LCQ19: Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
LCQ19: Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates Question:
At present, the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) adopt a “2+3+3” year mode of stay. It is learnt that earlier this year, some of those who were admitted to Hong Kong for employment through IANG (e.g. those whose employment contracts were about to expire) were unable to obtain three-year visa renewals smoothly when extending their stay. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
Type of ApplicationsNote: Applications approved/refused in a year may not all be received in the same year.
(2) At present, over 90 per cent of those coming to or staying in Hong Kong under the IANG are fresh graduates. They are not required to have secured offers of employment in Hong Kong upon application. However, when applying for an extension of stay, they are required to have taken up employment in Hong Kong that are at the levels commonly taken up by degree holders and the remuneration packages are on par with the market level. For those who have established or joined in business in Hong Kong, they are required to produce proof of their business upon application for an extension of stay.
Industry/sectorThe Immigration Department does not maintain other breakdowns of statistics mentioned in the question.
(3) Since its launch in 2008, the IANG has received positive response and helped Hong Kong attract and retain talent as well as expanding the talent pool. As at the end of April 2025, a total of 177 567 applications have been received. Among them, 172 043 applications have been approved, with over 90 per cent being recent non-local graduates and 2 825 applications coming from the graduates of the GBA campuses of Hong Kong universities. The statistics on entrants admitted to Hong Kong under the IANG who eventually acquired the right of abode in the past five years are tabulated as follows:
Admission policy/schemeNote: The figures are based on the applicants’ status in Hong Kong at the time of application for the right of abode.
With the development of the GBA, it has become a trend for Hong Kong universities to set up campuses in Mainland cities of the GBA through joint ventures, and their graduates will become an important source of talent in the GBA. Starting from the end of 2022, the Government has extended the IANG on a pilot basis to cover graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher qualification from Hong Kong universities’ campuses in Mainland cities of the GBA, so as to attract outstanding talent from these institutions to come to Hong Kong for employment and further boost Hong Kong’s human resources and competitiveness. The Chief Executive announced in his Policy Address 2024 to extend the pilot arrangement for two years. This measure not only fosters the exchange of talents in the GBA, but also meets the needs of economic development in the GBA. We will continue to monitor the implementation of the IANG, particularly the response to the inclusion of graduates of Hong Kong universities’ GBA campuses under the IANG, and review its effectiveness in due course.Issued at HKT 16:05