2-year residency requirement for subsidised uni programme applications
發佈日期: 2025-07-31 20:16
TVB News
Children of non-local talent with dependant visas will have to fulfil a minimum two-year stay requirement to be eligible for Hong Kong's subsidised higher education places.
The policy change comes with a transitional period, and will be fully implemented starting from the 2028/29 school year.
Currently, students who have secured dependant visas for the first time or received entry permits when they were under 18 years old are eligible to apply as local students
for the 15,000 higher education programme places funded by the University Grants Committee or UGC.
Now, changes will be on the way.
The Education Bureau said since the implementation of various talent schemes, the visa applications for relevant dependants have increased significantly.
The number of cases has quadrupled from about 200 five years ago to over 1,000 this year.
The bureau said it has taken note of recent concerns that some of these students did not come to reside in Hong Kong but applied for government-subsidised places at UGC-funded institutions as local students -- which can affect the opportunities of locals for university admission and the allocation of public funds.
Taking reference to practices of the United Kingdom and Singapore, such application thresholds will be tightened.
These students are required to prove that they have lived in Hong Kong for at least two years before their programme begins when applying for first-year government-subsidised post-secondary programmes via JUPAS.
To become eligible, they must either be enrolled as a full-time student in a school for two years before the tertiary education programme commences, or show that they have not been away from Hong Kong for more than 90 days. Or else, they will pay tuition rates set for non-local students.
The residency requirement will take full effect starting from the 2028/29 school year with the 2027/28 academic year set as the transitional period.
