Hong Kong Work Visa Relaxations 2026: Talent List and HKD 2m Salary Route
Under Hong Kong's General Employment Policy (一般就業政策) and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (輸入內地人才計劃), an employer no longer has to prove that local recruitment was difficult if the job is a profession on the Talent List, or if the post pays HK$2 million or more a year. The same package of measures also lengthened the first employment stay from two years to three, and opened a five-year extension route for people who qualify as top talent. The Hong Kong Immigration Department sets this out on its FAQ page "Enhancement measures on admission schemes", as of the October 2026 version of that page.
The changes took effect on 28 December 2022 and are still the rules the department describes on that page. Nothing in the FAQ announces a further change for 2026 itself, so treat the 2026 position as the 2022 measures continuing unless the department publishes something newer.
How can an employer skip the local recruitment test?
Two routes exist, and either one is enough on its own.
The first is the profession. If the post is one of the locally scarce professions listed on the Talent List, the employer applies directly. The Labour and Welfare Bureau is to draw up job descriptions for each listed profession for employers to consult. The employer must state and declare on the application form that the post falls within a profession on the Talent List; that declaration replaces the market supply test.
The second is the pay. A post with an annual salary of HK$2 million or more also qualifies, whatever the profession is.
Does the HK$2 million have to be base salary?
No. The department's answer is that the figure is the whole remuneration package, including fringe benefits such as a housing allowance. An offer with a base salary below HK$2 million can still clear the threshold once those benefits are counted, and the employer has to be able to show the package as it will actually be paid.
How long is the first period of stay now?
Three years, or the remaining validity of the employment contract, whichever is shorter. That applies to people admitted for employment under the General Employment Policy or the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals.
Entrepreneurs admitted to start or join a business in Hong Kong under the General Employment Policy got the same uplift: the first stay on employment grounds went from two years to three years, effective 28 December 2022.
What if the person was already in Hong Kong before 28 December 2022?
Existing permission does not change. Someone admitted before that date keeps the limit they were given, and can apply to extend within the three months before it expires. If the extension is approved, they continue on the pattern the department writes as "3-3"; a person who qualifies as top talent can be granted a six-year extension free of other conditions of stay.
Applications are judged by submission date. The relaxation only covers applications submitted on or after 28 December 2022. Applications submitted before that date lead to the older patterns, which the department writes as "2+3+3" for general cases and "2+6" for qualifying top talent, with the extension free of other conditions of stay.
When can someone apply under the top talent category?
A person admitted under the General Employment Policy, the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals, or the Technology Talent Admission Scheme (科技人才入境計劃) can ask to have an extension assessed under the top talent category if both of these hold:
- They have been employed in Hong Kong for at least two years.
- Their salaries tax assessable income for the previous year of assessment was HK$2 million or more.
They do not have to wait for the three-year limit to run out. An application can be made while it is still current, and if it succeeds the person is generally granted five years free of other conditions of stay. The department counts the new five-year period from the start of the original limit, not from the date of approval, so this is worth timing deliberately rather than filing late.
How long does an application take?
The Immigration Department states that applications under the General Employment Policy and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals are generally processed within four weeks of receiving all the required documents. That is a service pledge keyed to a complete filing, not a guarantee for every case, and a missing document restarts the practical clock.
What the official FAQ does not cover
The FAQ page explains the easing of the recruitment test, the longer first stay, and the top talent extension. It does not set out approval rates, quotas, government fees, or any effect on eligibility for permanent residence, and it does not describe any change to those arrangements for 2026. For anything it leaves open, the latest official publication governs. This summary is general information about published policy and is not advice on an individual case; a specific filing should be checked against the department's current pages or with a qualified professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do employers still need to prove local recruitment difficulty?
Yes, for any post that is neither a Talent List profession nor paid at HK$2 million or more a year. The relaxation removes the test only on those two routes, and the employer's declaration on the application form is what carries the Talent List route.
Is the HK$2 million threshold base salary or total pay?
Total pay. The department treats it as the full remuneration package including fringe benefits such as a housing allowance, so an employer should document the package as it will be delivered.
How long is the first stay on a Hong Kong employment visa?
Three years, or the validity of the employment contract, whichever is shorter, for employment under the General Employment Policy or the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals. Before the relaxation the comparable figure was two years.
Can a top talent extension be requested before the current limit expires?
Yes. Someone who has been employed in Hong Kong for at least two years with salaries tax assessable income of HK$2 million or more for the previous year of assessment can apply while the three-year limit is still running, and a successful applicant generally receives five years.
Does the submission date matter?
Yes. Only applications submitted on or after 28 December 2022 get the relaxed treatment; earlier applications follow the "2+3+3" pattern, or "2+6" for qualifying top talent.
How quickly are these applications processed?
Generally within four weeks of the Immigration Department receiving all required documents, for both the General Employment Policy and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals.