Hong Kong Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) 2026 Eligibility, Categories, and Universities

The Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS), launched by Hong Kong's Immigration Department in December 2022, is designed to attract high-earning professionals and graduates from world-renowned universities to live and work in Hong Kong.

The TTPS is one of the most straightforward entry points into Hong Kong, because it requires no employer sponsor, no company setup, and no business plan at the application stage. Successful applicants choose from three eligibility categories based on income, university credentials, or recent graduation.

By the end of January 2026, the scheme had received over 150,000 applications and approved over 120,000, and more than 100,000 talents had arrived in Hong Kong (Labour and Welfare Bureau, LegCo paper of 23 February 2026).

Category A: High-Income Applicants

Category A targets high-income individuals earning HK$2.5 million (approximately US$320,000) or more in the year preceding the application. This category is the most direct route for established business owners and senior professionals with a strong income track record.

Who qualifies under Category A:

• Founders or co-founders of companies generating significant personal income
• Business owners drawing substantial salary or dividends from company profits
• Serial entrepreneurs with verifiable income history
• C-suite executives planning to launch their own venture in Hong Kong

Key documents needed:

• Notice of tax assessment (or tax payment certificates) for the previous year showing HK$2.5M+ income
• Employment reference letters or company financial statements
• Valid passport or travel document
• Submit the application online through GovHK (see the Guidebook for TTPS, ID(E)1026).

There is no annual quota for Category A, and no university degree requirement.

Category B: Top University Graduates with Experience

Category B is designed for professionals who hold a bachelor's degree from one of the 200 eligible universities on Hong Kong's aggregate list and have at least 3 years of work experience in the past 5 years.

Category B does not depend on personal income, which suits applicants who do not meet the Category A threshold. The university credential and work experience requirements are the only filters.

The aggregate list of 200 eligible universities (updated 1 January 2026) includes institutions from the top 100 of four global rankings (QS, THE, US News, SJTU), plus the top 5 hospitality programmes, top 5 art and design institutions, and top 20 Mainland Chinese universities.

Eligible universities include major US institutions (MIT, Stanford, Harvard), UK universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial), Asian universities (NUS, NTU, HKU, HKUST, Tsinghua, Peking), and European institutions (ETH Zurich, EPFL). The list is compiled by the Labour and Welfare Bureau and published by the Immigration Department; the latest changes took effect on 1 January 2026.

Application requirements:

• Bachelor's degree certificate and transcript from an eligible university, plus verification proof of the degree
• At least 3 years of full-time work or self-employment after graduation, within the past 5 years
• Documentary proof of your work experience (for example employer letters)
• No income threshold

Category C: Recent Graduates

Category C covers bachelor's degree graduates of eligible universities who graduated in the past 5 years and have less than 3 years of work experience, subject to an annual quota of 10,000 places (first come, first served). This category suits recent graduates and young entrepreneurs.

Important exclusion: Category C does not apply to non-local students who obtained their undergraduate qualification from a full-time, locally accredited programme in Hong Kong. These graduates should apply through the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) scheme instead.

The eligible universities list applies to Categories B and C only. Category A is income based and does not require a degree from any specific institution. Hong Kong's Labour and Welfare Bureau compiles the list, known officially as the Aggregate List of Eligible Universities. It draws on the top 100 institutions in four global ranking systems (QS, Times Higher Education, U.S. News, and ShanghaiRanking ARWU) over the past five years, plus the top 5 hospitality programmes, the top 5 art and design institutions, and the top 20 Mainland Chinese universities. The current list contains 200 institutions. Hong Kong universities appear on the list, but a non-local student who earned the bachelor's degree in a full-time, locally accredited Hong Kong programme cannot use it for Category C and applies through IANG instead; this exclusion does not apply to Category B.

Quick reference: frequently checked and confirmed eligible

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), University College London (UK), Imperial College London (UK), University of Leeds (UK), University of Geneva (Switzerland), University of New South Wales (Australia), National University of Singapore (Singapore), Kyoto University (Japan), and Osaka University (Japan).

Mainland Chinese universities on the list (23)

Twenty-three institutions from the Chinese Mainland are eligible: Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Science and Technology of China, Sun Yat-sen University, Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Central South University, Sichuan University, Beihang University, Southeast University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Tongji University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University, Tianjin University, and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Yes, and this is the key advantage of TTPS for entrepreneurs.

Unlike the GEP visa (which requires a sponsoring employer) or the Investment Visa (which requires a detailed business plan upfront), TTPS holders have complete flexibility to:

• Register and operate a Hong Kong company as a director, shareholder, or both (limited company, sole proprietorship, or partnership)
• Work for any employer while building your business on the side
• Switch between employment and self-employment without seeking prior approval from Immigration
• Hire employees through your Hong Kong company
• Open business bank accounts at major Hong Kong banks

No separate business plan or Investment Visa is required during your initial 24 to 36 month stay. You will need a Business Registration Certificate once your company is operational, which also serves as key evidence for your visa renewal.

During the initial stay, the only condition is the time limit. But to renew, you must prove that you have taken up employment with a stable income in Hong Kong or established or joined a business there, so a setup run entirely from abroad is unlikely to support a renewal.

If you earned your degree at a university outside Hong Kong, the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) Category C is your route. If you earned your degree inside Hong Kong through a full-time, locally accredited programme, the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) is the correct path. The two schemes do not overlap by design: where you studied determines which one applies. Hong Kong Immigration confirms that a graduate of a Hong Kong programme cannot use that same Hong Kong degree to apply under TTPS Category C (TTPS FAQ Q16). The comparison below is between TTPS Category C and IANG, the two graduate routes. Category A (income based) and Category B (degree plus 3 years of experience) are separate decisions covered above.

TTPS holders who have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of at least 7 years can apply for permanent residency (the right of abode). Non-Chinese nationals must also have taken Hong Kong as their place of permanent residence. This is the same pathway available to all visa holders.

The 7-year clock starts from your TTPS entry date. Time on TTPS counts toward the 7-year requirement, even if you later switch to an Investment Visa or GEP.

How renewal works

At the end of your initial stay (36 months for Category A, 24 months for Categories B and C), you apply for an extension of stay. You must demonstrate that you are either employed in Hong Kong with a stable income, or that you have established or joined a business in the city.

Extensions are normally granted for up to 3 years, or until the expiry of your employment contract, whichever is shorter.

Top-Tier Employment Stream

The Top-Tier Employment Stream (TTES) is a renewal regime, not a permanent residency status. It runs in parallel with the seven-year residency count and does not replace it. Two points are commonly confused. First, the income thresholds differ: Category A entry requires HK$2.5 million annual income, while the Top-Tier Employment Stream requires an assessable income for salaries tax of HK$2 million in the previous year of assessment. These are two separate figures for two separate stages. Second, the benefit is a longer renewal, not residency. If you have been permitted to remain in Hong Kong for at least 2 years under TTPS and your assessable salaries-tax income was HK$2 million or more in the previous year of assessment, Immigration may grant a single extension of 6 years on time limitation only, with no other conditions of stay. Permanent residency remains a separate application, available after 7 years of continuous ordinary residence.

What "Continuous Ordinary Residence" Means

Hong Kong allows reasonable business travel. You do not need to be physically in Hong Kong every day, but it must be your primary base. Immigration assesses continuous ordinary residence case by case, so long absences can put your permanent residency application at risk.

You can apply online for an extension within three months before your limit of stay expires, and at least six weeks before it expires. If the extension is still being processed when your limit of stay ends, you must leave Hong Kong unless the Director of Immigration approves otherwise, so apply early.