Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)
A Hong Kong permit for high earners and graduates of a listed university, granted without a job offer or a sponsor.
The list does not mean “top 100”. It aggregates the top 100 of four rankings over five years, plus the top 20 Mainland universities, plus the top five hospitality schools and top five art and design schools, which produced 198 institutions as of November 2024. Check the Immigration Department PDF at the point of application. A university that qualified last year may not qualify now.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | High earners and graduates of a listed university, no job offer required |
| Route family | skilled-work |
| Validity | 36 months for Category A, 24 months for B and C |
| Stay per entry | Time limitation only, no other conditions of stay |
| Threshold | HK$2,500,000 annual income for Category A, 2026. No income test for B and C |
| Renewal | Requires a Hong Kong job with stable income or a business here. Normally 3 years, 6 for top-tier entrants |
| Settlement | Switch required |
| PR clock | 7 years of continuous ordinary residence |
| Citizenship clock | None. Hong Kong has no citizenship |
| Family | Spouse or recognised civil partner and unmarried children under 18 |
| Local employment | Yes. No sponsor at entry, no restriction on changing employer |
| Tax headline | Territorial salaries tax, progressive to 17%, capped at 15% standard rate |
| Processing | About 4 to 8 weeks, no published service standard |
The three categories
Category A. Income of HK$2,500,000 or more, roughly USD 320,000, in the year before application. Salary, allowances, stock options and profits from a company you own count. Dividends, rent, capital gains and investment income do not.
Category B. A bachelor’s degree from a listed university plus three years of work experience in the five years before application. No income test, no quota.
Category C. A bachelor’s degree from a listed university within the five years before application, with under three years of experience. Capped at 10,000 a year, first come first served.
Application flow
- Confirm which category fits, because the evidence sets differ completely.
- Check your degree against the current aggregate list PDF, not a ranking table.
- Get third party verification of each degree.
- For Category A, assemble income evidence for the full preceding year.
- Submit online and pay the fee, then take up work or start a business before the extension window.
Good fit
A graduate of a listed university with three years of experience who wants to move before finding a job, and anyone earning above USD 320,000 who wants to stop being tied to an employer. No sponsor is needed in advance.
Poor fit
A professional from an unlisted university with no high income, who needs the General Employment Policy instead. Also anyone planning to drift, because the extension requires a job or a business.
Watchpoints
- Category C closes without warning. The 10,000 places are first come, first served and there is no live counter. Categories A and B are uncapped.
- Hong Kong undergraduates and branch campuses do not count. A non-local student who took their undergraduate degree here must use the non-local graduate arrangements, and overseas campuses, extension schools, subsidiary schools and honorary degrees are all rejected.
- Category A income is narrow. Salary, allowances, options and your own company’s profits count. Dividends, rent and capital gains do not, however large.
- The initial grant is once per person. If the permit lapses after you leave, you cannot restart the route, and a gap cannot be repaired for the seven years.
Sources
- Immigration Department, Top Talent Pass Scheme, checked 2026-10-22
- Labour and Welfare Bureau, aggregate university list, checked 2026-10-22