Hong Kong SAR · Work

General Employment Policy (GEP)

General Employment Policy (GEP) (GEP) is issued by Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. VisaAI tracks 19 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

  • Meeting every criterion does not entitle you to the visaThe Immigration Department states this twice on its own page. Every requirement below is necessary; the Department says outright that together they are not sufficient.
    All applications are processed and determined by the ImmD. Approval of applications is entirely discretionary and is subject to changes in government policies. The Director of Immigration reserves absolute discretion to refuse any application even if the application meets all eligibility criteria.
  • No security objection and no known record of serious crimeThe first of the five GEP criteria.
    there is no security objection and no known record of serious crime in respect of the applicant;
  • A good education background — normally a first degree in the relevant fieldThe Department leaves a door open: good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities, or relevant experience and achievements may be accepted in special circumstances, but only with documentary evidence.
    the applicant has a good education background, normally a first degree in the relevant field, but in special circumstances, good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities and/or relevant experience and achievements supported by documentary evidence may also be accepted;
  • The vacancy must be genuineA condition on the employer, stated separately from the offer itself.
    there is a genuine job vacancy;
  • A confirmed offer, relevant to your qualifications, that the local workforce cannot readily fillThree tests in one sentence, and the last of them is about the Hong Kong labour market rather than about you. Neither you nor the employer can settle it in advance.
    the applicant has a confirmed offer of employment and is employed in a job relevant to his academic qualifications or work experience that cannot be readily taken up by the local work force; and
  • The whole remuneration package must match the prevailing Hong Kong market levelIncome, accommodation, medical and other fringe benefits together — not salary alone.
    the remuneration package including income, accommodation, medical and other fringe benefits is broadly commensurate with the prevailing market level for professionals in the HKSAR.
  • The GEP is quota-free and not restricted to particular sectorsUnusual among the work routes in this registry — Singapore's S Pass is capped by an employer quota, and Malaysia's expatriate approvals run through sector regulators.
    The GEP is quota-free and non-sector specific.
  • Mainland Chinese residents cannot use the GEPThey are routed to the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals instead. A PRC passport does not admit its holder to Hong Kong — the SAR administers its own immigration.
    This entry arrangement does not apply to: ... Chinese residents of the Mainland
  • Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea are excluded from this arrangementStated as part of the same exclusion list as mainland residents.
    nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and Korea (Democratic People's Republic of).
  • The general immigration requirements apply on top of the GEP criteriaA 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
  • Overseas Chinese on PRC passports qualify through permanent residence abroad, or a year's residence abroadFor the one-year route the application must also be submitted from overseas — and 'overseas' expressly excludes the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
    the applicant has permanent residence overseas; or ... the applicant has been residing overseas for at least one year immediately before the submission of application
  • A spouse or a recognised same-sex or opposite-sex civil partnership may come as your dependantHong Kong recognises partnerships entered into under the law of the place of celebration, provided that place legally and officially recognises them. Unmarried dependent children under 18 also qualify.
    Applicants admitted or seeking admission under the GEP 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
  • What counts as a partnership is defined tightly, and cohabitation is excludedFour structural features are required: the relationship is governed by the legislation of the place it was entered into, it requires registration by a competent authority, the registration is evidenced in writing, and the parties have a mutual permanent commitment akin to spouses. De facto spouses, cohabiting partners and fiancé(e)s do not qualify.
    Such relationships do not include de facto spouse, partners in cohabitation, fiancé/fiancée, etc.
  • As sponsor you must prove the relationship is genuine and that you can support and house them well above subsistenceThe Department's three dependant criteria. 'Well above the subsistence level' is a standard, not a figure, and no amount is published.
    there is reasonable proof of a genuine relationship between the dependant and the sponsor; ... the sponsor is able to support the dependant's living at a standard well above the subsistence level and provide him/her with suitable accommodation in the HKSAR.
  • Your dependants' stay is tied to yours, and to the relationship continuingThe Department names the failure modes explicitly: a change in the marriage relationship, or the sponsor's death. A dependant under 16 needs a parent or guardian to sign the form.
    The length of stay of such dependants will normally be linked to that of their sponsors. Any subsequent applications for extension of stay will be considered only when the applicant continues to meet the eligibility criteria for entry for residence as dependants (including that there is no change in circumstances which would have otherwise resulted in loss of sponsorship for the applicant, e.g. change in marriage relationship between the dependent spouse and the sponsor, or death of sponsor) and the sponsor remains a bona fide Hong Kong resident living in the HKSAR.
  • Your dependants may work or study without a separate permissionA sharp contrast with Singapore's Dependant's Pass, which requires a work pass the employer applies for, and with Malaysia's, which bars work outright.
    These dependants are not prohibited from taking up employment or studies in the HKSAR under the existing policy.
  • The visa is issued as an e-Visa, and you present it on a phone or on paperScanned at an immigration counter via its encrypted QR code. There is no label in the passport.
    A visa/entry permit (in the form of “e-Visa”) will be issued upon successful application.

Steps in the process

  • Four weeks, and the clock does not start until everything has arrivedThe Department states plainly that it will not begin processing until all documents AND the fee have been received.
    For applications submitted under the GEP, it normally takes four weeks upon receipt of all the required documents and the relevant application fee. The Immigration Department (hereafter “ImmD”) will not be able to start processing the application unless all the required documents and the relevant application fee have been received.

Government fees

  • The application fee is non-refundable whatever the outcomeThe GEP is a 'specified scheme' under Schedule 2 of the Immigration Regulations (Cap.115A): the principal applicant and each dependant pay a non-refundable application fee and, on approval, a visa issuance fee. The Department links its fee table rather than publishing the amounts here, so no figure is stored.
    The application fee paid is non-refundable in any circumstance irrespective of the application result.

Official sources

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