Hong Kong (China)Work visa

GEP work visa in Hong Kong (China)

The General Employment Policy (GEP) is a visa for the employment in Hong Kong of foreign professionals whose skills, knowledge or experience cannot be found on the local labour market. The status is granted on a confirmed job offer from a Hong Kong employer and is not tied to a particular sector or quota.

Source: Hong Kong SAR Immigration Department (immd.gov.hk)

Who can obtain a visa under the GEP

Requirements for the applicant

No security objections and no record of serious criminal offences
As a rule, a first academic degree in a relevant field; in individual cases, proven technical qualifications and professional experience
Chinese nationals who live permanently abroad, or who have lived abroad for at least a year before applying, may apply under the GEP on general terms

Requirements for the job offer

The employer in Hong Kong has a genuine vacancy
The offer matches the applicant's qualifications or experience and cannot easily be filled by a local worker
Remuneration is broadly in line with the market level for professionals in Hong Kong

What it costs

Fee for considering a GEP application	600 HKD
Issue of a visa or entry permit — permitted period of stay longer than 180 days	1 300 HKD
Issue of a visa or entry permit — permitted period of stay of 180 days or less	600 HKD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table.	2 500 HKD

Documents to gather

The applicant and the employer are required to produce different sets of documents

A valid travel document and a recent photograph of the applicant
The applicant's Hong Kong identity card, if held
Proof of the applicant's education and work experience
Proof of residence abroad — for Chinese nationals applying on general terms
An employment contract from the employer stating the position, salary, benefits and term of employment
The employer's business registration certificate
Proof of the employer's financial standing — audited accounts or tax returns
A description of the employing company
A business plan — for companies registered less than 12 months ago

How the process runs

What happens after the application is submitted

1
The employer or the applicant lodges the application with the Immigration Department
The full set of documents from the applicant and the employer is lodged together with the fee for considering the application.
2
The Department considers the application
about 4 weeks
Processing starts only once all the documents and the fee for considering the application have been received; an initial application is normally considered within four weeks.
3
The Department issues the visa or entry permit
Once the application is approved, a visa or entry permit is issued — initially for 36 months on employment conditions, or for the term of the employment contract if that is shorter.

Timelines and rights

Work

Only employment approved by the Director of Immigration is allowed; changing employer requires prior approval.

Who you can bring with you

The applicant's spouse and unmarried dependent children under 18 may be granted dependant status. The family relationship must be proven, together with the applicant's ability to support the dependants at a level appreciably above the subsistence level.

Spouse

Accompanies the applicant as a dependant on proof of the marriage or of a partnership recognised abroad

Unmarried children under 18

Accompany the applicant as dependants on proof of the family relationship

Renewal and the grace period

Extension follows the 3 + 2 years pattern: the status is first extended for 3 years, then for a further 2 years. The application for extension is lodged no later than 6 weeks before the current permitted period of stay expires, and processing usually takes 2–3 weeks. A professional who has worked under the GEP for at least 2 years and whose assessable annual employment income for the previous year was not below HK$2,000,000 may have the status extended for 5 years at once, limited only by the period of stay and with no other conditions (the top-tier stream).

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

After at least 7 years of continuous ordinary residence in the Hong Kong SAR one may apply for the right of abode.

Frequently asked questions about GEP work visa

Who can obtain a visa under the GEP?

A foreign professional with a confirmed job offer from a Hong Kong employer for a position that requires special skills, knowledge or experience not available on the local labour market. A first academic degree in the field of the vacancy is normally required or, in special cases, proven technical qualifications and professional experience. The scheme is not tied to quotas or sectors, but it is not available to permanent residents of mainland China (the ASMTP is available to them) or to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea.

How much does a GEP visa cost?

The fee for considering a GEP application is HK$600. A further HK$1,300 is paid for the issue of the visa or entry permit if the permitted period of stay is longer than 180 days, and HK$600 if it is not more than 180 days. None of the fees is refunded, whatever the decision on the application.

How long does it take to consider an application?

An initial GEP application is normally considered within four weeks after the Department has received all the necessary documents and the fee for considering the application — before that moment processing does not start. An application for extension is normally considered within two to three weeks; it must be lodged no later than six weeks before the current permitted period of stay expires.

Can the family travel with the applicant?

The applicant's spouse and unmarried dependent children under 18 may be granted dependant status. For this, the family relationship must be proven, together with the applicant's ability to support the dependants at a level appreciably above the subsistence level. A dependant's period of stay is normally tied to the term of the applicant's own status, and dependants are not prohibited from working or studying in Hong Kong.

How is GEP status extended?

The initial permission is granted for 36 months on employment conditions, or for the term of the employment contract if that is shorter. Subsequent extensions follow the 3 + 2 years pattern. A professional who has worked under the GEP for at least two years and whose assessable annual employment income for the previous year was not below HK$2,000,000 may have the status extended for five years at once, limited only by the period of stay and with no other conditions — this is the so-called top-tier stream.

How does the GEP differ from the ASMTP for nationals of mainland China?

The GEP does not cover residents of mainland China — a separate Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) applies to them. Chinese nationals who live permanently abroad, or who have lived abroad for at least a year before applying, may apply under the GEP on general terms.

Can the employer be changed while in Hong Kong under the GEP?

Work is allowed only in the position approved by the Director of Immigration. A change of employer or of the conditions of employment requires the prior approval of the Department — except for top-tier stream applicants, for whom notifying the Department is enough.

Other ways to move to Hong Kong (China)

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Hong Kong (China).

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.