Declaration of criminal records now required to apply for Hong Kong’s Talent Pass Scheme

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The Immigration Department emphasises that applicants must provide correct, complete and true information upon application.

Starting today (22 February 2023), applicants are required to declare their criminal records (if any) when they apply for entry under HKSAR’s Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS), announced the Immigration Department (ImmD) on Tuesday night.

According to the ImmD, from now on, all TTPS applicants must make a declaration of whether they have criminal conviction records when they fill out the online application. Those who have already submitted their applications but have yet to have them approved are also required to supplement the relevant information.

This adjustment comes after news broke out about the controversial scientist He Jiankui being approved under the scheme, despite having been previously jailed for baby gene editing. His visa has since been revoked. 

The ImmD emphasises that applicants must provide correct, complete and true information upon application. It is an offence if anyone knowingly and willfully makes a false statement or provides false information when applying for any visas for entry to Hong Kong. Upon conviction, offenders are liable to a maximum penalty of a HK$150,000 fine and 14 years' imprisonment.

The HKSAR government will adjust and review various visa policies and related procedures from time to time, and make timely adjustments according to the situation.

As of 14 February 2023, more than 7,800 applications have been approved under the TTPS.

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