Talents fast track making headway

Authorities have approved 90 percent of some 4,000 applicants so far for a new top talent pass scheme and they are likely to start their careers in the SAR in two years, said Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han.

Sun said yesterday his bureau has received more than 5,300 applications since the launch of the scheme two weeks ago.

He said the process saw applicants required only to submit supporting documents online, with the Immigration Department able to process and approve these applications speedily, with the soonest that green light can be given being the same day itself.

"They can either find a job or start their own business. We set up the talents service unit online platform quickly, for one of our follow-up projects is to try to find out what kind of jobs they want," Sun said. "We also want to know their opinions of Hong Kong and how we can interact with them."

Sun said overseas talents will have to find jobs on their own, and believed talents can find a job within two years.

"Instead of matching talents with companies, we provide them a lot of information on our online platform," he said. "If talents want r visas extended, they have to show they have found a job, started a business and made a contribution to Hong Kong's economy."

The two-year top talent pass scheme is open to applications from people who earn over HK$2.5 million a year and to those who graduated from the world's top 100 universities with at least three years of working experience in the past five years.

However, those who lack that working experience but graduated from top universities within the past five years can still apply - subject to an annual quota of 10,000.

Sun admitted the number of those on at least HK$2.5 million a year is relatively small.

However, among those who graduated from the top universities, some had over three years of working experience.

Sun believed these can help fill the vacancies of middle-ranked staff and ease the shortage of fresh graduates.

The scheme will be reviewed around June, when adjustments will be considered.