Who can qualify

Eligibility requirements

  • The applicant is a Chinese resident of the Mainland with no security objection and no known record of serious crime.
  • A good educational background, normally a first degree in the relevant field; good technical qualifications, proven professional ability or documented relevant experience may be accepted in special circumstances.
  • A genuine job vacancy with a Hong Kong employer, and a confirmed offer for a job relevant to the applicant's qualifications or experience that cannot be readily taken up by the local workforce.
  • A remuneration package, including income, accommodation, medical and other benefits, broadly commensurate with the prevailing market level for professionals in Hong Kong.
  • The same facilitation measures as the GEP apply: intra-company transfers to managerial or professional posts after at least one year's service, Talent List professions, posts paying HK$2 million or more, and employers with recent non-local hires or a Hong Kong listing.
  • The Technical Professionals stream is for experienced non-degree professionals aged 18 to 40 in specified skilled trades, subject to quota.

Build the evidence

Prepare records that substantiate the relevant criteria. The final checklist depends on the applicant, route and filing authority.

  • Applicant: Mainland travel document for Hong Kong and Macao or other valid document, identity records, academic certificates and verification where requested, and an employment history that matches the offer.
  • Employer: business registration, company background, financial standing, business plan and staff list, unless an employer facilitation measure applies.
  • Offer: contract or offer letter setting out the post, duties, duration and full package, with a justification addressing local unavailability where facilitation does not apply.
  • Intra-group transfers: the corporate relationship between the Mainland and Hong Kong entities, the transferee's length of service, the managerial or professional nature of the Hong Kong post and the number of concurrent transferees.
  • Dependants: relationship evidence, and proof of the sponsor's means and suitable accommodation in Hong Kong.

How to apply

  1. 01

    Confirm scheme and stream

    Check that the applicant is a Mainland resident (not an overseas Chinese passport holder, who would use the GEP) and whether the post is a degree-level professional role or falls under the Technical Professionals stream.

  2. 02

    Prepare the employer's justification

    Assemble the vacancy, business need, reporting line and market comparators. Identify any facilitation measure and keep the underlying documents available, since ImmD may still request them.

  3. 03

    File through the online service

    The employer sponsors the application and pays the non-refundable application fee. ImmD states that entry applications normally take about four weeks after all documents and the fee are received.

  4. 04

    Obtain the entry permit and exit endorsement

    A Mainland resident needs both the Hong Kong permission and the relevant Mainland exit documentation. Sequence the start date around both.

  5. 05

    Manage extension from inside Hong Kong

    Apply within three months and at least six weeks before expiry; ImmD requires the applicant to be physically in Hong Kong when applying. Extensions normally follow a 3-2 year pattern on employment condition.

After approval & family planning

  • A spouse or recognised civil partner and unmarried children under 18 may apply as dependants and are not prohibited from working or studying. Dependant eligibility exclusions apply to certain former Mainland residents holding a Macao identity card for under seven years.
  • A change of employer requires the Director's prior approval against the ASMTP criteria. Top-tier stream holders (two years under the scheme and HK$2 million or more assessable income in the previous year) may be granted five years on time limitation only and change employer by notification.
  • Seven years of continuous ordinary residence may support an application for verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card. The application is assessed separately from the employment permission.
Mobility capital analysis

What this route builds, and what it opens

WG assesses every route on three returns: the knowledge it adds, the cognitive capability that sustained work abroad develops, and the institutional opportunity it opens or closes. Real work is the mechanism in each case.

Knowledge

For a Mainland professional, the ASMTP role is often the first position operating under common law, international accounting and English-language documentation. The skills gained are specific to the actual function performed in Hong Kong, so the role description should match what the person does.

Cognition

Working between Mainland and international clients, regulators and counterparties in a bilingual setting builds the sustained cross-cultural capacity that later roles in Singapore, London or the United States require. A nominal placement in a Hong Kong shell builds none of it.

Opportunity

Dependants may work and study. Seven years may lead to permanent-resident eligibility, and Chinese nationals with the right of abode may apply for an HKSAR passport. A documented managerial year with a Hong Kong affiliate may matter for later intra-group transfers elsewhere.

Programme context. Where a participant holds a genuine managerial role with a qualifying Hong Kong affiliate for a year, with payroll and reporting evidence, this route may be assessed as a Hong Kong employment step. Read the framework ↗

Frequently asked questions

Is the ASMTP different in substance from the GEP?

No. The eligibility tests, stay pattern, extension timing, top-tier stream and facilitation measures are the same. The difference is the applicant's residence status: Mainland residents use the ASMTP.

Does the Hong Kong entity need to be large?

No minimum is published. The test is a genuine vacancy and a package at market level. A newly formed Hong Kong subsidiary should expect to document its business, premises, funding and the reason the post exists.

Can a Mainland group transfer several staff at once?

Yes, where each post is managerial or professional, each transferee has at least one year's service and the number is reasonable relative to the company's staff and business. The Government has stated it has no plan to impose per-company quotas on intra-company transfers.

Can I apply for extension while outside Hong Kong?

ImmD states that extension applicants must be physically in Hong Kong when applying, and should remain in Hong Kong during processing unless the Director approves otherwise.

What happens to my dependants if I change employer?

Their status follows yours. If your change of employment is approved, their permission continues to be linked to your limit of stay; if your permission lapses, theirs does too.

Can a Mainland visitor switch to ASMTP in Hong Kong?

A visitor cannot extend a visit on the ground that an ASMTP application is pending. Plan the entry permit before the start date.

Points to consider

  • Approval is discretionary and the Director may refuse an application that meets all criteria.
  • Overstaying is a criminal offence in Hong Kong; calendar the expiry date of each family member separately.

Sources & further reading

Editorial review: 21 October 2026. Official rules, forms, fees and entry restrictions can change. Check the linked authority before an application or investment decision.

  1. ImmD: Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals ↗
  2. ImmD: facilitation measures under GEP and ASMTP ↗
  3. LegCo reply LCQ15 (22 November 2023): multinational enterprise employees ↗
  4. ImmD: admission schemes for talents, professionals and entrepreneurs ↗

General information, not an individual eligibility decision or legal, tax or investment advice. The competent authority determines the outcome. WG’s engagement and any regulated professional work are scoped separately.