Children of talent visa holders face reduced eligibility for local tuition at Hong Kong universities under new rules

Children of non-local talent visa holders may no longer be eligible for discounted local tuition fees at Hong Kong universities starting in 2027, according to new rules announced by the city’s university application body.

Students at Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: GovHK.

The Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS)’s announcement on Thursday formalises a government statement last July, which said authorities had introduced residency requirements to the definition of “local students” applying to tertiary institutions.

Under the new rules, students on dependent visas will only be considered local students – and hence be eligible for cheaper tuition – if they are full-time students in the city, or have resided in Hong Kong for a certain period.

The residency requirement for those applying in 2027 is one year, meaning they must have been in Hong Kong during the period of June 2026 to May 31, wich a maximum of 90 days of absence allowed.

For those applying in and after 2028, the requirement will increase to two years.

Students must submit travel records from the Immigration Department when applying as proof of residency. If they are studying in Hong Kong, they must also provide proof.

People speak to employees at the Immigration Department’s headquarters in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong, on June 11, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The move came after concerns that children of the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) might not live in Hong Kong, but can still benefit from cheaper tuition rates instead of international school fees at public universities.

Undergraduate tuition for local students at the city’s eight public universities is HK$47,000 a year, while for international students, the fees are more than HK$200,000.

Introduced in late 2022, TTPS – which has a lower threshold than other visa programmes – has attracted overwhelmingly mainland Chinese applicants. It has been reported that many TTPS visa holders do not actually move to Hong Kong, using the scheme for purposes such as to make travel more convenient and enjoy tax benefits in the mainland.

Chris Sun, the labour and welfare minister, said in the Legislative Council last September that from 2023 to August 2025, the government issued a total of 220,000 dependent visas under various talent schemes, local media reported.