London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

‘Bad timing’: industry experts pan expanded fast-track immigration scheme by Hong Kong government to lure tech talent

Lawmaker Charles Mok bemoans city’s battered global image amid protest violence and coronavirus outbreak, while experts say plan could be more beneficial if extended to other industries

Industry experts in Hong Kong have panned an expanded fast-track immigration scheme unveiled by the government and aimed at luring talent to the city’s technology sector, questioning its timing amid ongoing protests and the Wuhan coronavirus crisis.

The Innovation and Technology Commission on Thursday said it sought to raise the city’s attractiveness and spur innovation through its upgraded Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS), despite the lack of uptake.

Under the expansion, the scheme will double the number of areas in the industry that can receive support, with more firms able to take advantage of fast-tracked visa entries.

Francis Fong Po-kiu, one of Hong Kong’s leading IT experts, suggested the government had got its priorities wrong, questioning why the scheme’s expansion was not delayed for several months in light of the challenges the city was weathering.
“The virus outbreak is a public hygiene concern. I don't think people want to come to Hong Kong,” he said, also citing the negative images of long queues for masks compared with the organised distribution in Macau.

“The scheme comes at a very bad time because no one wants to visit.”

“The scheme comes at a very bad time because no one wants to visit.”

He added that while he welcomed the scheme, it would have more benefits if it were expanded to different industries, with a wider net for different countries.

In Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s policy address last year, the scheme was flagged as one element of focus for the government to boost international competitiveness.

In a statement, the commission said it expected more companies to benefit from the expanded scheme, citing “certainty and streamlined procedures” that would “encourage cross-fertilisation of local and non-local talent”.

Originally, companies based in Hong Kong’s two major innovation hubs, the Science Park and Cyberport, were permitted to use the scheme for hiring. Businesses that qualify have to come under any of the seven fields specified, such as biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

With the expansion, eligibility has widened to any company conducting research and development in Hong Kong, with new categories such 5G communications, digital entertainment, green technology and the internet of things – a phrase used to describe the online connection of devices – among others.

Kenny Shui, assistant research director at the Our Hong Kong Foundation, believed the expansion of TechTAS could help build a critical mass of technology talent in Hong Kong.

“The scheme should also include professionals in technology-related fields, such as intellectual property protection and technology management, to help Hong Kong realise the potential of science and technology in different aspects,” he said.

The coronavirus outbreak was an opportunity, he added. He said there was surging demand for technology applications, including biomedicine, big data and e-commerce. “The government needs to take a multipronged approach, such as supporting scientific collaboration and nurturing more talent.”

Charles Mok, lawmaker for the IT sector, echoed digital veteran Fong’s views over the timing of the scheme, expressing doubt that anyone would want to come to Hong Kong under the current political climate and the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
“It is not a good time to do anything except deal with the current problems,” he said. “Who would come to Hong Kong right now to work?”

He added that on top of an already battered global image, the city was losing its IT professionals in a brain drain to Japan, Taiwan and Singapore at an unprecedented rate.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×