ASMTP: Hong Kong work visa for Mainland professionals

The Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) is how Chinese residents of the Mainland come to work in Hong Kong as professionals. It is employer sponsored: you need a genuine job and a confirmed offer from a Hong Kong employer before you apply. The one thing to understand early is the condition on your stay. Until you reach ImmD’s top-tier stream, you may only do the job ImmD approved.

Who ASMTP is for

ImmD’s ASMTP page is for Chinese residents of the Mainland who have special skills, knowledge or experience of value to Hong Kong and not readily available here. The scheme has no sector restriction. ImmD may favourably consider an application if:

• you have a good education background, normally a first degree in the relevant field (in special circumstances, good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities or relevant experience and achievements backed by documents may be accepted);
• there is a genuine job vacancy;
• you have a confirmed offer, in a job relevant to your qualifications or work experience, that cannot readily be filled by the local workforce; and
• the remuneration package, including income, accommodation, medical and other fringe benefits, is broadly in line with the market level for professionals in Hong Kong.

These tests closely match the ones ImmD uses for the General Employment Policy.

GEP itself does not apply to Chinese residents of the Mainland, so ASMTP is the route for this group. If you studied in Hong Kong, compare it with the IANG graduate route. If you have no job offer, a talent scheme such as the Top Talent Pass Scheme may fit better.

How to apply, step by step

1. Get a written offer. The employer and you both take part in the application: the applicant’s form is ID 990A and the employing company’s form is ID 990B.
2. Read ImmD’s Guidebook for Entry for Employment as Professionals, ID(E)991 for the document list and the current way to submit. ImmD has adjusted how GEP, ASMTP and IANG applications are submitted, so check before you post anything.
3. Submit with every document and the application fee. ImmD says it will not start processing until both have arrived.
4. Wait for the decision. ImmD normally takes four weeks from receipt of a complete file.
5. Once approved, ImmD issues an e-Visa. Apply to the Mainland authorities for an Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao and the relevant exit endorsement.
6. Present the permit with its exit endorsement, together with the e-Visa, at arrival clearance.

ImmD’s ASMTP FAQ covers the exit endorsement for applicants who are already in Hong Kong.

How long you can stay

You can apply for an extension within three months before your limit of stay expires, with the application fee paid. ImmD says it normally takes about two to three weeks once it has every document, and it only extends the stay if you still meet the ASMTP criteria.

The top-tier stream is for people who have worked here as professionals under GEP or ASMTP for at least two years and had assessable income for salaries tax of at least HK$2 million in the previous year of assessment. The length is not stated consistently: as of October 2026, ImmD’s ASMTP page says a top-tier extension is normally five years, while its enhancement measures FAQ says top-tier GEP and ASMTP entrants may be granted six years. Either way it is on time limitation only. Confirm the current length with ImmD when you apply. The three-year first stay applies to applications made on or after 28 December 2022; before that it was two years.

Changing jobs on ASMTP

On employment condition, you may only take the employment the Director of Immigration approved. Get ImmD’s approval before you start a new job. Top-tier professionals who are on time limitation only just notify ImmD of the change online, within their permitted limit of stay. Our change of employment guide compares the rules across schemes.

The Technical Professionals Stream

ImmD runs a separate Technical Professionals Stream under GEP and ASMTP for young, experienced non-degree professionals in specified skilled trades. It is subject to quota: 10,000 places over the first three years, with no more than 3,000 for any one trade. Places go first come, first served, and a place is secured when the applicant and employer successfully submit the online application. A technical professional who changes job during the first stay is only allowed to work for the rest of that original period, or the new contract if shorter.

Fees and getting help

ASMTP is one of the specified schemes in the fee change of 26 February 2025. Each application, for entry or an extension, carries a HK$600 application fee that is not refunded whatever the result. If approved, the visa fee is HK$600 for a limit of stay of 180 days or below, or HK$1,300 for 181 days or more. Our specified-scheme fees guide explains how dependants are charged. A firm’s own fee is separate. Hong Kong has no immigration consultant licence, so no official register lists visa agents. A firm can prepare the papers, but only ImmD decides. You can compare firms that name employment visas in our directory.