Hong Kong authorities have said there are “no loopholes” in its scheme for attracting talent to the city, after a news outlet’s investigation found that agents were fabricating documents for mainland Chinese applicants to renew the visas.
Immigration Tower. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Local media outlet HK01 published an investigation on Monday, in which a Guangzhou-based agent told an undercover reporter that they could arrange Hong Kong employers to falsify employment documents for their clients applying for the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS). With “evidence” of employment, including fabricated payrolls, applicants could then renew their visas under the top talent scheme.
The labour and welfare chief Chris Sun told the press later on Monday that the public should not trust those agents.
“The Immigration Department strictly scrutinises every application, so there are no so-called loopholes in the [talent scheme] system,” Sun said in Cantonese.
He suggested that those agents are scammers and that there was no way for applicants to pay their way into Hong Kong. Those who “blindly believe” the agents would be wasting their money, he said.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
The agent charged a fee of RMB100,000 for visa renewal and an annual fee of RMB80,000 for producing falsified payrolls, according to HK01.
Introduced in December 2022, the TTPS attracts graduates from the world’s top universities – or those who earn an annual income of more than HK$2.5 million – to come to Hong Kong.
As of September,a total of 80,588 applicants have been granted visas under the TPPS, with 95 per cent coming from mainland China.
Applicants do not need to have secured a job in advance. However, to renew their visa after two years, they need to submit documents to prove they have taken up employment in Hong Kong and are earning a stable income.
Headquarter of Hong Kong’s Immigration Department. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
According to the HK01 report, another agent, also based in Guangzhou, said that they can produce false documents for clients claiming that they make more than HK$2.5 million per year.
The agent said they charge RMB450,000 to 900,000, depending on whether the clients have established their own companies.
Hong Kong’s Immigration Department has not revealed how many TTPS applicants had provided false documents.
Scheme expanded
Chief Executive John Lee announced in October during the 2024 Policy Address to further expand the TPPS, adding 13 mainland Chinese and overseas universities to the scheme’s qualification list.
Currently, graduates from 198 universities around the world are eligible for the scheme, among which 22 are universities in mainland China.
Separately, high earners with an annual income of more than HK$2.5 million will receive an initial visa valid for three years, up from the previous two years.
