Under the general trend of global competition for talents, Hong Kong has launched the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) since June 2006 to attract international talents. QMAS Applicants are not required to secure employment with a Hong Kong company but they must meet the prerequisites (Stage 1) and fulfill the criteria under one of the two assessment tests (Stage 2).

While there are no annual quotas for QMAS under the latest policy, eligible Applicants are not guaranteed approval. Eligible applications are forwarded to a newly established Assessment Panel for further selection. The Director of Immigration approves a select number of eligible applications based on the Panel’s advice.

Applicants may apply for accompanying dependent visas for both their partner and children, but they must demonstrate that they can support and accommodate the whole family financially.

It is important to note that if the Applicant fails in Stages 1 or 2 of the selection mechanism, the application will be rejected immediately by the Hong Kong Immigration Department. Applicants should evaluate their eligibility before submitting their application. For the eligibility criteria, please refer to “3. Eligibility Criteria” of this quotation.

1.

QMAS Application Fees

Our fee for handling a Quality Migrant Admission Scheme is HKD29,980. An additional HKD4,990 will be charged for each dependent visa.

Our fees cover the following services:

1. Continuous advice and consultation throughout the visa application process for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme;
2. Assistance with the preparation of supporting documentation;
3. Review of application documents gathered by the applicant(s);
4. Preparation of the application forms;
5. Drafting of authorization letter(s), statements and arguments;
6. Submission of the application package to the Hong Kong Immigration Department;
7. Correspondence with the Hong Kong Immigration Department regarding the application;
8. Reporting the application status to the applicant.
9. Responding to request(s) for additional supporting documents, if any;
10. Coordinating the payment of fees and collection of the approved visa label;
11. Forwarding the visa label to the address specified by the applicant;
12. Assistance with the application for Hong Kong ID card(s), if needed.

The fees stated are exclusive of government fees (Application fee HKD600 and visa issuance fee HKD1300), delivery charges, translation fees, etc.

2.

Payment Terms and Methods

Upon receipt of your confirmation of engagement, we will issue and send an invoice along with the wiring instructions for your settlement. When you arrange the payment, please include our invoice number or account number in the message section and then email a copy of the remittance receipt to us for our records. Because of the nature of the service, we require full payment in advance. Once the service has commenced, no refunds will be made.

We accept cash, HKD checks, TT and credit cards through PayPal. An additional handling fee of 5% will be charged if payment is made via PayPal.

If a China or Taiwan official tax invoice is required, the Value-Added Tax or Business Tax at the prevailing rate in their respective jurisdiction will be charged and collected.

3.

Eligibility Criteria

Stage 1:

1. Age: The applicant must be aged 18 or above when lodging an application under the Scheme.
2. Financial requirement: The applicant must demonstrate that they possess sufficient financial resources to support and accommodate themselves and their dependant(s) without relying on public assistance during their stay in Hong Kong.
3. Good character: The applicant should not have any criminal record or adverse immigration record in Hong Kong or elsewhere.
4. Education: The applicant must have a good education background, normally a first degree from a recognized university or tertiary education institution.  Under special circumstances good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities and/or experience and achievements supported by documentary evidence may be considered.

   
   

Stage 2:

1. General Points Test: There are 12 assessment criteria in the questionnaire under 6 major aspects.  Applicants need to meet at least 6 assessment criteria in order to pass this test.  Please refer to Schedule I for the details on the assessment criteria of this test.
2. Achievement-based Points Test: It caters to individuals with exceptional talents or skills and outstanding achievements. The requirements under this assessment are very high but Applicants only need to meet 1 assessment criterion to pass this test.
• (a) The applicant has received an award of exceptional achievement (e.g. Olympic medals, Nobel prize, national/international awards); OR
•           (b) The applicant can show that his/her work has been acknowledged by his/her peers or has contributed significantly to the development of his/her field (e.g. lifetime achievement award from industry).

Stage 3:

1. Applicants who meet the prerequisite and pass one of the two assessment tests will be considered.
2. The Director of Immigration may seek advice from the Assessment Panel on all eligible applications.  The Panel will consider the manpower and socio-economic needs of Hong Kong when advising the Director.
3. Please be patient while waiting for the result. Applicants may regard their applications as being under processing unless they receive a notification of refusal from the Immigration.

Stage 4:

1. Successful Applicants will be issued with a visa/entry permit under QMAS.

4.

Required Documentation and Information

Applicants are required to provide the following documents and information for QMAS:

1. Recent photograph with a plain white background (50mm*40mm~55mm*45mm)
2. Copy of the applicant's valid travel document containing personal particulars, date of issue, date of expiry and/or details of any re-entry visa held
3. Copy of resident identity card (if applicable)
4. Copy of proofs of personal net worth, including bank deposits, real estate, securities and interests in privately-owned businesses
5. Copy of Hong Kong permanent identity card of a Hong Kong permanent resident immediate family member, proof of relationship with the Hong Kong permanent resident immediate family member (e.g. marriage certificate, birth certificate) AND residential proof of the Hong Kong Permanent resident immediate family member (e.g. utility bill & residential rental payment receipt issued within 1 on the from the date of application submission)
6. Copy of university graduation certificate of accompanying married spouse, original(s) of transcript of academic record of accompanying married spouse (for qualifications not awarded by higher education institutions in Mainland China) OR original(s) of verification report issued by China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Centre of accompanying married spouse (for qualifications awarded by higher education institutions in Mainland China)
7. Copy of proof(s) of achievement
8. Original(s) of transcript of academic record (for qualifications not awarded by higher education institutions in Mainland China) OR original(s) of verification report issued by China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Centre of accompanying married spouse (for qualifications awarded by higher education institutions in Mainland China)
9. Copy of professional qualification/training/membership claimed (if any)
10. Details relating to the professional qualification/training/membership claimed (if any)
11. Copy of a reference letter from each employer OR company documents for each business owned OR evidence of self-employment experience
12. For Applicants with an annual income of HKD1M or more, a copy of the notice of salaries tax assessment from the previous assessment year issued by an authority OR documentary proof of the Applicants’ stock options OR financial standing of the Applicants’ self-owned companies
13. Copy of evidence on key career accomplishment/future plan, and other information provided in the section
14. Copy of language proficiency proof
15. Original document to proof good character, e.g. informational supporting the absence of any criminal record or adverse immigration record. Each such certificate should be issued by the relevant authority within 6 months before the application submission (original document will not be returned).

Documents required for each dependent:

1. One passport-sized photograph (50mm × 40mm to 55mm × 45mm)
2. Copy of a valid travel document, which must include personal particulars, nationality (if applicable), re-entry visa (if applicable), date of issue, and expiry date
3. Copy of resident identity card (if applicable)
4. Photocopy of proof of relationship with the sponsor (QMAS applicant), such as marriage certificate, birth certificate, household registration booklet, or One-child Certificate, etc

5. Important Notes

1. Application will be refused immediately if Applicants fail to meet criteria under selection mechanism stage 1 or 2.
2. The Director of Immigration has absolute discretion to determine whether Applicants have fulfilled any assessment criterion under the two assessment routes in stage 2 and to approve or refuse applications without giving any reason.  The Scheme or details of the Scheme may also be subject to change as the Director deems fit without prior notice.
3. Persons admitted through the General Points Test under the Scheme will normally be granted an initial stay of 36 months on time limitation only without other conditions of stay upon entry. To be eligible for an extension of stay, Applicants need to provide evidence demonstrating to the satisfaction of the Immigration, 4 weeks before their limit of stay expires, that they have settled in Hong Kong by taking up residence (e.g. by securing gainful employment or establishing a business). If the extension of stay application is approved, it will follow the pattern of 3-2 years on time limitation without other conditions of stay.
4. Persons admitted through the Achievement-based Points Test under the Scheme will normally be granted a stay of 8 years on time limitation only without other conditions of stay upon entry. Should an extension of stay be required, the Applicants shall demonstrate that they are capable of supporting and accommodating themselves and their dependents, if any, on their own financial resources during their stay in Hong Kong.
5. Upon completion of a continuous period of ordinary residence in Hong Kong for not less than seven years, the admitted person and/or their dependents under the Scheme may apply for the right of abode in Hong Kong in accordance with the law.
6. All honorary master’s or doctoral degrees not awarded by nationally accredited/licensed institutions will not be accepted.
7. The applicant will be required to provide documentary proof(s) for language proficiency in Chinese or English unless their first spoken language is Chinese (Putonghua/Cantonese) or English and they are a national/citizen from a country/territory where Chinese (Putonghua/Cantonese) or English is an official language or the equivalent.
8. The length of stay of dependents will normally be linked to that of their sponsors.

6.

Procedures and Timeline

• ** The estimated time is based on full cooperation between Kaizen and the client.
• ** The estimated time does not account for delays caused by relevant government agencies.

Schedule 1     General Points Test

Related Topics: Hong Kong New capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) | Hong Kong Employment Visa (GEP & ASMTP)

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