There are separate arrangements for the entry of Mainland visitors. Those who wish to come to Hong Kong for visiting relatives or sightseeing should obtain an Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao (EEP) and an appropriate exit endorsement from the Mainland authorities. They may stay in Hong Kong for a period from 7 to 90 days.

Visitors from the Mainland under the 'Individual Visit Scheme' are permitted to remain in Hong Kong for a period of not more than seven days upon each entry. Currently, residents of all of the 21 cities in Guangdong Province and 28 other cities, i.e. Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Taizhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Chengdu, Jinan, Shenyang, Dalian, Nanchang, Changsha, Nanning, Haikou, Guiyang, Kunming, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Changchun, Hefei and Wuhan, may visit Hong Kong on an individual basis.

Residents of Shenzhen holding EEPs which bear the 'one trip per week' Individual Visit Endorsement may visit Hong Kong once a week from Monday to Sunday for a period of not more than seven days.

Mainland business people who wish to come to Hong Kong for business visits may apply to the Mainland authorities for business visit endorsements on their EEPs.

Taiwan residents holding a valid Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, commonly known as 'Tai Bao Zheng', may visit Hong Kong and stay for up to 30 days.

Eligible Taiwan residents may submit pre-arrival registration on their own through the 'Pre-arrival Registration for Taiwan Residents' e-Service platform on the GovHK website free of charge. The computer system will process the registration and display the result instantly. Each pre-arrival registration is valid for two months and good for two entries to Hong Kong as a visitor for a stay of up to 30 days on each landing. As at 31 December 2022, there had been over 3.2 million successful registration.

At present, there are 19 APEC economies participating in and fully implementing the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) Scheme, namely Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam.

ABTC holders who have obtained pre-clearance from the participating economies may make multiple visa-free visits to these economies for a stay of up to two to three months on each occasion within the validity period of the card. ABTC holders visiting Hong Kong may use designated counters at control points of Hong Kong for immigration clearance. Those who have been granted pre-clearance by Hong Kong may also enrol for the e-Channel service.

ABTC holders may use the special service lanes at designated control points of participating economies regardless of whether pre-clearance has been granted by the economy concerned.

Special immigration lanes for ABTC holders are also provided by the United States and Canada at their international airports. However, ABTC holders are still required to meet the normal immigration requirements, such as presenting valid passports and, where applicable, visas of the United States or Canada.

As at 31 December 2022, over 110,000 ABTCs had been issued and over 720,000 requests for pre-clearance referred by other participating economies had been processed in Hong Kong.

The purpose of the 'Working Holiday Scheme' is to facilitate cultural and educational exchange and to strengthen bilateral relations between Hong Kong and the participating countries. Holders of national passports of the participating countries aged between 18 and 30, ordinarily residing in their home places and whose main intention of entry is holiday-making are eligible to come to Hong Kong under the scheme. Currently, the participating countries of the scheme include Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Participants are allowed to stay up to 12 months in Hong Kong for holiday and may take up short-term employment during their stay. As at 31 December 2022, over 15,400 applications were approved by the department.

With effect from 23 January 2017, Indian nationals must apply for and successfully complete online pre-arrival registration before they can continue to enjoy 14-day visa-free visit or enter Hong Kong during transit (except those in direct transit by air and not leaving the airport transit area), unless they belong to one of the categories of persons who may continue to come to Hong Kong visa-free without pre-arrival registration. Indian nationals shall apply for pre-arrival registration through the 'Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals' platform on the GovHK website. Pre-arrival registration is free of charge. The computer system will process the registration and display the result instantly. Each pre-arrival registration is valid for six months and good for multiple visits to Hong Kong visa-free for a stay of up to 14 days on each visit during the validity period. As at 31 December 2022, there had been over 980,000 successful registration.

The Pilot Scheme for STV has been implemented with effect from 1 June 2022. Under the pilot scheme, host organisations authorised by the relevant government bureaux/departments can issue invitation letters to relevant non-local talents in their sectors. Invited persons may come to Hong Kong to participate in specified short-term activities as visitors, without the need to apply for employment visas/entry permits. Invited non-local talents must be talents in shortage or whose participation in specified short-term activities in Hong Kong is conducive to economic development or achieves relevant policy objectives. In 2022, the pilot scheme benefited over 800 non-local talents.

With effect from 1 June 2022, the existing immigration facilitation for visitors entering Hong Kong for an event to deliver speeches/presentations has been further relaxed. Non-local speakers across the board are allowed to deliver speeches/presentations without the need to apply for employment visas/entry permits for 14 consecutive days upon each arrival, and the cap on the number of events they can attend to deliver speeches/presentations during their permitted stay has also been removed. Other conditions remain unchanged.

The government has launched the TTPS on a trial basis for a period of two years with effect from 28 December 2022 to attract high-income talents and graduates from the world's top universities. The three categories of eligible talents include (i) persons with annual income reaching HK$2.5 million or above in the past year, (ii) bachelor's degree graduates of the world's top 100 universities with at least three years of work experience over the past five years, and (iii) bachelor's degree graduates of the world's top 100 universities in the past five years with less than three years of work experience. The first two categories are not subject to any quota, while the third is subject to an annual quota of 10,000. Talents admitted under the TTPS will normally be granted an initial stay of 24 months on time limitation only without other conditions of stay. As at the end of 2022, 875 applications were approved.

Persons admitted under the TTPS may extend their stay in Hong Kong on a pattern of 2-3-3 years. Top-tier talents granted permission to stay in Hong Kong may apply for extension of stay on a pattern of 2-6 years.

Other enhancement measures on existing talent admission schemes, namely the GEP, the ASMTP, the IANG, the TechTAS, the QMAS and the ASSG, have also been put in place with effect from 28 December 2022.

Talents admitted to Hong Kong under the existing talent admission schemes may be granted a longer limit of stay upon first entry with a view to encouraging them to stay in Hong Kong for long-term development.

Hong Kong is an international financial and business centre. Non-Mainland residents who possess special skills, knowledge or experience of value to and not readily available in Hong Kong and entrepreneurs who are in a position to make substantial contributions to the economy of Hong Kong may apply for entry to Hong Kong for employment/investment.

In 2022, 13,495 professionals of various sectors from over 100 countries/territories were admitted to Hong Kong under the GEP for employment, either on a long-term or short-term basis, or for investment.

The objective of the ASMTP is attracting qualified Mainland talent and professionals to work in Hong Kong to meet the local demand for talent and enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness. This scheme has no sectoral restrictions. As at 31 December 2022, over 160,000 Mainland talent and professionals had been admitted to work in Hong Kong under the scheme.

Mainland professionals residing overseas may apply to come to Hong Kong for employment, provided that they apply from overseas and have been residing overseas for at least one year immediately before the submission of the application. Between November 2000 and December 2022, over 9,400 Mainland professionals residing overseas had been admitted to work in Hong Kong.

With effect from 28 December 2022, under the GEP and the ASMTP, if the post offered falls under the 13 Industry Segments and Occupations that Hong Kong needs most as listed in the Talent List of Hong Kong, or the annual salary for the vacancy is HK$2 million or above, employers are not required to provide proof to substantiate their difficulties in local recruitment.

The pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the GEP and the ASMTP has been relaxed from 2-3-3 years to 3-3-2 years. Top-tier talents granted permission to stay in Hong Kong will subsequently follow a revised limit of stay pattern of 3-5 years.

The IANG was introduced to further attract non-local graduates to stay in/return to Hong Kong to work, so as to increase Hong Kong's human resources and competitiveness and enhance Hong Kong's attractiveness to non-local students.

Non-local graduates refer to non-local students who have obtained a degree at undergraduate level or a higher qualification in a full-time locally-accredited local programme in Hong Kong. With effect from 14 May 2018, the IANG has been extended to cover non-local students who have obtained an undergraduate or a higher qualification in a full-time locally-accredited non-local programme in Hong Kong.

Those who apply to stay and work in Hong Kong under the IANG within six months after the dates of their graduation (i.e. the dates shown on their graduation certificates) are classified as non-local recent graduates. They are not required to secure an offer of employment upon application. Non-local non-recent graduates are those who submit applications beyond six months of the dates of their graduation. They are required to secure an offer of employment upon application. Their applications will be favourably considered so long as the job is at a level commonly taken up by degree holders and the remuneration package is set at market level.

Successful applicants are free to take up and change employment during their permitted stay without the need to seek prior approval from the department. As at 31 December 2022, over 110,000 non-local graduates had been approved to work in Hong Kong under the IANG.

With effect from 28 December 2022, the applicable scope of the IANG has been expanded to cover persons who have obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification by completing a full-time programme offered by a higher education institution jointly established by universities of the Mainland and Hong Kong in the Mainland cities of the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area. This arrangement was introduced on a trial basis for a period of two years.

The pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the IANG has been relaxed from 1-2-2-3 years to 2-3-3 years. The top-tier employment stream is also applicable to talents admitted under this scheme. Top-tier talents granted permission to stay in Hong Kong will subsequently follow a limit of stay pattern of 2-6 years.

The government launched the TechTAS in June 2018 to allow eligible technology companies/institutes to apply for importation of non-local technology talent to undertake research and development work in Hong Kong through a fast-track arrangement. Eligible technology companies/institutes would first have to apply for quotas. A company/institute allotted quotas by the Innovation and Technology Commission can accordingly sponsor eligible persons to apply to the department for employment visas/entry permits within the quota validity period. As at 31 December 2022, a total of 335 applicants had been admitted under the TechTAS.

With effect from 28 December 2022, in addition to the original 13 specified technology areas, a new technology area in 'Quantum Technology' has been introduced. Furthermore, the requirement for technology companies to employ additional local employees while importing talents outside Hong Kong under the TechTAS has been lifted, and the validity period for the quota granted has also been extended from 12 months to 24 months.

The pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the TechTAS has been relaxed from 2-3-3 years to 3-3-2 years. Top-tier talents granted permission to stay in Hong Kong will subsequently follow a revised limit of stay pattern of 3-5 years.

The QMAS is quota-based and operated on a points-based system. It seeks to attract highly skilled or talented persons from around the world to settle in Hong Kong with a view to enhancing Hong Kong's economic competitiveness in the globalised market. Successful applicants are not required to secure an offer of local employment before taking up residence in Hong Kong. All applicants are required to fulfil a set of prerequisites before they can be awarded points under one of the two points-based tests, namely the 'General Points Test' (GPT) and the 'Achievement-based Points Test'.

After promulgating the first Talent List of Hong Kong in August 2018, the government updated the list in October 2021 by adding two professions, making a total of 13 professions, and expanding the scope of some existing professions. Applicants who meet the requirements of the Talent List will be awarded 30 bonus points under the GPT of the QMAS after assessment.

As at 31 December 2022, over 11,900 applicants had been allotted quotas under the Scheme (including 250 applicants who had been awarded 30 bonus points for meeting the requirements of the Talent List).

With effect from 28 December 2022, the pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the QMAS has been relaxed from 2-3-3 years to 3-3-2 years. Top-tier talents granted permission to stay in Hong Kong will subsequently follow a revised limit of stay pattern of 3-5 years.

With effect from 1 January 2023, the annual quota under the QMAS will be suspended for a period of two years. Meanwhile, the General Points Test will be adjusted with greater weighting given to the applicant's work experience. Applicants with not less than three years' work experience in multi-national companies or reputable enterprises will be awarded 20 additional points.

The ASSG has been implemented to attract the second generation of Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents who have emigrated overseas to return to Hong Kong for development. There is no quota under this scheme and applicants are not required to have secured an offer of employment before entry. As at 31 December 2022, 573 applications had been approved by the department.

With effect from 28 December 2022, the pattern of limit of stay for persons admitted under the ASSG has been relaxed from 1-2-2-3 years to 2-3-3 years. The top-tier employment stream is also applicable to talents admitted under this scheme. Top-tier talents granted permission to stay in Hong Kong will subsequently follow a limit of stay pattern of 2-6 years.

The Supplementary Labour Scheme was introduced to import workers on a limited scale for relieving shortage of labour by filling vacancies which could not be filled by local workers. The scheme is monitored by the Labour Advisory Board, which comprises representatives from employers and labour unions. As at 31 December 2022, over 63,700 workers had been admitted for employment under the scheme and over 6,600 of them were still working in Hong Kong. Imported workers are required to return to their places of origin on completion of their employment contracts, which are normally valid for a maximum period of two years.

Foreign domestic helpers are allowed to work in Hong Kong to relieve many families of household chores. Their employment is on a two-year contract basis. As at 31 December 2022, there were over 330,000 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong, of whom about 56 per cent and 41 per cent were from the Philippines and Indonesia respectively.

Any appeals against the Director of Immigration's decisions of not issuing Certificates of Entitlement or certified duplicates could be made to the Immigration Tribunal. As at 31 December 2022, over 1,550 appeals had been received from the Immigration Tribunal.