Hong Kong is drafting a dedicated visa that will allow foreign professionals to undertake government-recognised training programmes of up to 12 months, according to sources briefed on the forthcoming Policy Address. The South China Morning Post reports the visa could go live in the first quarter of 2027 and will sit alongside existing schemes such as the Top Talent Pass. Unlike employment visas, the new category will waive the minimum-salary test and sponsor requirements, provided applicants have an offer from a local academy endorsed by the Education Bureau, such as the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy or the FinTech Academy. Participants will be allowed to take up internships related to their field of study but must leave the city upon course completion unless they transition to another permit. Policy advisers say the measure aims to position Hong Kong as a regional up-skilling hub, capturing executives from ASEAN and Belt-and-Road economies who need short bursts of specialised training before returning to home markets. It also offers multinationals a compliant pathway to rotate staff through Hong Kong for certification courses without breaching work-visa rules. Immigration lawyers welcome the clarity but warn that recognition of overseas qualifications and employer duty-of-care obligations—such as medical coverage during the stay—still need to be spelled out in subsidiary legislation. Consultation papers are expected by December, giving companies a three-month window to prepare onboarding protocols.
Source: South China Morning Post
