmission of qualification and experience proofs.

Documents may still be required depending on circumstances. Completed GEP cases take about four weeks; approval is discretionary; fees are non-refundable. From 26 February 2025, each principal applicant and each dependant pays HK$600 plus an issuance fee of HK$1,300 where the relevant period exceeds 180 days, or HK$600 where it does not; a 36-month permission therefore costs HK$1,900 per person (Immigration Department, specified schemes fee page).

Pay context from official statistics

Median monthly employee wage in May to June 2025 was HK$21,200, 3.5% above the HK$20,500 median a year earlier (Census and Statistics Department, 2025 Annual Earnings and Hours Survey press release, released 23 March 2026):

Monthly wage, May-June 2025HK$
Median21,200
10th percentile11,000
25th percentile15,300
75th percentile33,000
90th percentile51,300

The median hourly wage was HK$85.7, 3.4% above HK$82.9, and figures are rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. These are all-employee medians for May to June 2025; the release does not allocate them by visa route, and they are not salary offers for foreign hires. Separately, the statutory minimum wage is HK$43.1 per hour from 1 May 2026, with the monthly recording cap raised to HK$17,600 (Labour Department, Statutory Minimum Wage page).

Salaries tax and MPF basics

Salaries tax uses progressive rates on net chargeable income: 2% on the first HK$50,000, 6% on the next HK$50,000, 10% on the next HK$50,000, 14% on the next HK$50,000 and 17% on the remainder; the standard rate is 15% on the first HK$5,000,000 of net income and 16% on the remainder from 2024/25, and the lower amount is payable. Allowances from 2026/27 include a basic allowance of HK$145,000, married person’s allowance of HK$290,000 and child allowance of HK$140,000 per child, with the MPF deduction capped at HK$18,000 (Inland Revenue Department, PAM 61(e), August 2026). Employee and employer each contribute 5% of relevant income to the MPF, with monthly minimum relevant income of HK$7,100 and maximum of HK$30,000, giving a HK$1,500 monthly cap per side; the first 30 days are a contribution holiday for new employees, and cover is mandatory from age 18 to under 65. Self-employed persons face a yearly minimum of HK$85,200 and maximum of HK$360,000 (Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, Mandatory Contributions page). A salaries tax calculator is available for modelling.

Basic employment rights

Under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57), a continuous contract needs four or more weeks with the same employer and at least 17 hours in each week; where a week has under 17 hours, the alternative is 68 hours or more across that week and the three preceding weeks. This test took effect on 18 January 2026, replacing an 18-hour rule, and in disputes the employer bears the onus of proving a contract is not continuous (Labour Department, A Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance, finalised December 2025). All employees receive 15 statutory holidays in 2026, with Easter Monday added from 1 January 2026; holiday pay needs a continuous contract of at least three months before the holiday, buy-out holidays are prohibited, and breaches carry a HK$50,000 fine. Paid annual leave rises from 7 days after one year to 14 days after nine or more years, on a scale of 7, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 days respectively; untaken leave is paid on termination, and failures to grant or pay attract a HK$50,000 fine. Notice within the first month of probation needs no notice or payment in lieu; after probation the contractual notice applies subject to a seven-day floor, rising to one month where no notice period is stated. Wages attract the statutory minimum of HK$43.1 per hour from 1 May 2026 (Labour Department, Concise Guide and Statutory Minimum Wage pages).

Dependants and the path to the right of abode

GEP admitted persons may bring a spouse or recognised civil partner or union partner and unmarried dependent children under 18 if the sponsor supports them well above subsistence level and houses them suitably; dependants may work or study. QMAS admits the same categories on proof of self-support without public assistance (Immigration Department, GEP and QMAS pages). Persons admitted under GEP or TTPS who have ordinarily resided in the HKSAR continuously for not less than seven years may apply for the right of abode in accordance with the law; non-permanent residents need no re-entry visa if returning within the permitted limit of stay (Immigration Department, GEP and TTPS pages).

Common misunderstandings

A visitor may start work and then apply for a visa. Regulation 2(1) of Cap. 115A prohibits a visitor from taking any employment, paid or unpaid; breach of a condition of stay carries a maximum HK$50,000 fine and two years’ imprisonment (Immigration Department, Permissible Activities for Visitors page).

TTPS or QMAS admission makes later proof unnecessary. Neither route requires an offer at application, but TTPS holders must prove at extension that they have taken employment with stable income or established or joined a business, and QMAS General Points entrants must prove steps to settle for the first extension (Immigration Department, TTPS and QMAS pages).

The GEP is open to all nationalities. The GEP does not apply to Chinese residents of the Mainland, who may use ASMTP if not non-local graduates, nor to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of); TTPS, QMAS and IANG carry the same nationality exclusions (Immigration Department, scheme pages).

Every work visa holder may change employer freely. GEP holders remain on an employment condition, may take only approved employment and need prior approval to change; TTPS, IANG and QMAS persons on time limitation only without other conditions may change without prior approval (Immigration Department, GEP, TTPS, IANG and QMAS pages).

The QMAS threshold is fixed. The prevailing General Points Test passing threshold is 6 out of 12, and the Immigration Department states that it is subject to change without prior notice (Immigration Department, QMAS Assessment Routes page).

FAQ

Can a visitor take up a Hong Kong job after arrival?

No. A visitor shall not take employment, paid or unpaid, and taking employment requires prior admission under a route such as GEP, TTPS, QMAS or IANG under its own criteria (Immigration Department, Permissible Activities for Visitors and scheme pages).

Which routes need no job offer at application?

TTPS and QMAS require no offer at application. IANG applicants within six months of graduation also require no offer, while non-recent IANG graduates must hold an offer (Immigration Department, TTPS, QMAS and IANG pages).

How long is the first permitted stay?

GEP is normally 36 months on employment condition or the shorter contract duration; TTPS is 36 months for Category A and 24 months for Categories B and C; QMAS is normally 36 months for General Points entrants and eight years for Achievement-based entrants upon entry; IANG is 24 months (Immigration Department, scheme pages).

What are the GEP visa fees?

From 26 February 2025, the non-refundable application fee is HK$600 and the issuance fee is HK$1,300 where the relevant period exceeds 180 days, or HK$600 where it does not, for each principal applicant and each dependant; a 36-month permission therefore costs HK$1,900 per person (Immigration Department, specified schemes fee page).

When does the right of abode become possible?

Persons admitted under GEP or TTPS who have ordinarily resided in the HKSAR continuously for not less than seven years may apply in accordance with the law (Immigration Department, GEP and TTPS pages).

Visa schemes, thresholds, quotas, fees and statutory rates may change without notice, and the official pages cited remain the prevailing authority.

Sources