A complete guide to the Hong Kong Top Talent Pass Scheme: who is eligible, the three categories, the full list of eligible universities, fees, processing time, and how the TTPS differs from IANG.
Full 2026 guide to Hong Kong's Top Talent Pass Scheme: Category A, B and C eligibility, the 200 eligible universities, fees, renewal, and TTPS vs IANG.
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.
Since its launch in December 2022, the scheme has admitted tens of thousands of talents and their families and remains one of Hong Kong's fastest-growing visa pathways.
| Income Requirement | HK$2.5M+ assessable income in year prior | Not required | Not required |
| University Requirement | Not required | Degree from one of 200 eligible universities | Degree from one of 200 eligible universities |
| Work Experience | Not specified | Min. 3 years in past 5 years | Less than 3 years (recent graduates) |
| Annual Quota | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10 000 per year |
| Initial Stay | 36 months | 24 months | 24 months |
| Best For | Successful founders and executives | Experienced professionals pivoting to entrepreneurship | Recent MBA or business school graduates |
Categories and requirements as of April 2026 (university list updated 1 January 2026). Subject to change by Hong Kong Immigration Department.
Important eligibility exclusion: nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are not eligible under any TTPS category, regardless of income or qualifications. Additional restrictions may apply to nationals of Laos, Nepal, and Vietnam under broader immigration guidelines.
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 consider the IANG scheme instead.
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:
Key documents needed:
There is no annual quota for Category A, and no university degree requirement.
Category B is designed for professionals who graduated 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 full list is updated annually by the Immigration Department.
Application requirements:
Category C covers graduates of eligible universities with less than 3 years of work experience, subject to an annual quota of 10,000 places (first come, first served). This category suits recent MBA graduates or 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 graduate of a Hong Kong programme applies through IANG, not TTPS Categories B or C.
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).
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.
Showing 200 of 200
| Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) | Argentina |
| University of Melbourne | Australia |
| University of Sydney | Australia |
| The University of Queensland | Australia |
| Monash University | Australia |
| Australian National University | Australia |
| University of New South Wales | Australia |
| The University of Western Australia | Australia |
| University of Adelaide | Australia |
| University of Technology Sydney | Australia |
| Adelaide University* | Australia |
| University of Vienna* | Austria |
| KU Leuven | Belgium |
| Ghent University | Belgium |
| University of São Paulo | Brazil |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| McGill University | Canada |
| McMaster University | Canada |
| University of Montreal | Canada |
| University of Alberta | Canada |
| Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile | Chile |
| Tsinghua University | Chinese Mainland |
| Peking University | Chinese Mainland |
| Fudan University | Chinese Mainland |
| Zhejiang University | Chinese Mainland |
| Shanghai Jiao Tong University | Chinese Mainland |
| University of Science and Technology of China | Chinese Mainland |
| Sun Yat-sen University | Chinese Mainland |
| Nanjing University | Chinese Mainland |
| Huazhong University of Science and Technology | Chinese Mainland |
| Wuhan University | Chinese Mainland |
| Xi'an Jiaotong University | Chinese Mainland |
| Harbin Institute of Technology | Chinese Mainland |
| Central South University | Chinese Mainland |
| Sichuan University | Chinese Mainland |
| Beihang University | Chinese Mainland |
| Southeast University | Chinese Mainland |
| Beijing Institute of Technology | Chinese Mainland |
| Tongji University | Chinese Mainland |
| Renmin University of China | Chinese Mainland |
| Beijing Normal University | Chinese Mainland |
| Nankai University | Chinese Mainland |
| Tianjin University | Chinese Mainland |
| University of Chinese Academy of Sciences | Chinese Mainland |
| University of Copenhagen | Denmark |
| Technical University of Denmark | Denmark |
| Aarhus University | Denmark |
| University of Helsinki | Finland |
| Sorbonne University | France |
| Université Paris Cité | France |
| Université Paris-Saclay | France |
| Université PSL | France |
| Institut Polytechnique de Paris | France |
| Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München | Germany |
| Heidelberg University | Germany |
| Technical University of Munich | Germany |
| Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | Germany |
| Freie Universität Berlin | Germany |
| RWTH Aachen University | Germany |
| University of Tübingen | Germany |
| Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin | Germany |
| University of Bonn | Germany |
| Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)* | Germany |
| University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong SAR |
| Chinese University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong SAR |
| The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong SAR |
| City University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong SAR |
| Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Hong Kong SAR |
| Trinity College Dublin | The University of Dublin |
| Weizmann Institute of Science | Israel |
| Technion Israel Institute of Technology | Israel |
| The Hebrew University of Jerusalem | Israel |
| Politecnico di Milano* | Italy |
| The University of Tokyo | Japan |
| Kyoto University | Japan |
| Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) | Japan |
| Osaka University | Japan |
| Tohoku University | Japan |
| Nagoya University | Japan |
| Universiti Malaya (UM) | Malaysia |
| Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | Mexico |
| University of Amsterdam | Netherlands |
| Utrecht University | Netherlands |
| Erasmus University Rotterdam | Netherlands |
| Wageningen University and Research | Netherlands |
| Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Netherlands |
| Leiden University | Netherlands |
| University of Groningen | Netherlands |
| Delft University of Technology | Netherlands |
| Hotelschool The Hague | Netherlands |
| The University of Auckland | New Zealand |
| University of Oslo | Norway |
| Lomonosov Moscow State University | Russia |
| King Abdulaziz University | Saudi Arabia |
| King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | Saudi Arabia |
| King Saud University | Saudi Arabia |
| King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals* | Saudi Arabia |
| National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| Nanyang Technological University | Singapore |
| Seoul National University | South Korea |
| Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | South Korea |
| Korea University | South Korea |
| Yonsei University | South Korea |
| Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) | South Korea |
| Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) | South Korea |
| University of Barcelona | Spain |
| Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| Lund University | Sweden |
| KTH Royal Institute of Technology | Sweden |
| Uppsala University | Sweden |
| Stockholm University | Sweden |
| ETH Zurich Swiss Federal Institute of Technology | Switzerland |
| Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne | Switzerland |
| University of Zurich | Switzerland |
| University of Geneva | Switzerland |
| University of Basel | Switzerland |
| University of Bern | Switzerland |
| EHL Hospitality Business School | Switzerland |
| Swiss Hotel Management School | Switzerland |
| Les Roches Global Hospitality Management Education | Switzerland |
| Glion Institute of Higher Education | Switzerland |
| Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland | Switzerland |
| National Taiwan University (NTU) | Taiwan |
| University of Oxford | U.K. |
| University of Cambridge | U.K. |
| Imperial College London | U.K. |
| University College London | U.K. |
| University of Edinburgh | U.K. |
| King's College London | U.K. |
| University of Manchester | U.K. |
| University of Bristol | U.K. |
| University of Southampton | U.K. |
| University of Glasgow | U.K. |
| University of Birmingham | U.K. |
| London School of Economics and Political Science | U.K. |
| University of Warwick | U.K. |
| Durham University | U.K. |
| University of St Andrews | U.K. |
| University of Leeds | U.K. |
| The University of Sheffield | U.K. |
| University of Nottingham | U.K. |
| Queen Mary University of London | U.K. |
| Royal College of Art | U.K. |
| University of the Arts London | U.K. |
| Harvard University | U.S.A. |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | U.S.A. |
| Stanford University | U.S.A. |
| University of California | Berkeley |
| California Institute of Technology | U.S.A. |
| Columbia University | U.S.A. |
| Princeton University | U.S.A. |
| University of Washington | U.S.A. |
| Yale University | U.S.A. |
| Johns Hopkins University | U.S.A. |
| University of California | Los Angeles |
| The University of Chicago | U.S.A. |
| University of California | San Francisco |
| University of Pennsylvania | U.S.A. |
| University of California | San Diego |
| University of Michigan Ann Arbor | U.S.A. |
| Duke University | U.S.A. |
| Cornell University | U.S.A. |
| Northwestern University | U.S.A. |
| New York University | U.S.A. |
| Washington University in St. Louis | U.S.A. |
| University of North Carolina Chapel Hill | U.S.A. |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | U.S.A. |
| University of Texas at Austin | U.S.A. |
| University of California | Santa Barbara |
| University of Pittsburgh | U.S.A. |
| University of Colorado Boulder | U.S.A. |
| Ohio State University Columbus | U.S.A. |
| Boston University | U.S.A. |
| University of Maryland | College Park |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | U.S.A. |
| University of California | Santa Cruz |
| University of California | Davis |
| University of Southern California | U.S.A. |
| Rockefeller University | U.S.A. |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | U.S.A. |
| Pennsylvania State University | U.S.A. |
| Emory University | U.S.A. |
| Vanderbilt University | U.S.A. |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | U.S.A. |
| Carnegie Mellon University | U.S.A. |
| University of Arizona | U.S.A. |
| Michigan State University | U.S.A. |
| Brown University | U.S.A. |
| University of California | Irvine |
| University of Minnesota Twin Cities | U.S.A. |
| University of Florida | U.S.A. |
| Rice University | U.S.A. |
| Purdue University West Lafayette | U.S.A. |
| Dartmouth College | U.S.A. |
| The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas | U.S.A. |
| The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center | U.S.A. |
| Parsons School of Design | the New School |
| Rhode Island School of Design | U.S.A. |
| University of Massachusetts | U.S.A. |
Source: Hong Kong Immigration Department, Aggregate List of Eligible Universities. Reflects the list as of late December 2025, including the changes effective 1 January 2026. * newly added for 2026.
Verify your institution against the official Aggregate List at immd.gov.hk/pdf/aggregate_list.pdf before applying.
Gather your passport, degree certificate (Category B/C), income proof (Category A), CV, and a recent passport-sized photograph. Ensure all documents are in English or Chinese, or have certified translations. Applications are submitted online via the Immigration Department e-Visa portal; the reference document is the Guidebook for TTPS, ID(E)1026.
Apply through Hong Kong Immigration Department's e-Visa portal. Upload all required documents digitally. Pay the application fee of HK$600 (updated February 2025).
The Immigration Department reviews your application. They may request additional documents or clarifications. Standard processing time is approximately 4 weeks.
Once approved, you receive an electronic notification. You have 6 months from the approval date to enter Hong Kong and activate your visa.
Upon arrival, visit the Immigration Department to collect your visa label. Your stay period (36 months for Category A, 24 months for B/C) begins from this date.
Once in Hong Kong with your TTPS visa, you can register a company, open business bank accounts, and start operating. No additional visa or permit is needed to run a business. See our Hong Kong company formation and business banking guides for details.
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:
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.
The only restriction: you must be physically residing and working in Hong Kong. Purely remote arrangements from outside Hong Kong are not compatible with TTPS status.
For entrepreneurs who do not qualify under TTPS (neither HK$2.5M assessable income nor a degree from an eligible university), the Investment as Entrepreneur scheme is the main alternative. It requires a detailed business plan, capital investment, and assessment by the Immigration Department, but has no income or university requirements. Learn more at /hong-kong/visa-work-permit.
Unlike GEP, you do not need a Hong Kong company to sponsor you before arrival
Unlike the Investment Visa, you do not need to submit a business plan with your application
Faster than Investment Visa (3-6 months) or GEP (6-8 weeks)
Work, start a business, or do both. No restrictions on business activities
Spouse and children under 18 can join you in HK with unrestricted work rights
Longer initial period than most other visa types
Category A requires HK$2.5M+ income; Category B requires a degree from one of 200 eligible universities
Must demonstrate employment or business operations in HK at renewal. A startup with no activity could face challenges
Investment income and dividends do not count toward the HK$2.5M threshold. Only taxable employment or business income qualifies
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.
| Where you earned your degree | An eligible university outside Hong Kong (Aggregate List of 200 institutions) | A full-time locally accredited programme inside Hong Kong or a GBA joint Mainland-Hong Kong campus |
| Where you apply from | Outside Hong Kong | Outside Hong Kong or inside Hong Kong within 6 months of graduation |
| Job offer required at application | No | No for recent graduates (within 6 months). Non-recent graduates must secure an offer |
| Initial duration | 24 months | 24 months unconditional (time limitation only) |
| Annual quota | Yes 10 000 for Category C (first come first served) | None |
| Renewal pattern | Up to 3 years per renewal conditional on employment or business in Hong Kong | 3 plus 3 year pattern conditional on employment or business in Hong Kong |
| Top-Tier Employment Stream (HK$2 million income) | Yes 6-year extension after 2 years of stay | Yes 6-year extension after 2 years of stay |
| Freedom to change jobs | Yes no sponsorship needed | Yes no sponsorship needed |
| Permanent residency pathway | 7 years continuous ordinary residence | 7 years continuous ordinary residence |
| Application fee | HK$600 | HK$600 |
| Visa issuance fee | HK$1300 (stay over 180 days) or HK$600 (180 days or less) | HK$1300 (stay over 180 days) or HK$600 (180 days or less) |
| Processing time | About 4 weeks | About 2 weeks (recent graduates) or 4 weeks (non-recent) |
| Excluded nationalities | Afghanistan Cuba Korea (DPRK) | Afghanistan Cuba Korea (DPRK) plus restrictions for Laos Nepal Vietnam |
| Dependants | Spouse and unmarried children under 18 | Spouse and unmarried children under 18 |
Source: Hong Kong Immigration Department, TTPS and IANG pages (immd.gov.hk).
TTPS holders who maintain continuous ordinary residence in Hong Kong for 7 years can apply for permanent residency. 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.
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.
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.
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. Extended absences (6+ months) without returning may jeopardize your permanent residency application.
You can apply for extension of stay up to 3 months (90 days) before your current visa expires. This window was temporarily extended from the previous 4-week window with effect from 1 November 2024 (Hong Kong Talent Engage).
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