Hong Kong QMAS General Points Test 2026: All 12 Criteria and Passing Mark
The passing mark under Hong Kong's Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) General Points Test is 6 out of 12. That figure is published on the Hong Kong Immigration Department's official "Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)" Frequently Asked Questions page as of October 2026, and the same page notes that the threshold is subject to change from time to time without prior notice. The 12 assessment criteria sit under six aspects: age, academic qualifications, language proficiency, work experience, annual income and business ownership.
What are the 12 criteria, aspect by aspect?
Each criterion below is a self-contained "yes or no" question about your profile. Satisfying six of the twelve is what the passing mark refers to.
| # | Aspect | Criterion — you meet it if |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (A) Age | You are aged 50 or below |
| 2 | (B) Academic qualifications | You hold a master's or doctoral degree awarded by an eligible university |
| 3 | (B) Academic qualifications | That degree from an eligible university is in a STEM subject — science, technology, engineering or mathematics |
| 4 | (C) Language proficiency | You are proficient in two languages, both written and spoken |
| 5 | (C) Language proficiency | You are proficient in written and spoken English |
| 6 | (D) Work experience | You have no less than five years' graduate or specialist level work experience |
| 7 | (D) Work experience | You have no less than three years' graduate or specialist level experience in multi-national companies (MNCs) or reputable enterprises, such as listed companies or companies on Forbes' Global 2000, the Fortune Global 500 or the Hurun China 500 lists |
| 8 | (D) Work experience | You have no less than three years' graduate or specialist level experience in innovation and technology, finance, or international trade (including cross-boundary marine and aviation transportation, and supply chain management) |
| 9 | (D) Work experience | You have no less than two years' graduate or specialist level experience with international exposure — meaning outside your home country/territory |
| 10 | (E) Annual income | Your annual income reached HK$1 million or above, or its equivalent in foreign currency, in the year immediately preceding the date of application |
| 11 | (F) Business ownership | You currently own a business entity with annual profit of HK$5 million or above, or its equivalent in foreign currency, in the year immediately preceding the date of application |
| 12 | (F) Business ownership | You currently own a listed company |
What does "6 out of 12" actually let you do?
It lets you submit. The official page states that only applicants meeting the passing threshold can submit their applications through the online application system, and it advises interested applicants to assess whether their credentials are adequate before applying.
That distinction matters when you self-score. Six points is the gate on submission, not a published promise of an outcome — the Department still assesses the file it receives. And because the threshold moves without prior notice, a score sheet you put together months earlier is worth re-checking against the current page before you rely on it.
The two assessment routes are the General Points Test and the Achievement-based Points Test. Each applicant may submit only one application and be assessed under one route at a time.
What must you clear before the 12 criteria are even counted?
Four prerequisites apply regardless of which route you choose:
- Age — you must be 18 or above when you submit.
- Financial requirement — you must be able to show you can support and accommodate yourself and any dependants on your own financial resources, without relying on public assistance during your stay in Hong Kong.
- Good character — no criminal record and no adverse immigration record in Hong Kong or elsewhere.
- Basic academic qualifications — normally a first degree from a recognised university or tertiary education institution. Under special circumstances, good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities, and/or experience and achievements supported by documentary evidence may be considered.
Note the gap between prerequisite 4 and criterion 2: a first degree is enough to be eligible, but only a master's or doctoral degree from an eligible university scores under the academic qualifications aspect.
Which universities count for criteria 2 and 3?
The "eligible universities" are those on the aggregate list of eligible universities compiled by the Labour and Welfare Bureau for the QMAS. That list draws on (a) the eligible universities under the Top Talent Pass Scheme and (b) the top 10 universities/institutions in the QS Global MBA Rankings and the Financial Times Business School Rankings in MBA that provide only postgraduate programmes in the past five years.
Three exclusions are stated explicitly:
- Qualifications awarded by the continuing and professional education arms, branch schools, extension schools or subsidiary schools of eligible universities are not accepted.
- Honorary master's or honorary doctoral degrees are not accepted, nor are degrees not awarded by nationally accredited/licensed institutions.
- The qualification must be equivalent to the recognised Hong Kong standard of a master's or doctoral degree.
Joint programmes can qualify, but only if all the awarding institutions or universities are on the eligible list. Check each awarding institution against the current aggregate list of eligible universities before committing to a score.
How is language proficiency assessed under criteria 4 and 5?
Two separate criteria. Criterion 4 asks whether you are proficient in two languages, both written and spoken. Criterion 5 asks specifically whether you are proficient in written and spoken English. The FAQ page lists them as separate items and does not state that the two languages under criterion 4 must be languages other than English.
Hong Kong is commonly described as a "biliterate and trilingual" (兩文三語) society — written Chinese and English, spoken Cantonese, English and Putonghua — and that is the working environment you would be entering. The test itself, however, contains no separate scoring for Cantonese or Putonghua; the two language criteria are the ones reproduced above and nothing else in the twelve turns on language.
How is work experience counted under criteria 6 to 9?
Every work criterion uses the same baseline phrase: "graduate or specialist level" work experience. The four then differ by duration and setting — five years in total, three years in MNCs or reputable enterprises, three years in a specified field, and two years with international exposure.
The Department's answer on field classification is the useful one. Whether your experience counts as being in innovation and technology, finance or international trade depends primarily on the nature of your role, position or designation, not solely on how your employing company is classified by industry. The exception runs the other way: if you hold a position with broad operational responsibilities — chief executive officer, general manager, president and similar — then the nature of the company's business is taken into consideration.
"International exposure" has a fixed meaning here. It refers to graduate or specialist level work experience outside your home country or territory.
What income and business ownership proof applies to criteria 10 to 12?
The income criterion looks at the year immediately preceding your application date and sets the bar at HK$1 million or the foreign-currency equivalent.
For proof, the page lists salaries tax assessment notices for the previous assessment year issued by a local competent authority (such as a taxation office or revenue department); documentary proof from your employing company specifying the value of stock options granted to you; and, where relevant, documentary proof of the financial standing of your own companies, such as the latest audited financial report, trading profit and loss account, or profit tax return.
Currency is handled inside the application system. Besides the Hong Kong dollar, 17 major currencies are offered: Chinese Renminbi, U.S. Dollar, Sterling, Japanese Yen, Canadian Dollar, Australian Dollar, Singapore Dollar, New Taiwan Dollar, Swiss Franc, Korean Won, Thai Baht, Malaysian Ringgit, Euro, Philippine Peso, Indian Rupee, Indonesian Rupiah and South African Rand. The system converts your figure into Hong Kong dollars automatically. If your income is in none of these, convert it yourself into Hong Kong dollars or one of the 17 and upload the supporting documents.
For business ownership, a "business entity" means a legally recognised company or corporation over which you have the right to exercise legal and financial control. Ownership is generally established in one of two ways: holding 50% or more of the ownership interests in a non-listed company to which you are absolutely beneficially entitled, giving you a controlling stake and influence; or holding a significant percentage of a listed company's shares — normally 10% or more, absolutely beneficially entitled — showing substantial ownership, control and influence over strategic direction, operational decisions and overall governance.
What has the Immigration Department explicitly ruled out?
Several of the most common self-scoring assumptions are closed off directly on the official page:
- A bachelor's degree, even from an eligible university, does not meet the academic qualifications criteria.
- A degree from a branch, extension, continuing education or subsidiary arm of an eligible university does not count.
- You are not treated as meeting the academic qualifications criteria before the proof of graduation is issued.
- Verification proof is required: either from a third-party credential verification organisation or from the awarding institution, together with the information the Department needs to run online authentication.
- The STEM subject list is reference only — a subject not on it may still be considered on the strength of the documents you submit.
You have six points — what changes next?
Meeting the threshold unlocks the online application, where you submit the form and upload supporting documents; the result is notified by email. Supporting document requirements are set out in the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme Guidance Notes.
If you are admitted through the General Points Test, the normal initial grant is 36 months on time limitation only, with no other conditions of stay. Extensions, if approved, normally follow a "3+2" pattern. Separately, a General Points Test entrant who has remained in Hong Kong for not less than two years and had assessable income for salaries tax of not less than HK$2 million in the previous year of assessment may apply for assessment under the top-tier employment stream, even before the three-year limit is close to expiring; approval normally brings a five-year extension counted from the previously granted limit of stay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the passing mark still 6 out of 12 in 2026?
Yes, 6 out of 12 is the prevailing passing threshold published on the Hong Kong Immigration Department's QMAS FAQ page as of October 2026. The same page states that the threshold is subject to change from time to time without prior notice. Re-check it on the official page before you file.
Can I score on academic qualifications with only a bachelor's degree?
No. The academic qualifications criteria require a master's or doctoral degree from an eligible university. A bachelor's degree can still satisfy the basic academic qualifications prerequisite, but it scores nothing under the twelve.
My degree is from a branch campus of a well-ranked university — does it count?
No, if the awarding body is a continuing and professional education arm, branch school, extension school or subsidiary school of an eligible university. The university's main institution must itself appear on the aggregate list of eligible universities.
Does my experience count if my employer's industry classification does not match the listed fields?
Possibly. The Department looks primarily at the nature of your role, position or designation rather than the company's industry classification alone. The reverse applies to broad operational roles such as CEO, general manager or president, where the company's business nature is taken into account.
My salary is paid in euros — how is the HK$1 million test applied?
Select the currency in the online application; the system converts the amount into Hong Kong dollars automatically. Euro is one of the 17 currencies offered, alongside the Hong Kong dollar. If your income is in another currency entirely, convert it yourself and upload the supporting documents for assessment.
What counts as work experience with international exposure?
Graduate or specialist level work experience outside your home country or territory. The duration threshold for that criterion is no less than two years.