Hong Kong optimizes admissions schemes for global talent

HONG KONG, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Friday allowed graduates of 13 more universities to apply for its Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS), among other measures to sweeten its invitation to talents worldwide.

The addition included nine universities from the Chinese mainland, as well as four overseas specialized institutions on the QS World University Rankings in the discipline of "Art and Design". The number of universities eligible under the TTPS came to 198.

The HKSAR government also extended the validity period of the first visas of Category A applications under the TTPS from two years to three years to help applicants plan for moving their families to Hong Kong.

Category A applicants are those with an annual income reaching 2.5 million Hong Kong dollars (321,471 U.S. dollars) or above in the year immediately preceding the date of application.

For the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, the HKSAR government scrapped the annual quota and streamlined the application and selection process.