TTPS Eligibility Checklist: Categories A, B and C

The Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) is divided into Categories A, B and C, and applicants may submit an application without first having a job. As of 7 October 2026, Category A requires an annual income of HK$2.5 million or above in the year immediately preceding the application; Category B requires a bachelor’s degree from a qualifying university and at least three years of work experience accumulated within five years; Category C requires graduation within five years with less than three years of work experience, and is subject to an annual quota.

How the three TTPS categories differ

The TTPS aims to attract high-calibre talent with substantial work experience and a high level of academic attainment from around the world to explore opportunities in Hong Kong, including high-earning individuals and graduates of the world’s top universities. The scheme does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea.

The eligibility and initial limit of stay for the three categories are as follows:

Applicants need not have secured a job in Hong Kong when they submit their application; provided they meet general immigration requirements, they may be permitted to stay in Hong Kong without being subject to other conditions of stay. For an item-by-item comparison of the three categories, see TTPS Category A/B/C comparison.

Category C applications are subject to an annual quota, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis; the official FAQs state that the current annual quota for Category C is 10,000. Category C does not apply to non-local students who obtained a bachelor’s degree by studying a full-time, locally accredited programme in the Hong Kong SAR. Such non-local graduates may apply under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG), which is a separate scheme; an overview of pathways is at Immigration policy and visa pathways.

Qualifying universities and academic credential verification

A qualifying university refers to a university/institution listed in the “Aggregate List of Eligible Universities”. The list is compiled by the Labour and Welfare Bureau based on four criteria: the top 100 institutions listed in each of four designated world university rankings over the past five years; the top five institutions specifically offering hospitality programmes in the QS “Hospitality and Leisure Management” subject area over the past five years; the top 20 mainland universities in the Shanghai Jiao Tong University China University Rankings over the past five years; and the top five specialised colleges in the QS “Art and Design” subject area over the past five years.

The academic level must be equivalent to a recognised Hong Kong bachelor’s degree standard; honorary bachelor’s degrees are not accepted. Those who hold only a master’s or doctoral degree (rather than a bachelor’s degree) from a qualifying university do not meet the eligibility for Category B or C. Academic qualifications obtained from online/distance-learning, evening, self-study or part-time courses offered by a qualifying university also do not meet the eligibility for Category B or C applications. Qualifications obtained from continuing and professional education schools, branch campuses, extension colleges or affiliated colleges established by a qualifying university are likewise not accepted.

The list is not fixed. The latest aggregate list sets out institutions “in no particular order of ranking”, with newly added universities marked with ”*” (for example, Adelaide University and University of Vienna). Ecole Polytechnique, Université Grenoble Alpes, Universite Sorbonne Paris Cite-USPC and University of Freiburg have been removed from the list; persons who graduated from the bachelor’s degree programmes of those four institutions no longer meet the eligibility for Category B and C from 1 January 2026. For the latest list, consult the Aggregate List of Eligible Universities.

Category B or C applicants must submit verification documents issued by a third-party credential verification organisation or the awarding institution in respect of their academic qualifications, and provide the required information that can be verified on the relevant online platform. The list of third-party credential verification organisations includes CHSI, CSCSE, Parchment, Qualification Check and CeCredential Trust; this list applies to applicants who graduated from institutions that do not provide online verification of academic qualifications to external parties. For details on qualification verification and Category B experience proof, see Category B work experience proof.

If an applicant fails to submit graduation proof documents, the application cannot be processed and should be submitted only after the graduation certificate or graduation proof document has been received.

How income and work experience are defined

For Category A, “annual income” refers to taxable employment or business income, including salaries, allowances, stock options and profits from a company the applicant owns. Regarding business income, generally the applicant must have continuously held shares in the relevant company throughout the entire assessment year preceding the submission of the application, in order to count the annual income derived from profits of the company they own. Income generated from personal investments is not counted.

Category A applicants may submit the salaries tax assessment notice for the preceding assessment year issued by the local competent authority, documents from the company specifying the value of stock options, and proof of the financial status of the company owned by the applicant (if applicable). In addition to Hong Kong dollars, the online application system offers 17 major currencies for applicants to choose for automatic conversion; for income not calculated in those currencies, applicants may convert it themselves before uploading the proof. For details on Category A income recognition, see Category A HK$2.5 million income recognition.

For Category B, “relevant work experience” refers to full-time or self-employed work experience accumulated after graduation, and at least three years must be accumulated within the five years immediately preceding the application. For Category C, “graduation within five years” is calculated by “year of graduation”; only those with less than three years of work experience meet Category C. Where a bachelor’s degree programme is jointly offered by two universities, an application may be made provided all awarding institutions are qualifying universities and other eligibility criteria are met.

Limit of stay, dependants and application procedure

Approved Category A applicants receive an initial limit of stay of 36 months, while Categories B and C receive 24 months. Persons permitted to come to Hong Kong are subject only to the limit of stay, and during the permitted stay may freely take up or change employment, and establish or join any business, without prior approval from the Director of Immigration.

Each applicant may be granted the “initial stay arrangement” only once under the TTPS. This arrangement does not apply to those who have previously been granted such an arrangement (whether as a principal applicant or as a dependant); it also does not apply to persons who, at the time of submitting the application or within the preceding six months, have already been permitted to remain in Hong Kong under any talent admission scheme—they must simultaneously meet the eligibility for entry application and for extension of stay application, including being employed in Hong Kong with a stable income, or having established or joined a business in Hong Kong.

An applicant may act as a sponsor and bring to Hong Kong a spouse (or the other party to a locally legally recognised civil partnership/union) and unmarried dependant children under the age of 18. Conditions include being able to provide reasonable proof of relationship, the dependants having no adverse records, and the sponsor having the ability to provide the dependants with living standards and suitable accommodation well above the basic level. The dependant’s limit of stay is generally tied to that of the sponsor, and they may work and study in Hong Kong without restriction. For accompanying dependant arrangements, see Spouse, children and parents dependant strategy.

Applicants must submit their application online through the designated Hong Kong Government GovHK webpage and pay the relevant application fee, while uploading all supporting documents. After the Immigration Department receives all required documents and the relevant application fee, processing generally takes four weeks; if the documents and application fee are not complete, processing cannot begin. For the document checklist, see Visa pathway document checklist.

Documents the applicant must upload include: a recent photograph; a valid travel document; a Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID) (if any); the official bachelor’s degree graduation certificate and academic transcript (showing the holding of a bachelor’s degree awarded by an institution on the Aggregate List of Eligible Universities); verification documents for the bachelor’s degree qualification; proof of work experience; and Category A income proof (annual income of HK$2.5 million or above in the year immediately preceding the application). Mainland residents additionally require a consent letter for working in Hong Kong issued by their current employer or the relevant mainland authority.

The TTPS is a “specified scheme”. From 11:00 am on 26 February 2025, the application fee is HK$600 per application; after approval, the visa issuance fee follows a two-tier system: HK$1,300 where the relevant period exceeds 180 days, and HK$600 where it does not exceed 180 days. The application fee paid is not refundable regardless of the application outcome.

Each accompanying dependant must upload a recent photograph, a valid travel document and proof of relationship with the applicant. In the same online application, an applicant may submit applications for up to eight accompanying dependants together.

Chinese citizens holding a People’s Republic of China passport who reside overseas may apply for the TTPS if they meet the eligibility and general immigration requirements, and either already hold permanent resident status overseas, or have resided overseas for no less than one year immediately preceding the application and submit the application from overseas. Here, “overseas” means countries or regions outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Extension of stay

An extension application may be made online within the three months before the limit of stay expires, and in all cases should be submitted at least six weeks before expiry. When submitting the application, the applicant must be in Hong Kong, and must prove that they are employed in Hong Kong with a stable income derived therefrom, or have established or joined a business in Hong Kong.

For an extension application by an employed person, the job they are employed to do must normally be one undertaken by a degree holder, or by a person with good professional/technical qualifications, proven professional ability and/or documented relevant experience and achievements, and the remuneration and fringe benefits of the position must be at market level. Extension applications from management or professionals assigned to Hong Kong under a “company’s internal transfer arrangement” will also be considered, provided the work they undertake in Hong Kong meets the above conditions.

Those who have established or joined a business in Hong Kong must provide documents showing that the business is genuinely operating in Hong Kong, is soundly run and sustainable, and can contribute to the Hong Kong economy.

If an extension application is approved, the stay is generally extendable for not more than three years, or until the expiry of the applicant’s employment contract in Hong Kong, whichever is shorter.

Category B and C persons permitted to come to Hong Kong who have not submitted bachelor’s degree qualification verification documents to the Immigration Department must submit them together when applying for extension of stay. The verification documents must be issued by a third-party credential verification organisation or the awarding institution, and provide information that can be verified.

After all documents and the application fee are received, an extension application can generally be processed within about two to three weeks. Not all extension applications are approved; if the applicant fails to prove continued employment in Hong Kong or having established or joined any business, the extension application may be refused.

Top Talent category

When submitting an extension application, if the applicant has been permitted to stay in Hong Kong for not less than two years under the TTPS, and the assessable income for salaries tax in the preceding assessment year reached HK$2 million or above, the application may be processed under the “Top Talent category”. Successful applicants are generally granted an extension of stay of six years without being subject to other conditions of stay, and must provide documents such as the Inland Revenue Department’s tax assessment notice as proof.

Frequently asked questions

What are the differences between TTPS Categories A, B and C?

Conclusion: The three categories differ in eligibility thresholds and initial limit of stay. Category A looks at annual income (HK$2.5 million or above), with an initial stay of 36 months; Categories B and C look at a qualifying university bachelor’s degree and work experience, both with an initial stay of 24 months, and Category C is subject to an annual quota.

Do I need a job first for the TTPS?

Conclusion: When submitting the application, you need not have secured a job in Hong Kong. The condition is simply that, provided you meet general immigration requirements, you may be permitted to stay in Hong Kong without being subject to other conditions of stay.

Does TTPS Category C have a quota?

Conclusion: Category C is subject to an annual quota, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The current annual quota is 10,000.

Can a master’s or doctoral degree substitute for a bachelor’s degree to apply for Category B or C?

Conclusion: No. To apply for Category B or C, the applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree from a qualifying university; those who hold only a master’s or doctoral degree (rather than a bachelor’s degree) do not qualify.

Can non-local students who completed a full-time locally accredited programme in Hong Kong apply for TTPS Category C?

Conclusion: No. Category C does not apply to non-local students who obtained a bachelor’s degree by studying a full-time, locally accredited programme in the Hong Kong SAR; such persons may apply under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG), which is a separate scheme.

After the initial limit of stay expires, can I return to Hong Kong using the TTPS again?

Conclusion: No. Each applicant may be granted the “initial stay arrangement” only once under the TTPS; a person permitted to come to Hong Kong who later leaves Hong Kong after the limit of stay has expired may only apply to return through an immigration policy or scheme other than the TTPS.

Official sources

• Top Talent Pass Scheme – Immigration Department
• Top Talent Pass Scheme FAQs – Immigration Department
• Top Talent Pass Scheme Entry Guide ID(C)1026 (PDF) – Immigration Department
• Aggregate List of Eligible Universities (PDF) – Immigration Department
• List of Third-party Credential Verification Organisations (PDF) – Immigration Department
• New Fee Structure for Visa Applications under Specified Schemes – Immigration Department
• Top Talent Pass Scheme Entry Guide forms page (ID(C)1026) – Immigration Department

This article is a compilation of policy information and does not constitute legal advice; policies are subject to the latest announcements of official departments such as the Immigration Department.