Following is a question by the Hon Lam San-keung and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (September 25):
 
Question:
 
     The Government has announced earlier on that as of July 31 this year, nearly half of the first batch of approximately 13 000 talent with expired visas under the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) have not applied for visa extension. In addition, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare has indicated previously in a media interview that for those TTPS talent who fail to obtain visa extension, their dependant children will be required to drop out of school and leave Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of dependant children of the aforesaid TTPS talent who have not applied for visa extension studying in Hong Kong and, among them, the number of those who have applied for withdrawal from school;
 
(2) whether the Government has established a mechanism whereby the relevant government departments, after confirming that TTPS talent have not submitted visa extension applications or have not been granted visa extension, may notify other government departments to handle the schooling arrangement for the dependant children concerned; and
 
(3) whether it has considered allowing the children of TTPS talent who have not applied for visa extension to retain their school places and continue their studies in Hong Kong as non-local students?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     With the institutional advantages of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong is an international city where people enjoy freedom of movement and talent gather for exploration of opportunities, negotiations and exchanges. Hong Kong's diverse and quality education is also one of the factors attracting talent to Hong Kong. Children of those who come to Hong Kong under various talent admission schemes (including the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)) may apply for and be issued with a visa for residence in Hong Kong as dependants, provided that they meet the criteria set by the Immigration Department (ImmD). Under the existing education policy, school-age dependants are also eligible to enrol in public sector schools to receive free primary and secondary education. They may also enrol in other schools, such as Direct Subsidy Scheme schools and international schools.
 
     Under the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115), where permission is given to a person to land or remain in Hong Kong, the ImmD may impose a limit of stay or other conditions of stay. Such persons must comply with the conditions of stay imposed by the ImmD during their stay in Hong Kong and are required to depart Hong Kong on or before the expiry date of their limit of stay. The limit of stay in Hong Kong of dependants is normally linked to that of their sponsors. In the case that a sponsor ceases to apply for an extension of stay or the application is rejected, the dependant will no longer be eligible for residence in Hong Kong and is required to depart Hong Kong together with the sponsor before the expiry of their limit of stay.
 
     In consultation with the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Security Bureau and the ImmD, the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Member is as follows:
 
(1) and (2) Under the prevailing arrangement, persons who are permitted to reside in Hong Kong as dependants (including but not limited to dependants of successful applicants under various talent admission schemes) are not required to obtain prior permission from the Director of Immigration for studying in Hong Kong. They can choose to enrol in primary and secondary schools of different finance types, and the schools are not required to report to the Education Bureau. As such, the Government does not have the statistics on the number of such dependants studying in Hong Kong and the number of those who have applied for withdrawal from schools.
 
(3) In general, unless a person has the right of abode or right to land in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), he/she requires a visa/entry permit to study here. For those who have not applied for extension of stay under the TTPS, their school-age children for primary and secondary education who meet the related policy requirements (including having been admitted by relevant non-public sector schools) may apply to the ImmD for a visa/entry permit to enter the HKSAR for study. At present, such arrangement does not apply to, among others, Chinese nationals of the Mainland. For details, please refer to the relevant website: www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/study.html.

Ends/Thursday, September 25, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:05

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