Hong Kong SAR · Work

Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)

Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) (IANG) is issued by Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. VisaAI tracks 13 official requirements for it, each traced to the government page that states it.

Last verified against the official source on .

VisaAI is not a government body and does not issue visas. It cannot decide, predict or guarantee the outcome of an application, and this page is not legal or immigration advice.

Requirements change. Confirm every item on Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s own page before you apply.

Each requirement below is written in plain English by VisaAI. The indented text beneath it is quoted from Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s own page, so you can check what we say against what they say. Where a quotation shows “ ... ”, text has been left out.

Conditions you must meet

  • An undergraduate or higher qualification from a full-time, locally-accredited Hong Kong programmeAwarded by an authorised post-secondary institution — the Department keeps that list in the annex to ID 991 rather than on this page, and whether yours is on it is the first thing to check.
    Non-local graduates here refer to non-local students who have obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification in a full-time and locally-accredited programme in the HKSAR.
  • Six months from the date on your graduation certificate splits the route in twoNot from the ceremony, not from the results — the date printed on the certificate. Everything else follows from which side of it you file on.
    Non-local graduates who submit applications to the Immigration Department (hereafter “ImmD”) within six months after the date of their graduation (i.e. the date shown on their graduation certificates) are classified as non-local recent graduates.
  • Within six months: no job offer required, and 24 months with no employment condition'on time limitation only without other conditions of stay' — you are not tied to an employer, and you did not need one to apply.
    Non-local recent graduates who wish to apply to stay and work in the HKSAR are not required to have secured an offer of employment upon application. They may be granted 24 months' stay on time limitation only without other conditions of stay provided that normal immigration requirements are met.
  • Beyond six months: a job offer IS required, at graduate level and market payTwo further tests come with it — the job must be 'at a level commonly taken up by degree holders' and the remuneration package 'at market level'. The Department publishes no figure for either.
    Non-local non-recent graduates who wish to return to work in the HKSAR are required to secure an offer of employment upon application. The applications will be favourably considered so long as the job is at a level commonly taken up by degree holders and the remuneration package is at market level.
  • Graduates of Greater Bay Area campuses jointly established with Hong Kong universities also qualifyA full-time programme at a mainland GBA campus set up under the PRC regulations on Chinese-foreign cooperation in running schools. A distinct population, same route.
    GBA campus graduates here refer to persons who have obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification in a full-time programme offered by a higher education institution in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area jointly established by universities of the Mainland and Hong Kong in accordance with the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools.
  • GBA campus graduates: the same six-month line, the same consequenceWithin six months, no offer needed and 24 months without an employment condition.
    GBA campus recent graduates who wish to apply to come and work in the HKSAR are not required to have secured an offer of employment upon application. They may be granted 24 months’ stay on time limitation only without other conditions of stay provided that normal immigration requirements are met.
  • GBA campus graduates beyond six months need the offer tooIdentical wording to the non-local non-recent rule, applied to the other population.
    GBA campus non-recent graduates who wish to come to work in the HKSAR are required to secure an offer of employment upon application. The applications will be favourably considered so long as the job is at a level commonly taken up by degree holders and the remuneration package is at market level.
  • The general immigration requirements apply on topA valid travel document with adequate returnability, a clear criminal record, no security concern, and no likelihood of becoming a burden on Hong Kong. The Department also warns the criteria may change without notice.
    an applicant should meet normal immigration requirements (such as holding a valid travel document with adequate returnability to his/her country of residence or citizenship; be of clear criminal record and raise no security or criminal concerns to the HKSAR; have no likelihood of becoming a burden on the HKSAR, etc.) as well as the relevant specific eligibility criteria detailed above
  • You may sponsor a spouse or recognised partner and unmarried children under 18Hong Kong recognises same-sex and opposite-sex civil partnerships and unions recognised where they were entered into. You become the sponsor.
    Applicants admitted or seeking admission under the IANG may apply to bring their 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 entered into by him/her in accordance with the local law in force of the place of celebration and with such status being legally and officially recognised by the local authorities of the place of celebration Note 2 and unmarried dependent children under the age of 18 to the HKSAR under the prevailing dependant policy.
  • Your dependants may work or study without a separate permissionThe same policy as Hong Kong's other routes, and a sharper contrast the further east you look: Singapore requires an employer-lodged work pass, Malaysia an endorsement.
    These dependants are not prohibited from taking up employment or studies in the HKSAR under the existing policy.
  • Your dependants' stay is tied to yours and to the relationship continuingThe Department names the failure modes: a change in the marriage relationship, or the sponsor's death. A dependant under 16 needs a parent or guardian to sign.
    The length of stay of such dependants will normally be linked to that of their sponsors.

Documents you must provide

  • More documents may be demanded after you have supplied everything listedThe Department reserves this against applicants, dependants and employing companies alike.
    Notwithstanding that the documents and information required have been furnished, applicants, accompanying dependants and employing companies may still be required to submit further supporting documents and information in connection with the application(s) when necessary.

Steps in the process

  • You can beat the six-month clock without the certificate in handA letter from the institution confirming you have graduated is enough. Those still waiting on results may instead apply to extend their stay while the results are promulgated.
    Non-local recent graduates who have not yet obtained their graduation certificate could apply to stay and work by producing proof from the institution confirming that they have graduated.

Official sources

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Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) — Hong Kong SAR | VisaAI