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How Can You Bring Your Parents to Hong Kong?


One of the questions we get asked surprisingly often is:


“I’m living in Hong Kong. How can I bring my parents here to live with me?”


Unfortunately, the answer is not always as straightforward as people hope.

Many people assume that once they have secured a Hong Kong visa, found a job, started a business, or even lived in Hong Kong for several years, they can simply sponsor their parents for a dependant visa. In reality, Hong Kong's immigration system is quite restrictive when it comes to parents.

Parents as Dependants


Under the current immigration policy, only Hong Kong permanent residents can bring their non-local parents to Hong Kong as dependants.  The parents must also be 60 years old or above.

So, what happens if you are not yet a permanent resident? Or what if your parents do not meet the age requirement?

The good news is that there are still options available.

The key is to stop thinking about your parents as dependants and start thinking about whether they can qualify for a Hong Kong visa in their own rights.

Let's look at some of the most common pathways.


Before We Look at the Options

There is one important principle that applies to all of the common pathways discussed below.


In many cases, both parents do not need to qualify independently.


If one parent successfully obtains a Hong Kong visa, the other parent can often accompany them as a dependant spouse, provided the relationship is legally recognized.


That means the best strategy is usually to identify the stronger candidate first.


Perhaps your father has substantial business experience. Perhaps your mother has a strong educational background. Perhaps one parent meets the requirements of a talent or investment scheme while the other does not.


Think of it as the "one rule to rule them all" of parent relocation planning: don't start by asking whether both parents qualify. Start by identifying the parent with the strongest immigration profile.


Option 1: The Work Visa Route

For many families, the most realistic solution is conceptually simple.

If you own a Hong Kong company and you are legally entitled to run that business, you may be able to hire one of your parents and sponsor them for an employment visa.


However, Hong Kong Immigration will not approve a work visa simply because a family member wants to hire a parent. The application must still satisfy the normal requirements under the General Employment Policy (GEP) or the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP).

In practice, Immigration will want to see that:

  • The parent possesses qualifications, skills or experience that are genuinely useful to the business;
  • The position cannot easily be filled by the local labour market;
  • The salary and employment package are at market level;
  • The company is operating a genuine business.

The company itself also needs to be well-established.


Immigration officers will normally look at the overall health of the business, including its revenue, financial stability, workforce, office arrangements, ongoing business activities and future growth prospects.


If the company is a newly incorporated company with no revenue and no staff, the application will be more challenging.


On the other hand, if the business has been operating successfully for several years, employs local staff, maintains proper accounts, and can demonstrate a genuine need for the parent's expertise, the application becomes much stronger.

What Kind of Parent Usually Qualifies?

Generally speaking, work visa applicants are expected to have:
  • A university degree or equivalent qualification;
  • Relevant professional experience;
  • Skills, knowledge or expertise beneficial to the Hong Kong business and not commonly available in the city.

For example, a working parent who spent 25 years working in manufacturing, logistics, finance, engineering, technology, marketing, or international trade may have a much easier time demonstrating why their experience is valuable than a retired parent with no professional background.


Option 2: The Entrepreneur Visa Route




If one of your parents has substantial business experience, they may consider setting up and operating their own Hong Kong company and applying for an entrepreneur visa.

This route is often called the Investment as Entrepreneurs visa, although despite its name, the visa is not really about investing money alone.

What Immigration really wants to see is whether the applicant can create economic value for Hong Kong.

The parent will typically need to demonstrate:
  • Their educational background;
  • Professional and business experience;
  • Industry expertise;
  • Business plans;
  • Financial resources;
  • Ability to create local employment;
  • Potential contribution to Hong Kong's economy.
A strong application often includes detailed financial forecasts, hiring plans, market analysis, business strategies, and evidence showing why the applicant needs to be physically present in Hong Kong to run the business.

This route can be extremely attractive for experienced entrepreneurs, company directors, and business owners.

However, it is also one of the most demanding immigration categories because Immigration scrutinises the commercial viability of the business very carefully.
Starting a company is easy.

Convincing Immigration that the company has a genuine future and that the founder's presence in Hong Kong is necessary—that is the challenging part

What About Mainland Chinese Applicants?

Unfortunately, the entrepreneur visa route is unavailable to Chinese nationals who are residing in Mainland China.
That does not necessarily mean Hong Kong is off the table for mainland Chinese entrepreneurs.

In some situations, Mainland applicants establish their own Hong Kong company and use that company to sponsor them under the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals (ASMTP) instead.

On paper, the application is submitted under a work visa framework. However, in practice, the applicant may also be the founder, shareholder and driving force behind the business.
In other words, the applicant is effectively wearing two hats Gat the same time:

  • Founder and owner of the business; and
  • Employee being sponsored by that business.

That setup does not automatically create a problem.

However, these applications often receive a closer look from the Immigration Department than a typical employment visa case.  Because of the unusual nature of these applications, the quality of the supporting evidence can make a big difference. A well-prepared application is essential, and obtaining professional advice before proceeding is usually a very good idea.


Option 3: The Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)

Hong Kong launched the Top Talent Pass Scheme to attract top 100 university graduates and high-income individuals from around the world.

Although many people associate TTPS with younger professionals, the scheme does not actually have an upper age limit for the applicants.  Elderly parents may qualify as well.


TTPS Category A: High Income Individuals


A parent may qualify if they have earned an annual income of at least:

HKD 2.5 million (approximately USD 320,000) during the year immediately before applying.

Importantly, income can come from multiple legitimate sources.
This may include:
  • Employment income;
  • Business income;
  • Director's remuneration;
  • Profits from businesses they own.

For successful entrepreneurs and company owners, this category can be surprisingly accessible.
The biggest advantage is that applicants generally do not need a job offer before obtaining the visa.


TTPS Category B: Top University Graduates

Another common route is Category B.

A parent may qualify if they:
  • Hold a bachelor's degree from one of the world's top 100 universities; and
  • Have accumulated at least three years of work experience during the previous five years.

We've seen professionals in their 50s and even 60s with impressive educational backgrounds and long careers who may potentially fit within this category.

The key is not age.

The key is qualifications and experience.

If your parent graduated from a globally recognised institution and has been working continuously, TTPS may be worth exploring.

Option 4: The New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES)

Sometimes the simplest solution is not employment, qualifications, or business operations.
It is investment.

Hong Kong relaunched the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme to attract individuals who are willing and able to make substantial investments in Hong Kong.

Under the current framework, an applicant may qualify if they can invest at least: HKD 30 million in permissible investment assets in Hong Kong. This route is obviously not designed for everyone. However, for high-net-worth individuals, family offices, successful entrepreneurs, and retirees with significant wealth, it can be an attractive option.

One major benefit is that the applicant does not need to secure employment or operate an active business. Secondly, when the applicant fulfils the relevant portfolio maintenance requirement for 7 years but is unable to satisfy the continuous ordinary residence requirement for permanent residency, they can apply for unconditional stay which allows the holder to work and live in Hong Kong freely.

Instead, the focus is on meeting investment requirements and maintaining the qualifying investments throughout the relevant period.


Final Thoughts

If you cannot sponsor your parents directly under Hong Kong's dependant visa policy, don't assume that relocating them to Hong Kong is impossible.
Many families successfully bring their parents to Hong Kong through alternative immigration pathways every year.

The real question is not:

"Can my parents be my dependants?"

Instead, ask:


"Can one of my parents qualify for a Hong Kong visa in their own right?"

Whether through employment, entrepreneurship, exceptional income, educational achievements, or significant investment capacity, there may be more options available than you initially think.
A careful review of your parents' education, work history, business experience, income profile, and financial resources can often reveal opportunities that are not immediately obvious.
And once one parent qualifies, the other may be able to join them as a dependant, bringing the whole family one step closer together in Hong Kong.




References

Hong Kong Immigration Department. Guidebook for Entry for Residence as Dependants in Hong Kong. Retrieved from: https://www.immd.gov.hk/pdforms/ID(E)998.pdf


Hong Kong Immigration Department. Guidebook for Entry for Employment as Professionals in Hong Kong. Retrieved from: https://www.immd.gov.hk/pdforms/ID(E)991.pdf

Hong Kong Immigration Department. Guidebook for Entry for Investment as Entrepreneurs in Hong Kong. Retrieved from: https://www.immd.gov.hk/pdforms/ID(E)1000.pdf

Hong Kong Immigration Department. Guidebook for Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS). Retrieved from: https://www.immd.gov.hk/pdforms/ID(E)1026.pdf

New CIES Office. Your Path to Hong Kong Residency – New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme. Retrieved from: https://www.newcies.gov.hk/media/virhiroa/guidebook-for-the-new-capital-investment-entrant-scheme-full-version-en.pdf