Applying for IANG the first time

A first application under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) is for non-local students who studied a full-time locally accredited degree programme in Hong Kong, and for graduates of jointly operated campuses in Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area. These notes follow the Immigration Department website and the official forms, checked 18 October 2026. The rules can change. On the day you file, follow the version then published by the department.

Who can apply

1. You are a non-local student who studied a full-time locally accredited programme in Hong Kong and obtained a bachelor's degree or above. A non-local student is someone who came to study on a student visa or entry permit issued by the Director of Immigration.
2. The academic requirement is one of two. A bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree, with a period of study of not less than 1 academic year. Or a programme at Qualifications Framework (QF) Level 5 or above, with 120 QF credits or above, and a period of study of not less than 1 academic year. The awarding institution must be on the list of recognised institutions in the annex to the Immigration Department guidebook for employment as professionals, ID 991.
3. A full-time bachelor's degree or above from a jointly operated institution also qualifies. That institution is set up, under the Regulations on Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools, by a Mainland university and a Hong Kong university in a Mainland city in the Greater Bay Area. The department's label for these graduates is Greater Bay Area campus graduates.
4. There is no quota. There is no limit by industry. The arrangement does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba, or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. For nationals of Laos, Nepal, and Vietnam, it applies only to a full-time local programme at an institution funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), and to Greater Bay Area campus graduates. Self-financing, continuing education, exchange, and short courses do not count as that full-time local programme.

Within six months and after six months

The line is the graduation date printed on the certificate. It is not the day you leave the campus, the day the results are released, or the day of the ceremony.

1. Within six months: file within 6 months counting from the graduation date. You do not need a job when you file. If approved, the stay is usually 24 months, with no other conditions of stay.
2. After six months: file more than 6 months after the graduation date. You must already have a job when you file. The work is normally taken up by a degree holder, and the pay and benefits are at market level. The stay granted is also usually 24 months.
3. If you are within six months and the certificate has not been issued, you can apply with a graduation document from the institution. The official frequently asked questions list a letter confirming that you have completed your studies, an official transcript, or a certificate of qualification. An application with no graduation document cannot be processed.
4. If the student visa is close to expiry and the results are not out, you can first apply to extend your stay as a student while you wait for the results. During that time you must not take up employment unless the Immigration Department has approved it in advance. A student extension is generally accepted only if you file within 4 weeks before the limit of stay expires.

In the application form, the issue date you enter for the graduation certificate, in the field for higher education qualifications obtained, must match the certificate. That date is what places you within six months or after six months. After six months you need the employer's papers, and the processing time is longer.

How to file and which forms

1. From 2 April 2024, an IANG entry application can be filed only through the Immigration Department online application system. An application made in person, by post, or through a drop-in box is not accepted.
2. The official papers are the Immigration Department guidebook for employment as professionals, ID(C)991 / ID(E)991 (current version 04/2026; IANG is in Part IV, and the document list is in Part VII); the applicant's form, ID 990A; and the employing company's form, ID 990B. In the online system you complete the matching online form. It is signed in confirmation by you, by any dependant, and, where it applies, by the person authorised by the employing company.
3. File formats are JPEG, PDF, GIF, PNG, or TIF. Each file must be 5MB or below. Use greyscale where the document has no photograph, and colour where it has a photograph. On a first application, you and the dependants who come with you may be included in 1 submission of at most 4 people.
4. After you submit, keep the online application acknowledgement. If you do not get one, you must submit again.

Documents to upload

For you, the same set applies within six months and after six months.

1. A recent photograph.
2. The particulars page of a valid travel document. If you are in Hong Kong, also include the latest arrival stamp, arrival label, extension label, and the page with the latest e-Visa.
3. Your Hong Kong identity card, if you have one.
4. An official transcript, a graduation certificate, or a letter from the awarding institution, showing a bachelor's degree or above from a full-time locally accredited programme studied in Hong Kong.

If you are after six months, the employing company must also upload the papers in Part VII(B) of the guidebook.

1. The employment contract or letter of appointment, stating the post, salary, other benefits, and period of employment. This item is mandatory.
2. The business registration certificate.
3. Proof of the company's financial position, for example the latest audited financial report, a profit and loss account, or a profits tax return.
4. A detailed business plan, if the company is new and has been established for less than 12 months.
5. Company background material, such as product catalogues and brochures, does not have to be uploaded for an IANG applicant.
6. A company listed on the Main Board or GEM of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, or a company that within the 24 months before filing has successfully applied for an employment or training visa for a non-local employee, may leave out the business registration certificate, the financial proof, and the business plan.

A document that is not in Chinese or English must have a Chinese or English translation certified by a recognised person, such as a sworn translator or a court translator.

Processing time and fees

1. Within six months, allow about 2 weeks after the documents and the application fee have all been received. After six months, allow 4 weeks in the usual case. June to August is the peak, and it can take longer.
2. The application fee is HK$600. You pay it when you submit online. It is not refunded, whatever the result.
3. After approval you pay a visa issue fee. IANG is one of the specified schemes announced by the Immigration Department. Where the visa states a fixed period of stay, the fee is HK$1,300 for 6 months or more, and HK$600 for less than 6 months. A first IANG visa of 24 months falls in the HK$1,300 band.
4. You can pay by credit card (VISA, Mastercard, UnionPay, or JCB), by PPS, by FPS (Faster Payment System), or by Alipay, WeChat Pay, or Cloud QuickPass. After payment you can download or print the e-Visa yourself.

After approval

1. On arrival, show a valid travel document and the e-Visa, either kept on a phone or printed on white A4 paper. The QR code is scanned at the counter.
2. If you are a Mainland resident, you must apply to the relevant Mainland authorities for an Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao and the related endorsement for travel to Hong Kong. On arrival you show those together with the e-Visa. The declaration on ID 990A states that entry on any other travel document will be refused.
3. An IANG holder is subject only to the limit of stay. You may take up and change employment freely. You do not need the Immigration Department's approval beforehand.
4. If you are a new arrival aged 11 or above, and you are allowed to stay for more than 180 days, you must register for a Hong Kong identity card within 30 days of arrival. See the checklist before you start work, in this series.

Common sticking points

1. The graduation date is the date printed on the certificate. If you file more than 6 months after that date, you need a job first.
2. Do not leave a gap between the end of the student visa and the IANG application. Before the student visa expires, either the IANG application has been filed and approved, or you have applied to extend your stay as a student while you wait for the results. If you remain in Hong Kong after the limit of stay has expired, that is overstaying. It is a criminal offence.
3. While you hold student status and wait for results, you cannot be employed without prior approval.
4. After six months, a job description that is too general is a problem. The Immigration Department looks at each case on its own, including the skills and knowledge the post needs and how complex the duties are. The letter of appointment and the duty statement should set out the professional content and the reporting line.
5. Fill in the declaration on the form as the facts are. A past visa refusal, a past conviction, and matters of that kind must be declared. If you knowingly and wilfully make a false declaration, that is unlawful. Any visa issued on it is void.

Enquiry lines published by the Immigration Department

1. 24-hour telephone line for the status of an application: 3160 8663.
2. IANG hotline, during office hours: 2294 2190.
3. Immigration Department general enquiries: 2824 6111.
4. Technical support for the online application system: 3128 8668.

Sources

• Immigration Department webpage on the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (checked 18 October 2026)
• Immigration Department guidebook for employment as professionals, ID(C)991 / ID(E)991 (version 04/2026)
• Immigration Department application forms ID 990A and ID 990B (version 01/2025)
• Immigration Department frequently asked questions on the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates
• Immigration Department, new fee structure for visa applications under specified schemes