More than half of the professionals admitted to Hong Kong under a top talent scheme launched two years ago have applied to extend their stay, a rate that the city’s labour chief has hailed as “ideal”.
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Reviewing the Top Talent Pass Scheme, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han also revealed on Friday that the median monthly salary of those who had successfully extended their visas was HK$40,000 (US$5,128), while a quarter earned HK$80,000.
Sun also dismissed concerns that the new arrivals had consumed Hong Kong resources, noting that half of those who had succeeded in extending their stay were aged 40 or below, while saying that small details in the scheme could be enhanced.
The scheme, under which a two-year visa is usually issued to successful applicants, was launched by the government in December 2022 to counter a brain drain during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a closed-door media briefing on Friday, Sun revealed that the visas of 13,678 individuals had expired as of July 31, with 7,394 or 54 per cent submitting applications for an extension.
Including 2,305 people whose visas had not expired before July 31 but who had already applied for extensions, the Immigration Department had received 9,699 applications in total.