Hong Kong QMAS extension of stay: 3+2 pattern and top talent 5 years (2026)
If you entered Hong Kong under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS, 優秀人才入境計劃) through the points test, your extension usually follows a 3-year + 2-year pattern, and you'll need to show you have taken steps to settle and are living in Hong Kong — such as taking up paid employment or having established a business. A separate "top talent" route can grant five years to those who have stayed at least two years and had salaries tax assessable income of HK$2 million or more in the previous assessment year. These are the rules set out on the Hong Kong Immigration Department's Quality Migrant Admission Scheme Frequently Asked Questions page (revision date 1 March 2026).
The Department's FAQ states requirements rather than outcomes for any individual file, so treat the following as general reference to the published rules, not as advice on your own case; figures, thresholds and patterns can be revised, and the official page governs.
How long is the first permission to stay?
The length of your first permission depends on which assessment mechanism you were approved under.
- General Points Test (綜合計分制): generally 36 months on first arrival, with no other conditions of stay attached.
- Achievement-based Points Test (成就計分制): generally eight years on first arrival, also with no other conditions of stay.
Both groups remain subject to a limit of stay until they acquire permanent resident status under Hong Kong law. That is what makes the extension application the recurring decision point in any residence plan.
When do you apply, and what does "3+2" actually mean?
The general timing rule is narrow: an application to extend must be made within the three months before your current limit of stay expires, the exception being the top talent route, which the Immigration Department confirms may be applied for even before the three-year limit of stay has expired.
For points-test entrants, the pattern works like this. When the first 36-month period approaches its end, you apply with evidence that satisfies the Immigration Department. If the application is approved, the Department says you will usually be granted further stay on a 3-year + 2-year basis, again with no other conditions of stay. In practice, that means planning around two extension events rather than one: a longer first extension, then a shorter second one.
What evidence does the Department ask for?
The FAQ sets the test as proof that you have taken steps to settle in Hong Kong and are residing here. Two examples are given directly: you have obtained paid employment, or you have established a business.
The wording matters for planning. The Department asks for documents that satisfy it — the standard is "to the satisfaction of the Immigration Department" — rather than a single fixed certificate. The itemised document list sits in the scheme's application guide (優秀人才入境計劃申請須知) referenced from the FAQ page, and that guide is the place to check the current checklist before you file.
A hypothetical helps show how the rule bites. Assume an applicant who spends most of the year outside Hong Kong, keeps no local employment and registers no business: on the FAQ's wording, that person has little to show on the "steps to settle and residing here" test, whatever their points score was at approval.
How does the five-year top talent extension work?
The top talent route is an alternative basis for assessing an extension, not a separate visa. The FAQ sets three conditions for points-test entrants:
- You have stayed in Hong Kong for not less than two years;
- Your salaries tax assessable income (薪俸稅應評稅入息) for the previous assessment year reached HK$2 million or more;
- You apply to have your extension assessed under the top talent category.
You do not have to wait for the three-year limit to run down. The Department confirms that an applicant meeting those conditions may apply under the top talent category even though the three-year limit of stay has not yet expired. Successful applicants are generally granted an extension of five years, with no other conditions of stay.
One detail is easy to misread and matters for any residence timeline: the newly granted five-year period is counted from the start of the original limit of stay, not added on after it. Under a hypothetical case where someone applies in month 25 of a 36-month permission and is approved, the five years run from the beginning of that original permission rather than from the approval date.
What if you were admitted under the achievement-based test?
Achievement-based entrants are assessed differently at extension. Instead of the "steps to settle" evidence, the FAQ requires proof that you can independently bear the living and accommodation expenses for yourself and any dependants during your stay in Hong Kong. Given the eight-year first permission, the extension decision usually arrives much later in the residence timeline, and the financial self-sufficiency test is the one to prepare for.
What stays stable while you plan
Three things do not change across extensions, according to the FAQ:
- Employment: QMAS entrants may freely take up and change employment during their permitted stay without seeking the Immigration Department's prior approval.
- Re-entry: Hong Kong non-permanent residents, including QMAS entrants and their dependants, do not need a re-entry visa or entry permit to return, provided their basis of residence has not changed and they return within a valid limit of stay.
- Dependants: A QMAS entrant's dependants admitted to reside in Hong Kong may work or study there without restriction under current policy.
Dependants' stay is tied to the same extension cycle: before permanent resident status is obtained, their residence is also limited by the limit of stay, and the extension application is made within the same three-month pre-expiry window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to wait until my three years are nearly up to apply?
No, not if you qualify for the top talent route. Points-test entrants who have stayed at least two years and had HK$2 million or more in salaries tax assessable income in the previous assessment year may apply to have their extension assessed under the top talent category even before the three-year limit expires. Everyone else applies within the three months before the limit ends.
What counts as proof that I have settled in Hong Kong?
The Department's FAQ gives two examples: you have obtained paid employment, or you have established a business. The underlying test is whether you have taken steps to settle in Hong Kong and are residing here, judged on documents that satisfy the Department.
Is the HK$2 million figure based on my salary or on taxable income?
The FAQ refers to salaries tax assessable income (薪俸稅應評稅入息) for the previous assessment year, at HK$2 million or more. That is a tax-based measure rather than a stated gross salary figure, so your assessment notice is the relevant reference point.
Does the five years stack on top of my current permission?
No. The Department states that the newly granted five-year limit of stay is counted from the start of the original limit of stay. The extension replaces the remaining period rather than extending it by five years from the approval date.
Can my dependants work while I hold an extension?
Yes, under current policy. Dependants admitted to reside in Hong Kong under QMAS may take up employment or study there without restriction. Their stay is still subject to a limit of stay until permanent resident status is obtained, so they are included in the same extension application.
What happens if I change jobs before applying?
Nothing additional is required by way of permission. QMAS entrants may freely take up and change employment during their permitted stay without prior approval from the Immigration Department. The change still matters for your evidence, since paid employment is one of the ways to show you have settled and are residing in Hong Kong.