What is TTPS?
The Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS, 高端人才通行证计划) was launched by the Hong Kong Government in December 2022 to attract high-earning professionals and graduates of leading universities. It is one of the fastest immigration routes into Hong Kong because it does not require a confirmed job offer at the time of application.
A successful applicant receives a 24-month visa that allows them — and accompanying dependants — to live, work, study or start a business in Hong Kong with no restriction on industry or employer.
The three categories
| Category | Who it's for | Typical decision time |
|---|---|---|
| A | Applicants whose annual income reached HKD 2.5 million (or equivalent) in the year before applying | 3–4 weeks |
| B | Bachelor's degree from an eligible university and 3+ years' work experience in the past 5 years | 3–4 weeks |
| C | Bachelor's degree from an eligible university within the past 5 years, less than 3 years' work experience (annual quota: 10,000) | 3–4 weeks |
The list of eligible universities is published by the Immigration Department and updated annually — it currently contains roughly 185 institutions from the QS, Times Higher Education, US News and Shanghai Jiao Tong rankings.
Documents you need
- Valid passport / travel document
- Proof of academic qualifications (degree certificate + transcript, notarised if not in English/Chinese)
- Category A: tax records, pay slips or employer letters proving income
- Category B: employment certificates covering at least 3 years
- Recent address proof
- HKID application form ID 1000A + supplementary form ID 1000B
What you can — and cannot — do on a TTPS visa
You can take any job, change employers freely, register a company, study, and bring your spouse and children as dependants. You cannot vote, you cannot apply for public rental housing for the first seven years, and you must demonstrate ties to Hong Kong (employment, business, study) when you apply to renew.
Renewal and permanent residency
The first visa is 2 years. Renewals follow a "3 + 3 + 2" pattern provided you can show you have taken up residence and have employment or business in Hong Kong. After 7 continuous years of ordinary residence, you may apply for permanent residency (the Right of Abode).
TTPS vs QMAS vs GEP
- TTPS is fastest and needs no job offer, but Category A's income threshold is high and B/C are limited to top-ranked universities.
- QMAS is points-based, open to wider qualifications, and grants longer initial visas — but it is competitive and slower.
- GEP requires a sponsoring Hong Kong employer and is best when you already have a job offer.
If you sit in the overlap (e.g. you graduated from a top 100 university and are a senior professional), TTPS is usually the smoother first move; you can later switch to QMAS or employment-based sponsorship.