ImmD schemes
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS): points and stay
QMAS lets talented people settle in Hong Kong without first securing a job. You meet ImmD’s prerequisites, then pass the General Points Test or the Achievement-based Points Test.
At a glance
- Minimum age
- 18 when you apply
- General Points Test
- Meet at least 6 of 12 criteria to apply
- Quota
- None under the enhanced General Points Test
- Initial stay
- 36 months on time limitation only
- Application fee
- HK$600 per application, not refunded
The Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) is the Immigration Department’s route for highly skilled or talented people who want to settle in Hong Kong. You do not need a job offer to apply. Instead, you meet a set of prerequisites and then score under one of two tests. The thing to plan for is what happens after you arrive: to stay beyond the first 36 months, you must show ImmD that you have actually settled here.
The QMAS prerequisites
ImmD’s QMAS page says you must meet every prerequisite before you are assessed. They include:
- Age: 18 or over when you submit the application.
- Money: you can support and accommodate yourself and any dependants on your own resources, without public assistance, while you are in Hong Kong.
- Good character: no criminal record or adverse immigration record in Hong Kong or elsewhere.
- Education: a good educational background, normally a first degree from a recognised university or tertiary institution. In special circumstances ImmD may accept good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities, or experience and achievements backed by documents.
The QMAS Guidance Notes, ID(E)982 set out the full prerequisites and the evidence for each one.
Two ways to be assessed
| Route | Who it suits | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| General Points Test | Most applicants | A questionnaire of 12 criteria across six areas: age, academic qualifications, language proficiency, work experience, income and business ownership. You may apply if you meet at least six. |
| Achievement-based Points Test | People with exceptional talent or skills | For applicants who have received an award of exceptional achievement, or whose work is acknowledged by peers or has contributed significantly to their field. ImmD says the bar is very high. |
The General Points Test changed on 1 November 2024. The Government’s announcement replaced item-by-item scoring with the 12-criteria questionnaire and removed the annual quota under the enhanced test. ImmD regularly holds selection exercises. Older guides that quote a points total and a pass mark describe the previous system.
The Government’s Talent List also feeds in. Applicants from the Mainland and overseas who meet the Talent List requirements are favourably considered under the General Points Test after assessment.
How to apply, step by step
- Check yourself against the criteria with ImmD’s QMAS self-assessment tool. It does not decide anything, but it shows where you stand.
- Read the Guidance Notes, ID(E)982, for the current forms, document list and how to submit.
- Gather evidence for each prerequisite and for every criterion you claim: degree certificates, employment and income records, and proof of any business you own.
- Submit and pay the application fee. ImmD may ask you for more documents.
- If ImmD approves, pay the visa fee and collect your visa before you travel.
Your stay and extensions
Successful applicants are normally granted 36 months on time limitation only, without other conditions of stay. That means the first stay is not tied to one employer.
To extend at the end of those 36 months, you must prove to ImmD that you have taken steps to settle in Hong Kong by taking up residence here, for example by securing gainful employment or establishing a business. Later extensions ask more: that you have settled and contributed to Hong Kong, such as through graduate, specialist or senior-level employment with a stable income, or by establishing or joining a business of a reasonable size. Extensions normally follow a 3+2 year pattern, on time limitation only.
The guidance notes give the window for applying to extend, so check them well before your limit of stay runs out. Our extension of stay guide covers timing and the online filing.
Fees
QMAS is one of the specified schemes in the fee change of 26 February 2025. Each application carries a HK$600 application fee, not refunded whatever the result. If approved, the visa fee is HK$600 for a limit of stay of 180 days or less, or HK$1,300 for 181 days or more. Dependants pay separately. See our specified-scheme fees guide.
Common mistakes and getting help
- Treating the self-assessment result as an approval. Only ImmD decides.
- Claiming criteria you cannot document. Each one needs evidence.
- Arriving and not building a life here. The first extension asks what steps you have taken to settle.
- Relying on a points table from before November 2024.
If your strength is a high income or a degree from a top-ranked university, compare QMAS with the Top Talent Pass Scheme. Hong Kong has no immigration consultant licence, so there is no official register of QMAS agents. A firm can prepare your file, but ImmD decides it. You can compare firms that name QMAS in our directory.
Questions people ask
Do I need a job offer to apply for QMAS?
No. ImmD’s prerequisites do not include a Hong Kong job offer. Work comes in at the extension stage, when you must show you have taken steps to settle here, for example by securing gainful employment or establishing a business.
How does the QMAS General Points Test work now?
Since the November 2024 changes, the General Points Test is a questionnaire of 12 criteria across six areas: age, academic qualifications, language proficiency, work experience, income and business ownership. You can apply if you meet at least six of them. There is no annual quota under the enhanced test.
Does passing the points test mean my QMAS application is approved?
No. Meeting the prerequisites and the test lets ImmD consider your application. ImmD still decides each case, and it may ask for more documents.
How long is the first QMAS visa?
Successful applicants are normally granted 36 months on time limitation only, without other conditions of stay. Extensions normally follow a 3+2 year pattern, also on time limitation only.
Is there still a QMAS quota?
Not under the enhanced General Points Test. The Government removed the annual quota for that route in the changes announced on 1 November 2024. ImmD still assesses every application and decides each one.