Hong Kong New CIES 2026: Can Entrants Work, Be Self-Employed or Start a Business?

Yes. Anyone admitted to Hong Kong to reside under the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES) may take up employment, hold an office, be self-employed, or join in or establish a business in the city. The Immigration Department states this in the conditions-of-stay section of its New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme FAQ page, dated 2 March 2026 and current as of October 2026. Dependants admitted under the scheme carry their own freedom to work or study.

That is the short answer, and it is unusually broad for a residence route built around investment rather than a job offer. The rest of this article follows the questions that come next: what each activity covers, whether any extra permission is needed, what dependants get, and which scheme conditions survive once you start earning.

What exactly does the Immigration Department allow entrants to do?

The FAQ lists four activities for an entrant who has entered Hong Kong for residence:

Take up employment — work for an employer under a job contract.
Be an office-holder — hold an office; in a company context this covers positions such as director.
Be self-employed — work for yourself rather than under an employer.
Join in or establish a business — buy into an existing business or set up a new one.

Nothing in the FAQ restricts these activities by sector, salary level or size of business. The scheme is a residence route, not a work sponsorship route, so no employer has to justify hiring you.

Do you need a separate work visa or permission?

The FAQ states the permission directly and does not list any separate employment authorisation as a step for entrants. What it does describe is the sequence for getting residence in the first place: InvestHK verifies that you meet the net asset requirement and issues a certifying proof, you apply to the Immigration Department, and approval-in-principle brings a visa or entry permit to enter Hong Kong on visitor status for not more than 180 days to make the committed investment. Only after InvestHK confirms you have met the investment requirements and the Immigration Department gives formal approval does a permission to stay get granted — normally for not more than 24 months on time limitation only.

The employment freedom is framed around entrants who have entered Hong Kong for residence, so in practice it travels with that permission to stay rather than with the earlier 180-day investment visit.

Can your dependants work or study in Hong Kong too?

Yes. Under prevailing policy, dependants permitted to reside in Hong Kong under the New CIES are allowed to take up employment or study. Who counts as a dependant is defined in the scheme: a spouse, or the other party to a same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, "same-sex marriage", opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union that is legally and officially recognised by the authorities of the place of celebration, plus unmarried dependent children aged under 18. The FAQ notes that civil partnership and civil union refer to a legal institution akin to a spousal relationship, and expressly excludes de facto spouses, cohabiting partners and fiancés.

A dependant's length of stay is normally linked to the sponsor's, and further extensions are considered only while the dependant still meets the eligibility criteria and the sponsor remains a bona fide Hong Kong resident living in Hong Kong.

Activity	Entrant	Dependant
Take up employment	Allowed	Allowed
Hold an office	Allowed	Not stated separately
Be self-employed	Allowed	Not stated separately
Join in or establish a business	Allowed	Not stated separately
Study	Not stated separately	Allowed

For dependants, the FAQ frames the permission as "employment or study" and does not separately address self-employment, directorships or running a business, so treat those cases as ones to confirm against the official rules before relying on them.

Why does the scheme allow work when it requires you not to need it?

One eligibility criterion explains the logic. Applicants must show they can support and accommodate themselves and any dependants on their own, without relying on any return on the permissible investment assets, employment, self-employment, office, business or public assistance in Hong Kong. The test is financial independence at the assessment stage: the scheme wants entrants who do not need to earn, not entrants who are barred from earning.

Keeping the investment in place remains a separate obligation. The FAQ refers to portfolio maintenance requirements that InvestHK verifies, and permissive investment assets are set out in the Rules for the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme. Working does not substitute for those requirements.

What conditions still apply once you are working?

Your permission to stay carries a time limit and depends on continuing to satisfy the scheme's requirements throughout. For extensions, the process runs on a fixed schedule:

Approach InvestHK not earlier than three months before your limit of stay expires, for verification of continuous compliance with the portfolio maintenance requirements.
InvestHK issues a certifying proof for fulfilment of portfolio maintenance requirements if you have complied.
You and any dependants apply to the Immigration Department for an extension of stay before the current limit expires, even if the certifying proof has not arrived yet.
If the Immigration Department is satisfied on immigration grounds, an extension of not more than three years is normally granted.

You must be physically present in Hong Kong when you apply for an extension, and again when you pay for and collect the e-Visa. The same procedure applies to further three-year extensions.

What changes after seven years?

Seven years under the scheme does not convert itself into permanent residence. The FAQ is explicit that satisfying the financial requirements and being granted extensions for not less than seven years does not constitute any acknowledgement that you have met the ordinary residence requirement or the other requirements under the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115) for the right of abode. Anyone claiming to be a Hong Kong permanent resident has to apply, under established procedures, for verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card, and must meet the legal test of having ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than seven years along with the other relevant provisions.

Unconditional stay is a different route with its own conditions. Once InvestHK has verified continuous compliance with the portfolio maintenance requirements for seven years and you have held permission to stay under the scheme for at least seven years, you may apply at the end of the seventh year. You must hold valid residence status under the scheme on the date of application. After unconditional stay is granted — as after permanent residence — you are free to dispose of the permissible investment assets, subject to the terms and conditions of the underlying investments.

The details above come from the scheme as published and are general information about how it works; they are not advice on any individual situation, and the officially published rules together with any qualified professional you choose to consult should govern your own case.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do New CIES entrants need a separate work visa to take a job in Hong Kong?

The Immigration Department's FAQ states that entrants may take up employment, hold office, be self-employed or run a business, and it does not list a separate employment visa as a step. The freedom attaches to the residence status granted after formal approval, so keeping that permission to stay valid is what matters.

Can an entrant start a company instead of taking a salaried job?

Yes. The scheme allows an entrant to join in or establish a business in Hong Kong, alongside employment, holding an office and self-employment. The FAQ places no sector or size limit on those activities.

Can my spouse work in Hong Kong as a New CIES dependant?

Yes. Dependants permitted to reside in Hong Kong under the scheme are allowed to take up employment or study under prevailing policy. Their length of stay is normally linked to the sponsor's, and continued eligibility depends on the dependant still meeting the entry criteria and the sponsor remaining a bona fide Hong Kong resident.

Can my children work or study as dependants?

Unmarried dependent children aged under 18 may be brought in as dependants, and dependants residing under the scheme are allowed to take up employment or study. A single online application can cover up to eight accompanying dependants.

Does working change my investment obligations?

No. Employment does not replace the portfolio maintenance requirements, which InvestHK verifies on a continuing basis. Extensions of stay depend on InvestHK confirming continued compliance with those requirements.

Does seven years under the scheme automatically give me the right of abode?

No. Time under the scheme does not amount to an acknowledgement that you meet the ordinary residence or other requirements under the Immigration Ordinance. You have to apply separately for verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card and meet the statutory test.

Can I apply if I am already living in Hong Kong on another visa?

Yes. The FAQ says any entry application from a person who meets the New CIES eligibility criteria will be accepted, whether the person is residing in Hong Kong or elsewhere.