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Hong Kong approves 31,278 GEP working visas, mostly short-term

Nearly half of successful applicants earned below HK$20,000 a month, and approvals in the first half of this year totaled 13,640 visas.

Reported · Written up by our desk · China

Hong Kong approved 31,278 General Employment Policy (GEP) working visas for foreign nationals last year, with most recipients placed in short-term jobs, according to Immigration Department statistics cited by SCMP Economy.

About 79.7% of successful candidates, or 24,929 people, were hired for positions lasting less than a year. Among those granted visas, 47.5%, or 14,850, earned below HK$20,000 (US$2,564) per month.

The share of approvals tied to short-term contracts rose to 79.7% from 72.1% in 2024 and 64.0% in 2023. The report said the number cleared the 30,000 level for the second consecutive year, though it remained below the more than 40,000 recorded annually in 2018 and 2019.

For the first half of this year, 13,640 GEP visas were approved, with 68.6% on short-term contracts and 49.8% earning less than HK$20,000 a month, the data showed. Mainland Chinese residents were not eligible to apply to the scheme, SCMP Economy reported.

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