The Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) office has not given up on attracting skilled professionals from the United States, even though it has previously canceled US visits citing “political issues,” HKTE director Antony Lau Chun-hon said.
Lau’s remarks came after lawmaker Rock Chen Chung-nin raised concerns at a Legislative Council subcommittee meeting over whether the US remains a target market for promoting Hong Kong’s talent visa schemes and global recruitment efforts.
In his reply, the HKTE director revealed that the office had scrapped US trips.
“Including last year, we have been to Canada twice. Due to current political issues in the US, we did cancel one or two trips. However, in our online recruitment fairs, the US and the entire North American audience are still within our coverage — we have not given up on the US market.”
Lau indicated that the HKTE would ramp up publicity efforts on social media and organize online recruitment fairs specifically for the US in September or October.
With visas under several government talent schemes expiring, lawmakers pressed the Labour and Welfare Bureau for renewal figures. While Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han did not disclose exact numbers, he expressed confidence in achieving 50,000 renewals annually over the next two years.
Lawmaker Kenneth Leung Yuk-wai questioned whether HKTE bore primary responsibility for helping incoming talents adjust to life in Hong Kong.
Sun clarified that while the office assists with integration, the main responsibility lies with the talents themselves, not the government or HKTE, stressing the government should not be held accountable if talents fail to integrate.
He further noted that challenges like securing school placements for children have eased significantly, with many talents proactively learning Cantonese, and the HKTE also facilitates volunteer opportunities to help them engage with the community.
(Cheng Wong)
