The Hong Kong 2025-26 Budget announced that a new application fee will be introduced under various admission schemes to attract talent and capital investors, and the visa/entry permit issuance fees for approved applications will be raised based on the length of the limit of stay to peg to their costs and reflect the “user pays” principle.
To implement these fees, the Immigration (Amendment) Regulation 2025 has been published in the Gazette and came into effect from 11 AM on February 26, 2025.
- With effect from that time, principal applicants under specified admission schemes and their dependants are required to pay an application fee of HKD 600 for each application under a specified admission scheme for entry, change of conditions of stay or extension of limit of stay.
- In addition, the visa/entry permit fee for an approved application is increased, based on the length of the limit of stay, from the original flat rate of HKD 230 to HKD 600 (with a limit of stay of 180 days or below) or HKD 1300 (with a limit of stay of 181 days or more).
Pursuant to the amended Immigration Regulations (Cap. 115 sub. leg. A), the Director of Immigration has specified that the above fees apply to the following admission schemes:
- Top Talent Pass Scheme;
- General Employment Policy;
- Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals;
- Quality Migrant Admission Scheme;
- Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates;
- Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents;
- New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme;
- Capital Investment Entrant Scheme;
- Technology Talent Admission Scheme; and
- Vocational Professionals Admission Scheme.
The existing fees applicable to other types of visas/entry permits other than those applied under the specified schemes remain unchanged.
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