03-08-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong must fix talent scheme as mainland Chinese ‘exam immigrants' draw ire
Last December, Hong Kong's Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said there were
no loopholes in the city's Top Talent Pass Scheme. We know leaders in Beijing have repeatedly asked this administration to be bold, but Sun's claim of no administrative gaps might have been too bold. Given the complexities, no immigration policy can truly be flawless and airtight.
In the government's attempt to make up for the outflow of people, it rolled out the Top Talent Pass Scheme in 2022. Since then, the city's various talent admission schemes have received about 500,000 applications, of which 330,000 have been approved and 220,000 people have arrived.
The schemes are not without their flaws and former chief executive Leung Chun-ying has been a harsh critic. Leung, of course, wasn't against the idea or its purpose but he
questioned if the government had the manpower to properly review, vet and approve the applications. Vetting is crucial to avoid abuse in any immigration policy.
Leung said he had come across successful applicants who check into the city only to check out soon after: their aim is to take advantage of the benefits of their Hong Kong status, which allow for tax concessions and their children to study in Hong Kong or in mainland schools set up for Hong Kong children.
Sun said while not every successful candidate would eventually settle here, they did not take up Hong Kong's welfare benefits. Even if they did come to check things out only to leave, we at least had them paying for room and board while here. He also brushed off concerns about successful applicants sending their dependants to school here.
But then last week happened. The Education Bureau
announced that starting from the 2028-2029 academic year, children of non-local talent must have stayed in Hong Kong for at least two years before they can claim resident student benefits at publicly funded tertiary education institutions. This policy change aims to prevent abuse.
