Concerns over talent scheme vetting process

The Top Talent Pass Scheme in Hong Kong has received significant attention, with approximately 3,000 out of 65,000 applications being rejected last year.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun Yuk-han, said a majority of the approved applicants are from the finance sector.

However, concerns have been raised regarding the scheme's lenient vetting and approval criteria, allowing it to potentially be exploited as a means of immigration rather than genuine talent acquisition.

During yesterday's Legislative Council session, lawmaker Adrian Ho King-hong inquired about the measures to monitor the situation of Top Talent Pass applicants upon their arrival. Ho said the scheme could be misused to exploit benefits such as giving birth in Hong Kong, travel convenience, or enhancing their curriculum vitae, thereby undermining the integrity of the scheme.

In response, Sun said that since the launch in December 2022, approximately 51,000 applications have been approved. Among them, over 20 percent are from the finance sector, 10 percent from the IT industry, while the trade and innovative technology sectors each account for about 15 percent. Sun explained that the 3,000 rejected cases were primarily due to failure to meet the income threshold or were not from eligible universities.

Over 70 percent of the approved applicants are below the age of 40, and 80 percent of them are high-earners and top university graduates with at least three years of experience, he said.

"These approved applicants possess desirable qualities such as youth, high income, strong academic backgrounds, extensive work experience and a global perspective," said Sun, adding that they address "manpower gaps in the local market and promote the development of key sectors."

To ensure the scheme's effectiveness, Sun said "the government is actively examining the economic benefits" and "conducting follow-up surveys."

Additionally, surprise inspections by the Immigration Department will help identify loopholes to filter out violators by taking appropriate law enforcement action.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com