Hong Kong Approves 13,640 GEP Visas in H1 as Half Pay Under HK$20,000
Updated
Updated · South China Morning Post · Aug 29
Hong Kong Approves 13,640 GEP Visas in H1 as Half Pay Under HK$20,000
1 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · Aug 29
Summary
13,640 General Employment Policy visas were approved in Hong Kong in the first half of 2026, with 68.6% tied to contracts lasting less than a year and 49.8% paying below HK$20,000 a month.
The latest data extends a pattern seen last year, when 31,278 foreign-worker visas were granted and 79.7% of recipients took short-term jobs while 47.5% earned under HK$20,000 monthly.
That short-term share had already climbed from 64% in 2023 to 72.1% in 2024, indicating the scheme is increasingly bringing in foreigners for temporary, lower-paid roles.
Even after two straight years above 30,000 approvals, annual GEP visas remain below the more than 40,000 recorded in both 2018 and 2019; mainland Chinese residents are excluded from the scheme.