The Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) is the most common way for non-local students to stay and work in Hong Kong after graduating. Its biggest advantage: if you apply within six months of graduation, you don’t need a job offer first, and once approved you are free to look for work and change jobs.

About the diagrams: the step-by-step images in this guide are illustrations based on the layout of the official website, not real screenshots. They show the general steps and where to click. When you apply, log in to the official website and follow the on-screen instructions step by step.

1. Who can apply?

• Recent graduates: apply within six months of the graduation date on your certificate. No job offer is needed. If your certificate hasn’t been issued yet, a letter from your university confirming graduation is accepted.
• Non-recent graduates: if you apply later than six months after graduating, you must already have a job offer for a position normally taken up by degree holders, at a market-level salary.
• Greater Bay Area campus graduates follow the same rules.
• The scheme covers non-local students who completed a full-time, locally accredited programme at bachelor’s level or above in Hong Kong. Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea are not eligible, and nationals of Laos, Nepal and Vietnam are eligible only for certain programmes.

Tip: apply as early as possible after graduating. Once six months have passed, you’ll need a job offer before you can apply.

2. The application process

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Step 1: Check you’re within six months of graduation, counted from the date on your certificate.

Step 2: Apply online through the IANG application page on GovHK (www.gov.hk). Fill in your details, upload documents and pay the application fee. Your spouse or partner and unmarried children under 18 can apply as dependants at the same time.

Step 3: Wait for approval. Once all documents and fees are received, processing takes about two weeks for recent graduates and about four weeks for non-recent graduates. June to August is peak season, so apply early.

Step 4: Pay the visa issuance fee and download your e-Visa using the link in your result letter, GovHK or the Immigration Department’s mobile app.

Step 5: Mainland residents: get your endorsement. After approval, apply to the Mainland exit-entry authorities for an Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao with the relevant endorsement. If you’re already in Hong Kong, you can apply for the endorsement through China Travel Service (Hong Kong) once you have your e-Visa.

Step 6: Enter Hong Kong and start your 24 months. Show your permit with the endorsement and your e-Visa (on your phone or printed on A4) and scan the QR code at the counter.

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3. Documents and fees

Applicant uploads: a recent photo; a valid travel document (the Exit-Entry Permit for Mainland residents); your degree certificate or transcript, or a university letter confirming graduation; and your HKID card, if you have one. Documents not in Chinese or English need a certified translation. For additional requirements for Mainland residents, see the Immigration Department’s guidebook (Annex to ID 991).

If you already have a job (required for non-recent graduates and extensions): an employment contract or offer letter, the company’s Business Registration Certificate and proof of its financial standing. Some documents are waived for listed companies or those that have sponsored non-local staff in the past 24 months.

Fees (new structure effective 26 February 2025):

• Application fee: HK$600 per applicant and per dependant, non-refundable.
• Visa issuance fee: HK$1,300 for a stay of more than 180 days (HK$600 for 180 days or less), paid after approval.
• Payment by credit card, PPS, FPS, Alipay, WeChat Pay or UnionPay app.

4. After approval: stay and extensions

• Initial stay is normally 24 months, with no conditions other than the time limit. You’re free to work, change jobs or start a business.
• Extensions: apply within three months before your stay expires, and no later than six weeks before. You must have a job normally taken up by degree holders at a market-level salary, or be running or involved in a business in Hong Kong. Extensions are normally granted for three years at a time.
• Top-tier stream: if you’ve held IANG for at least two years and your assessable salaries tax income was at least HK$2 million in the previous year, you can normally be granted six years.
• You must be in Hong Kong when applying for an extension.

If you may also work in Mainland China later, get your degree verified by CSCSE as well. See our step-by-step guide to CSCSE degree verification.

For many graduates, IANG is the first step towards the seven years of residence needed for permanent residency. See our earlier article on how Hong Kong permanent residency works.

Use the official website only: apply for IANG through the Immigration Department’s application page on GovHK (www.gov.hk), and pay fees only as instructed by the Immigration Department. You can complete it yourself; there is no need to pay an agent. Beware of look-alike unofficial websites.

This guide is based on the Immigration Department’s IANG page and its fee notice for specified schemes, as of October 2026. Diagrams are illustrations; refer to the official websites for the actual pages. For advice on staying and working in Hong Kong after graduation, book a one-on-one consultation with HK Life Hub.