- September 26, 2017
- Posted by: visasabroad
- Category: Hong Kong Visa
Immigration to Hong Kong has been taking place since long. The QMAS (Quality Migrant Admission Scheme) Visa announced in February 2006 came into practice the very same year. Hong Kong is considered a travel destination for many travel aspirants.
Now that Hong Kong is developing financially, demands for skilled professionals have come to the country’s occupation demand list. The Hong Kong government will only accept a migrant meeting certain set criteria.
The government will then allow migrants to apply for a Permanent Residency Visa to Hong Kong. Let’s now consider the process to acquire Permanent Residency in Hong Kong?
The Process
Hong Kong is actively seeking skilled and talented individuals who can contribute in the economy of Hong Kong. In order to migrate to Canada, it is not a requirement that the willing candidate needs to have a job offer from the local employer before migrating.
There are certain requirements that the applicant needs to meet before he can be awarded points under General Points Test or Achievement Test Points Test.
Eligibility Requirement for the Hong Kong QMAS Visa
There are certain requirements that applicants need to fulfill to be eligible for the QMAS Visa. The applicant must satisfy all of the requirements mentioned below.
- Age: The applicant’s age must be more than 18 years old at the time of filing the application.
- Funds: The applicant must show required amount of funds in his bank account for a consecutive period of time. The Hong Kong government considers this so that they can be sure that the applicants can easily accommodate themselves in the new country.
- Character: The applicant should have no previous criminal records anywhere while applying for Visa. Proper proofs proving the absence of criminal records anywhere must be submitted to the immigration department of Hong Kong.
- Language Proficiency: The applicant should be fluent in either Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English. Special points are awarded to candidates knowing more languages other than English.
- Educational Requirements: The applicant must have a good educational background. A bachelor’s degree from a recognized university is taken into account while weighing points for the applicant’s Visa. Certain achievements and professional abilities with documented proofs are also considered.
The Points Based Test
Applicants who have met the requirements for the QMAS Visa may choose themselves to be assessed under the General Points Test or Achievement-based Test. The minimum passing score for the General Points Test is 80.
Applicants opting for Achievements-based Test will also need to score 80 points. A candidate can score a maximum of 195 points he if meets every criterion mentioned in the eligibility list. The table below indicates the points system according to different age groups –
Age:
| Age | 18-39 | 40-44 | 45-50 | 51 or above |
| Points | 30 | 20 | 15 | 0 |
Qualification:
| Doctoral Degree / Two or more master’s degrees | 40 |
| Master’s Degree / Two or more bachelor’s degrees | 20 |
| Bachelor’s Degree / Professional Qualification | 10 |
| Additional points are awarded if Bachelor’s Degree is from a recognized institution internationally | 30 |
Work Experience:
| Not less than 10 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience, including at least 5 years in a senior role | 40 |
| Not less than 5 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience, including at least 2 years in a senior role | 30 |
| Not less than 5 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience | 15 |
| Not less than 2 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience | 5 |
| Additional points for not less than 2 years’ graduate or specialist level work experience with international exposure | 15 |
Language Proficiency:
| Being proficient both in written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) and English | 20 |
| Being proficient in at least one foreign language (written and spoken) in addition to written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English | 15 |
| Being proficient in written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English | 10 |
Family Background:
| At least one immediate family member (married spouse, parents, siblings, children) is a Hong Kong permanent resident residing in Hong Kong | 5 |
| Accompanying married spouse is educated to the equivalent level of a degree or above | 5 |
| 5 points for each accompanying unmarried dependent child under the age of 18, maximum 10 points. | 5 or 10 |
Selecting Candidates
Candidates who fulfill the requirements and score minimum passing marks of 80 are eligible to apply for the QMAS Visa. However, candidates who score higher scores will be shortlisted by the government for Visa for further assessment.
Meeting the minimum score or the applicant scoring higher is not readily going to Hong Kong. The candidates will need to compete with competent candidates falling into the same score pool and wait until the Hong Kong government makes its pick.
Approval-in-Principle
Candidates during the selection process will be issued with an Approval-in-principle letter. Candidates who receive an Approval-in-principle letter are required to visit Hong Kong for an interview and present their original documents that were submitted to the immigration department for verification. Also, remember, receiving an Approval-in-Principle does not guarantee a person’s entry and stay in Hong Kong. Candidates may want to visit Hong Kong on a visitor’s visa to complete this process.
Issue of Visa
Once all the original documents are presented during the interview and once the interviewer is satisfied with the verification, Visa to stay in Hong Kong under a specific scheme is issued.
Applicant’s Dependents
Under the prevailing dependent policy, the applicant can choose to bring in their spouse or unmarried children under the age 18 to Hong Kong. Persons applying for admission under QMAS will automatically become the sponsor of accompanying dependents to Hong Kong. The length of stay of such dependants depends upon the sponsor’s stay in Hong Kong.
