Hong Kong – Remarks by SLW on talent attraction

     Following is the remarks by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, on talent attraction at a media session after attending a radio programme this morning (November 2):

Reporter: Mr Sun, on the Top Talent Pass Scheme, any estimates on those intending to stay when their initial period expire? Also, any concerns regarding people providing false documents? Regarding Ronnie O’Sullivan, can you give more details in terms of whether Hong Kong reach out to him? Are there any further plans to entice other high profile influential people to Hong Kong?

Secretary for Labour and Welfare: I will start with the last question. I think the fact that O’Sullivan has decided to come to Hong Kong and become a part of us speaks volumes about the attraction of Hong Kong. Clearly he has spoken a lot about the good things of being in Hong Kong. With this success and with the launching of a new stream under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme where we are going to invite top talents from all over the world direct, we are going to do a lot more. We hope to achieve more success, because we truly believe in the attraction of Hong Kong. Be it our tax system, our natural beauty, the convenience, the great food and all the great things here in Hong Kong, is a huge attraction to top talents all over the world. 

     As for the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS), as I have said on different occasions, right now we have built in a very robust system to make sure all the qualifications submitted to us are true and can be verified. For submissions from Mainland China, there is a mandatory requirement for them to verify it through a third-party system, or they have to verify direct with the institutions granting them the qualifications. We can rest assured that for all applications approved under the TTPS based on academic qualifications, all these qualifications are authentic and can be verified.

     We are not going to predict or estimate how many TTPS visa holders are going to have their visas extended. Our principle is that we have made it very clear the criteria for a successful visa extension. We are not going to provide additional help. For those who are able to make it, of course they can stay in Hong Kong and continue their career. For those who failed to make it, we are not going to grant them visa extensions. Rather, after several months when we have a better grasp about the extension situation, we are going to make it public. By then, we would know how many, or in terms of percentage, of the TTPS visa holders got their visas extended successfully. Thank you very much. 

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)