Hong Kong Top Talent Pass: Category A, B and C criteria in 2026
Hong Kong's Top Talent Pass sorts applicants into three categories, and the split comes down to a single question: are you qualifying on what you earn, or on where you studied? Category A covers people whose annual income reached HK$2.5 million or more in the year immediately before applying. Categories B and C cover bachelor's degree holders from universities on the government's aggregate list — B if you have at least three years of work experience accumulated in the five years before applying, C if your degree was awarded within those five years and your experience falls short of three years. Only C carries a cap: an annual quota of 10,000, allocated first come, first served.
The criteria set out below follow the Immigration Department's official Top Talent Pass Scheme (高端人才通行證計劃) FAQ page, as reviewed on the official page in October 2026; the page itself carries the date 01-03-2026. This is a general summary of published rules rather than an assessment of any individual case, so check the department's current published requirements or take advice from a qualified professional before acting on it.
How do the three categories compare?
| Category A | Category B | Category C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basis | Annual income of HK$2.5m or more in the year immediately before applying | Bachelor's degree from an eligible university plus at least three years of work experience accumulated in the previous five years | Bachelor's degree from an eligible university awarded within the previous five years, with less than three years of work experience |
| University requirement | None stated | Required | Required |
| Quota | Not stated | Not stated | 10,000 a year, first come, first served |
| First stay on arrival | 36 months | 24 months | 24 months |
The FAQ states an annual quota for Category C only. It does not describe a quota for Categories A and B, and it does not publish a running balance of C places used.
What counts as income for the HK$2.5 million test?
The income test looks at taxable employment or business income for the year immediately before the application. Four components are listed:
- salary
- allowances
- stock options
- profits from companies the applicant owns
Two limits matter for applicants with mixed income. Where business income comes from a company the applicant owns, the FAQ states that the applicant generally has to have held shares in that company throughout the whole assessment year before the application is submitted. Income generated by personal investments is not counted at all — dividends, gains or returns from a portfolio sit outside the test even if they are large.
Suppose an applicant owns a company and draws most of their return as retained profit rather than salary. On the FAQ's wording, that profit counts only if the shareholding condition for the full assessment year is met; the same applicant's separate investment income stays out of the calculation.
How do you prove the income?
The documents listed are:
- a salaries tax assessment notice for the previous year of assessment issued by the relevant tax authority
- a document from the employing company stating the prescribed value of stock options
- financial documents for a company the applicant owns, such as the most recent audited financial report, a profit and loss statement, or a profits tax return
What if you are paid in a currency other than the Hong Kong dollar?
Income does not have to be earned in Hong Kong dollars. The online system offers 17 currencies alongside the Hong Kong dollar — renminbi, US dollar, pound sterling, Japanese yen, Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, Singapore dollar, New Taiwan dollar, Swiss franc, South Korean won, Thai baht, Malaysian ringgit, euro, Philippine peso, Indian rupee, Indonesian rupiah and South African rand — and converts the figure into Hong Kong dollars automatically.
If your income is in none of these, the FAQ directs you to convert it into Hong Kong dollars or into one of the 17 currencies, then upload supporting documents for the department to examine.
Which universities count for Categories B and C?
Eligibility depends on the aggregate list (合資格大學綜合名單), produced by the Labour and Welfare Bureau from four sources covering the past five years:
- top 100 universities in any of four rankings: Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings, US News Best Global Universities, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities
- universities offering hospitality programmes ranked in the top five for "Hospitality and Leisure Management" in the QS World University Rankings
- mainland universities in the top 20 of the Shanghai Jiao Tong ranking of Chinese universities
- specialist colleges in the top five for "Art and Design" in the QS World University Rankings
The list is the only reference that settles whether your institution qualifies, and it is updated, so the published list at the time you apply governs.
Three restrictions catch applicants who assume the university's name is enough. Degrees obtained through a continuing and professional education school, a branch campus, an extension school or an affiliated college of an eligible university are not accepted. The qualification must be equivalent to the standard of a bachelor's degree recognised in Hong Kong, and honorary bachelor's degrees are excluded. A master's or doctoral degree from an eligible university does not substitute for a bachelor's degree — B and C both require the bachelor's degree itself.
Mode of study also matters. Degrees earned through online or distance learning, evening, self-study or part-time programmes do not qualify, even from an eligible university. Joint programmes are permitted only where every awarding institution is an eligible university.
What documents prove the degree?
Applicants must submit verification of their qualification issued either by a third-party credential verification organisation or by the awarding institution, together with the information needed to verify it on the relevant online platform. Separately, an application cannot be processed without graduation documents — the FAQ states that the application will not be processed if graduation proof cannot be provided, so the certificate or graduation document has to be in hand first.
How is the three years of work experience counted?
For Category B, the experience must be full-time or self-employed work accumulated after graduation. Experience built up before the degree was completed does not go toward the three years.
How does "within five years" work for Category C?
The department counts by graduation year rather than by months. The FAQ's example: a person who graduated from an eligible university with a bachelor's degree in 2018 had to submit a Category C application on or before 31 December 2023.
How does the 10,000 Category C quota work?
The quota is annual and allocation is first come, first served. That makes timing part of the eligibility calculation for recent graduates: a Category C applicant who meets the degree and experience conditions still needs a place to be available when the application is submitted. The FAQ does not describe when the quota year starts, how unused places are treated, or how many remain at any point, so those details have to come from the department's current published information.
Who cannot use Category C even with an eligible degree?
The main exclusion covers non-local students who obtained a bachelor's degree by studying a full-time, locally accredited programme in Hong Kong — a non-local student being someone who entered Hong Kong on a student visa or entry permit issued by the Director of Immigration. Graduates in that position fall under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) instead.
The exclusion is tied to the degree being relied upon. Under the FAQ, an applicant who holds a Hong Kong degree that makes them IANG-eligible can still apply under Category C if the bachelor's degree they rely on was awarded by an eligible university outside Hong Kong within the past five years, and that degree does not itself make them IANG-eligible.
What happens after approval?
Approval leads to a first stay of 36 months for Category A and 24 months for Categories B and C, with no other conditions of stay attached. During that period, holders can take up and change employment freely without seeking prior approval from the Immigration Department. Non-permanent residents, including Top Talent Pass holders and their dependants, do not need a re-entry visa to return to Hong Kong, provided their residence status has not changed and they return within the valid limit of stay.
Dependants can be included. The FAQ covers 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 where it was entered into, plus unmarried dependent children under 18. The applicant must show the ability to support dependants at a level well above the basic standard and to provide suitable accommodation, and up to eight dependants can be included in a single online application. Dependants admitted on this basis may work or study in Hong Kong without restriction.
Extending stay is a second, separate test. Applications are made online within three months before the limit expires, and the applicant must show they are employed in Hong Kong with stable income, or that they have started or joined a business there. An approved extension is generally for no more than three years, or until the employment contract ends, whichever is shorter.
A longer route exists for high earners. Applicants who have stayed in Hong Kong under the scheme for at least two years, and whose salaries tax assessable income for the previous year of assessment reached HK$2 million or more — supported by documents such as a salaries tax assessment notice — can ask to be assessed under the top talent category, which generally brings a six-year extension with no other conditions of stay.
Unemployment at extension time is a real risk. The FAQ states that an applicant must have obtained employment in a role normally taken by a degree holder, or by someone with good professional or technical qualifications, proven professional ability, or documented relevant experience and achievements, at market-level pay and benefits; otherwise the business must be documented. Failing to show continuing employment or business involvement can lead to refusal.
One further limit applies at the start: the initial stay arrangement is granted only once. Someone admitted under the scheme who later leaves Hong Kong and lets the limit expire cannot reapply under the Top Talent Pass and would need another immigration policy or arrangement to return for work or residence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the HK$2.5 million figure gross or net income?
The FAQ does not use either term. It defines the figure as taxable employment or business income for the year before the application, including salary, allowances, stock options and profits from companies the applicant owns, while excluding income from personal investments.
Do I need a degree to apply under Category A?
No degree requirement appears in the Category A criteria. The category is defined by the income test alone, and the university and work experience conditions apply to Categories B and C.
Can I qualify with a master's degree from an eligible university?
No. Categories B and C both require a bachelor's degree awarded by an eligible university. Holding a master's or doctoral degree does not meet that requirement on its own.
Does a part-time or online degree from an eligible university count?
No. Degrees obtained through online or distance learning, evening, self-study or part-time study are excluded, as are qualifications from a continuing and professional education school, branch campus, extension school or affiliated college of an eligible university.
How many Category C places are available each year?
The annual quota is 10,000, and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Can I apply before my graduation documents are issued?
No. The FAQ states that an application cannot be processed without graduation proof, so the certificate or graduation document must be obtained first.
Can my spouse and children come with me?
Yes, subject to the dependant rules. The applicant must show the ability to support them well above the basic standard and provide suitable accommodation, and up to eight dependants can be filed in one online application.