General Information:
Hong Kong is on the south east coast of China and consists of a large number of islands and a part of the mainland totaling approximately 1,064 sq km. On 1 July 1997 all of Hong Kong reverted from British Control back to China and became a Special Administration Region 'SAR' within the People's Republic of China (PRC).
» Population
About 7 million.
» Political Structure
Hong Kong elects its own legislature and maintains its own court structure.
» The Future of Hong Kong
Under the 'one country - two systems' philosophy, the SAR has executive, legislative and independent judicial power. The capitalist system, legal structure and lifestyle remain unchanged.
Hong Kong remains a free port with a free flow of capital and a freely convertible Hong Kong dollar. With China pushing forward with the modernization of its own economy, the PRC has expressed the wish that Hong Kong should assist in this endeavor. It has stated that its future development will be based on market led reforms with socialist characteristics and this has led to the opening up of its economy to foreign investments. It is widely recognized that Hong Kong is and will continue to be a significant gateway to China.
» Infrastructure And Economy
Hong Kong has excellent communication facilities and a major new international airport. Hong Kong is the leading South East Asian centre for both finance and commerce and ranks as the world's third largest financial centre after New York and London. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is the most active in Asia outside Japan.
» Language
The official languages are English and Chinese, with English being used in the commercial and political context and Cantonese Chinese used widely in industry and domestic trade.
» Currency
The Hong Kong Dollar, which is officially pegged to the US Dollar.
(approx: 1US$ = HK$7.74 to HK$7.82)
» Type of Law
Common Law based on English Common Law.
Hong Kong Skilled Immigration Program:
Scheme Objective:
The Scheme is an entrant scheme. It is quota-based and seeks to attract highly skilled or talented persons who are fresh entrants not having the right to enter and remain in Hong Kong to settle in Hong Kong in order to enhance Hong Kong's economic competitiveness in the global market. Successful applicants are not required to secure an offer of local employment before their entry to Hong Kong for settlement. All applicants are required to fulfill a set of prerequisites before they can be awarded points under one of the two points-based tests, namely the General Points Test and Achievement-based Points Test, and compete for quota allocation with other applicants. Successful applicants under the Scheme may bring their spouse and unmarried dependent children under the age of 18 to Hong Kong provided that they are capable of supporting and accommodating their dependants on their own financial resources without relying on public assistance in Hong Kong.
Prerequisites:
All applicants must satisfy all of the following prerequisites:
Age:
The applicant must be aged 18 or above when lodging an application under the Scheme.
Financial requirement:
The applicant must be able to demonstrate that he/she is capable of supporting and accommodating himself/herself and his/her dependants, if any, on his/her own financial resources without relying on public assistance during his/her stay in Hong Kong.
Good character:
The applicant should not have any criminal record or adverse immigration record in Hong Kong or elsewhere.
Language proficiency:
The applicant should be proficient in written and spoken Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English.
Basic educational qualification:
The applicant must have a good education background, normally a first degree from a recognized university or a tertiary educational institution. In special circumstances, good technical qualifications, proven professional abilities and/or experience and achievements supported by documentary evidence may be considered.
If the applicant fails to provide satisfactory supporting documents showing that he/she meets all the above prerequisites, his/her application will not be processed further and will be refused immediately.