Hong Kong Issues QMAS Talent List To Attract Foreign Professionals

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Hong Kong’s latest bid to welcome qualified talents to the city to aid the economic development promises professionals in the city’s pillar industries an advantage applying for a visa. Hong Kong has drawn up a Talent List of eleven specified professions it seeks to attract. Professionals from these areas will gain additional 30 bonus points towards their application under the QMAS (Quality Migrant Admission Scheme). Under QMAS, applicants are not required to have secured a job offer in Hong Kong before applying. The initial visa period may be up to 24 months. 


The Talent List specifies professionals from the following sectors:


Waste Treatment Specialists: Experienced waste treatment specialists with expertise in planning, implementing, coordinating and evaluating comprehensive waste management systems that are designed to maximise waste prevention, reuse, and recycling opportunities.


Asset Management Professionals: Experienced investment analysts and investment consultants with expertise in researching into investment opportunities and building investment portfolios. Experienced fund managers with expertise in supervising administration of fund portfolios and implementing investment and distribution policies.


Marine Insurance Professionals: Experienced professionals in marine insurance with expertise in supervising the preparation of valuations and reports, managing the formulation of insurance policies, running day-to-day underwriting team, covering new business, monitoring binder progress and claims management, finding ways to grow accounts through competitive pricing and excellent service.


Actuaries: Actuaries with expertise in carrying out actuarial valuation related to product pricing, assets and liabilities management and risk management, and supervising the preparation of valuations and reports.


Fintech Professionals: Experienced professionals in Fintech with expertise in conducting a broad range of tasks related to application of technology to financial services and relevant research and development, including distributed ledger technologies, artificial intelligence, big data and cyber security.


Data Scientists & Cyber Security Specialists: Experienced data scientists with expertise in working with large datasets (Big Data); and using machine learning and statistical methods, etc. to meet client business needs; developing and implementing statistical tools to build predictive models. Experienced cyber security specialists with expertise in designing and maintaining information security technology, standards and policy; supporting the front-line defence; carrying out assessment and auditing the security implementation.


Innovation and Technology Experts: Innovation and technology experts in leading a broad range of tasks related to research and development in relevant innovation fields, including but not limited to pharmaceutical and life science/biotechnology; data engineering (e.g. data mining/data analytics), artificial intelligence, robotics, distributed ledger technologies, biometric technologies, industrial/chemical engineering; and materials science/nanotechnology.


Naval Architects: Naval architects with expertise in studying and preparing specification for the building, conversion or repair of ships or offshore structures; supervising their overall design, construction, maintenance and repair; and advising on the certification and registration of vessels.


Marine Engineers & Superintendents of Ships: Marine engineers and superintendents of ships with expertise in the overall management and technical operations of assigned fleet in a safe and profitable manner, who may also work in the classification societies or as private surveyors to conduct statutory certification and surveys throughout the ship's life.


Creative Industries Professionals: Recording engineers with expertise in recording, editing and mixing audio. Mastering engineers with expertise in fine-tuning recorded music. Cutting/pressing engineers for vinyl LP with expertise in producing top quality records and Long Plate records. Game development experts (game designers, game programmers, game graphic designers) with expertise in various aspects of a game's creation. Game producers with expertise in setting direction and strategy of the game, managing production team and assuring quality. Professionals in film industry with expertise in various roles for film pre-production, production and post-production and are winners of designated renowned international film festivals.


Dispute Resolution Professionals & Transactional Lawyers: Dispute resolution professionals specialising in resolving international financial and investor-state disputes, including Arbitrators with expertise in rendering final and binding decisions at the conclusion of arbitral proceedings; Mediators with expertise in assisting the parties to the dispute to reach a negotiated settlement. Transactional lawyers from outside Hong Kong possessing specialised knowledge of and experience in cross-border transactions from investing or host states.


For further information applying for QMAS and other visas, contact us.