Following is a question by the Hon Sunny Tan and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (September 10):
 
Question:

     It is learnt that with Hong Kong advancing the development of the "eight centres", an increasing number of non-local people are participating in activities held in Hong Kong. However, under the current system, non-local people coming to Hong Kong at invitation to participate in short-‍term or one-off activities, such as seminars, talks, contract signings and internships, must apply for employment or training visas. Although the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors (the STV Scheme) launched by the Government can provide immigration facilitation for visitors coming to Hong Kong to participate in short-term activities, the Scheme is only for persons invited/sponsored by authorised host organisations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as some members of the industry have relayed that although the Immigration Department states the standard processing time for visa applications for employment, investment, training, etc. in Hong Kong is typically four weeks, their past experience shows that the relevant procedures take about six to eight weeks, and that there have even been instances where guests were unable to attend activities due to the unduly long time required for processing visa applications, whether the authorities will consider setting a more specific timeframe for processing visa applications for those coming to Hong Kong to participate in short-term or one-off activities, so as to enable applicants and activity organisers to make more accurate plans;
 
(2) of the up-to-date number of persons who have come to Hong Kong to participate in specified short-term activities through the STV Scheme, and set out in the table below a breakdown by the 12 designated sectors under the Scheme;
 

Designated sector	2022	2023	2024	2025 to date
Medical and Healthcare
Higher Education
Arts and Culture
Sports
Heritage
Creative Industries
Innovation and Technology
Hong Kong Laureate Forum
Aviation
International / Mega Events
Finance
Development and Construction

(3) as there are views that with an increasing number of mega events being held in Hong Kong, the current practice of having statutory bodies and government departments as the main authorised host organisations under the STV Scheme can hardly meet development needs, whether the authorities will consider optimising the Scheme, for example by phasing in the expansion of the list of authorised host organisations to include commercial organisations as necessary, requiring such organisations to sign declarations pledging not to abuse the mechanism, and enlisting authoritative organisations in various industries to assist the authorities in processing visa applications, so as to meet the development needs of the "eight centres"; and
 
(4) as there are views that with more and more Mainland enterprises "going global" through Hong Kong, many Mainland residents will need to receive training in Hong Kong, whether the authorities will consider extending the eligibility criteria for visas to undergo training in Hong Kong to cover all Mainland residents, so as to further enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong's professional services in assisting enterprises to expand overseas?
 
Reply:
 
President,

     The Government is committed to consolidating and continuously enhancing Hong Kong's development of the "eight centres" as outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan, providing impetus for sustaining our competitiveness and economic growth. In connection with immigration policies, the Immigration Department (ImmD) has been maintaining effective immigration control while providing convenient immigration services to facilitate genuine visitors so as to promote greater convergence of talents in Hong Kong for exchanges.
 
     In general, visitors shall not take any employment, whether paid or unpaid, in Hong Kong. They may conclude contracts, attend short term seminars or other business meetings, and deliver speeches without remuneration. The ImmD's website contains relevant information on permissible activities for visitors for public reference: www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/permissible-activities.html.

     To encourage more talents to come to Hong Kong for exchanges, the Government launched a two-year Pilot Scheme on Immigration Facilitation for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors (Pilot Scheme) in June 2022, which was regularised as the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Visitors Participating in Short term Activities in Designated Sectors (STV Scheme) in June 2024. Under the STV Scheme, organisations authorised by the relevant government bureaux/departments (B/Ds) 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 from the ImmD. They may participate in specified short term activities for up to 14 consecutive calendar days during each trip to Hong Kong, and receive remuneration for the specified activities concerned.

     In consultation with the ImmD, my reply to various parts of the question raised by the Hon Sunny Tan is as follows:

(1) In general, for all visa/entry permit applications for employment, investment and training in Hong Kong, the ImmD will complete processing within four weeks upon receipt of all required documents. The application procedures and processing times are clearly set out on ImmD's website. In 2024, 99 per cent of the relevant visa/entry permit applications could be completed within four weeks upon receipt of all required documents. The ImmD will also expedite the processing of relevant visa/entry permit applications as far as practicable, taking into account individual circumstances (e.g. applications related to mega events in Hong Kong).
 
     To provide better services and strive for excellence, the ImmD has launched electronic services for visa/entry permit applications in full. A list setting out the required documents is also available on the ImmD's website to give applicants a clear picture of what is required for the application so that they can prepare the required documents in advance, thereby minimising the chance of submitting supplementary documents. The ImmD will continue to enhance efficiency through process optimisation.
 
(2) and (3) As of end-June 2025, the Pilot Scheme/STV Scheme had benefited a total of 36 951 non-local talents, facilitating their entry into Hong Kong as visitors to participate in various short-term events and activities without the need to apply for employment visas/entry permits from the ImmD. The statistics by sector are at Annex.

     To ensure that the Scheme keeps pace with the times, the Government reviews its coverage and operation mechanism from time to time, with a view to ensuring that it can continue to effectively promote the development of relevant sectors and raise Hong Kong's international profile while ensuring that the risks are manageable. Since the launch of the Pilot Scheme, the Government has expanded the Scheme twice in February 2023 and June 2024, by adding two new sectors, namely "Finance" and "Development and Construction", to the original 10 designated sectors. The number of authorised organisations has also increased by 18 per cent from around 350 when the scheme was first launched, to more than 400 at present. These authorised organisations include government B/Ds, public/statutory organisations, professional bodies and industry associations, etc. At present, through an established mechanism, all participating B/Ds would assist in ensuring that the implementation of the scheme consistently meets policy objectives.

     As mentioned above, the STV Scheme currently extends beyond the public sector and encompasses professional bodies and industry associations. Commercial organisations may also collaborate with authorised organisations under the Scheme to organise eligible specified short-term activities, thereby benefiting from the relevant immigration facilitation. In considering whether to further relax the scheme, the Government shall take into account two major principles, including that eligible individuals visiting Hong Kong for specified short-term activities under the Scheme will not displace the local workforce, and there will not be a risk of abuse (including illegal employment). The Government will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the STV Scheme as well as the views of the relevant departments and the sectors concerned, and timely review the Scheme's coverage to strike an appropriate balance between immigration control and facilitation. We welcome interested commercial organisations to contact relevant B/Ds or authorised organisations in their respective sectors and consider co-organising eligible events, with a view to promoting more diverse forms of exchange and collaboration under the Scheme.

(4) The implementation of the entry arrangement for training facilitates individuals with genuine needs to enter Hong Kong for training, enabling them to acquire local knowledge, experience or skills. It also helps promote and consolidate Hong Kong's role in assisting Mainland enterprises in "going global". 

     Currently, Mainland business associates and/or employees of Mainland branches of well-established companies in Hong Kong may apply to enter Hong Kong for training. In 2025 (as at July), the monthly average number of cases involving Mainland residents approved for entry to Hong Kong for training was 197, representing a slight increase from 2024 which recorded a monthly average of 194 cases.

     The Government will continue to timely review the entry arrangement for training in Hong Kong to ensure that the arrangement remains consistent with the objectives and the development needs of Hong Kong.

Ends/Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Issued at HKT 12:15

NNNN