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Assessment Routes

Applicants who have met all the prerequisites may choose to be further assessed either under the General Points Test or the Achievement-based Points Test. Each applicant may only submit one application and be assessed under one assessment route at a time.

General Points Test
Prevailing Passing Threshold
Achievement-based Points Test

General Points Test

Aspects	Assessment Criteria
(A) Age	(1) Whether the applicant is aged 50 or below
(B) Academic Qualifications	(2) Whether the applicant has a master’s or doctoral degree awarded by an eligible university Note 1
	(3) Whether the applicant’s master’s or doctoral degree awarded by an eligible university Note 1 is pertinent to “STEM”, i.e. science, technology, engineering or mathematics Note 2
(C) Language Proficiency	(4) Whether the applicant is proficient in two languages, both written and spoken
	(5) Whether the applicant is proficient in written and spoken English
(D) Work Experience	(6) Whether the applicant has no less than five years’ graduate or specialist level work experience
	(7) Whether the applicant has no less than three years’ graduate or specialist level work experience in multi-national companies (MNCs) or reputable enterprises, such as listed companies or companies on the lists of The Global 2000 by Forbes, the Fortune Global 500 and the Hurun China 500
	(8) Whether the applicant has no less than three years’ graduate or specialist level work experience in one of the specific fields/industries, including “innovation and technology”, “finance” and “international trade” (including cross-boundary marine and aviation transportation, and supply chain management)
	(9) Whether the applicant has no less than two years’ graduate or specialist level work experience with international exposure Note 3
(E) Annual Income	(10) Whether the applicant has an annual income reaching HK$1 million or above, or its equivalent in foreign currency, in the year immediately preceding the date of application
(F) Business Ownership	(11) Whether the applicant currently owns a business entity with an annual profit reaching HK$5 million or above, or its equivalent in foreign currency, in the year immediately preceding the date of application Note 4
	(12) Whether the applicant currently owns a listed company Note 4

Note 1:

The eligible universities refer to those universities/institutions on the aggregate list of eligible universities (the aggregate list), which is compiled by the Labour and Welfare Bureau for the Scheme. The aggregate list is based on: (a) the eligible universities under the Top Talent Pass Scheme; and (b) the top 10 universities/institutions in the QS Global MBA Rankings and the Financial Times Business School Rankings in MBA providing only postgraduate programmes in the past five years. For the avoidance of doubt, academic qualifications awarded by the continuing and professional education arms, the branch schools, the extension schools or the subsidiary schools, etc., established by the eligible universities will not be accepted. For the latest aggregate list, please click here.

The level of academic qualifications of applicants obtained from the eligible universities must be equivalent to the recognised Hong Kong standard of master’s or doctoral degrees. For the avoidance of doubt, any honourary master’s/honourary doctoral degrees or degrees not awarded by nationally accredited/licensed institutions will not be accepted.

Note 2:

For the reference list of STEM subjects, please click here. The list is for reference only. Academic qualifications in a subject not included in the reference list may also be considered subject to the supporting document(s) furnished by the applicant.

Note 3:

In respect of the assessment criterion about work experience with international exposure, it refers to graduate or specialist level work experience outside the applicant’s home country/territory.

Note 4:

A business entity refers to a legally recognised company/corporation over which the applicant has the right to exercise legal and financial control. Ownership status can generally be established in the following ways: (a) the applicant holds 50% or more of the ownership interests in a non-listed company to which he/she is absolutely beneficially entitled, thereby having a controlling stake and influence over the business; or (b) the applicant holds a significant percentage of a listed company’s shares, normally 10% or more of the ownership interests to which he/she is absolutely beneficially entitled, demonstrating the applicant’s substantial level of ownership, control and influence over the company’s strategic directions, operational decisions and overall governance.

Prevailing Passing Threshold

The prevailing passing threshold is 6 out of 12.^*

^*A passing threshold is set under the General Points Test. Only applicants meeting the passing threshold could submit their applications via the online application system. Interested applicants are advised to assess whether their credentials are adequate to meet the passing threshold before submitting an application. The passing threshold is subject to change from time to time without prior notice.

Achievement-based Points Test

The Scheme also caters for the entry of individuals with exceptional talent or skill who have outstanding achievements. They may choose to be assessed under a separate Achievement-based Points Test. Requirements under this assessment route are very high. Those who are considered to have met one of the assessment criteria under this assessment route listed below will pass the assessment route and be selected for further assessment by the Assessment Panel. Those who could not meet any of the criteria will fail the assessment route, and their applications will be refused immediately.

The assessment criteria under this assessment route include the following:

1. the applicant has received an award of exceptional achievement (e.g. Olympic medal, Nobel prize, national/international award); and
2. the applicant can show that his/her work has been acknowledged by his/her peers or has contributed significantly to the development of his/her field (e.g. lifetime achievement award from industry).