Application to InvestHK

Assessment on Investment Requirements

An Applicant must make investment of a minimum of HK$30 million Net (or equivalent in foreign currencies) in the Permissible investment assets. Assets acquired before the launch date of the Scheme shall not be counted towards the fulfillment of minimum investment threshold. The Applicant/Entrant must invest a minimum of HK$27 million in any of the following Permissible financial assets and/or real estate referred below. Separately, each Applicant under the Scheme is required to place HK$3 million into a new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme Investment Portfolio, which will be set up and managed by the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited.

Upon the Applicant’s completion of making the committed investment within the specified investment timeframe, an Applicant is required to approach New CIES Office for verifying whether he has fulfilled the Investment Requirements. The Applicant is required to engage a Certified Public Accountant (Practising) as defined in the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council Ordinance (Cap. 588 of the Laws of Hong Kong) at his own cost to assist in demonstrating his fulfillment of the Investment Requirements and submit an application to New CIES Office with provision of the Fulfillment document and all relevant supporting documents stated therein for verification of his fulfillment of the Investment Requirements.

An Applicant must fill in the Online Application Form for Assessment on Investment Requirements. To demonstrate his fulfillment of the Investment Requirements, the Applicant and his engaged Certified Public Accountant (Practising) can make reference to the Reference Guide for the Completion of Permissible Investment Assets Statement and fill in a Permissible Investment Assets Statement.

Upon New CIES Office’s verification that the Applicant has fulfilled the Investment Requirements, New CIES Office will issue a relevant certifying proof to the Applicant and notify Director of Immigration of the result.

Permissible Investment Assets

The Applicant/Entrant must invest a minimum of HK$27 million in any of the following Permissible financial assets and/or real estate referred below.

Permissible Financial Assets
1. Equities
  
  shares of companies that are listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (“SEHK”) and traded in Hong Kong Dollars (“HKD”) or Renminbi (“RMB”);
2. Debt securities
  1. debt securities listed on the SEHK and traded in HKD or RMB (including debt instruments issued in Hong Kong by the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China and local people’s governments at any level in the Mainland);
  2. debt securities denominated in HKD or RMB, including fixed or floating rate instruments and convertible bonds¹ issued or fully guaranteed by:
    1. the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (“the Government”), the Exchange Fund, the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation, the MTR Corporation Limited, Hong Kong Airport Authority, and other corporations, agencies or bodies wholly or partly owned by the Government as may be specified from time to time by the Government; or
    2. listed companies referred to under paragraph (a) above;
3. Certificates of deposits
  
  certificates of deposits denominated in HKD or RMB issued by authorised institutions as defined in the Banking Ordinance (Cap. 155 of the Laws of Hong Kong) with a remaining term to maturity of not less than 12 months at the time of acquisition by the Applicant/Entrant, subject to a cap of 10% (i.e. HK$3 million) of the minimum investment threshold. This acquisition must take place after Approval-in-Principle has been granted by Director of Immigration and thereafter the Applicant/Entrant be absolutely beneficially entitled to the invested certificates of deposits throughout its term. These certificates of deposits on reaching maturity must be replaced by certificates of deposits with a remaining term to maturity of not less than 12 months at the time of acquisition by the Applicant/Entrant or by other Permissible investment assets;
4. Subordinated debt
  
  subordinated debt denominated in HKD or RMB issued by authorised institutions in compliance with Schedules 4B and 4C of the Banking (Capital) Rules (Cap. 155L of the Laws of Hong Kong);
5. Eligible collective investment schemes
  1. Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”)-authorised funds² managed by corporations licensed by or institutions registered with the SFC for Type 9 regulated activity;
  2. SFC-authorised real estate investment trusts managed by corporations licensed by or institutions registered with the SFC for Type 9 regulated activity;
  3. SFC-authorised Investment-Linked Assurance Schemes³ issued by insurers permitted to carry on Class C business as specified in Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Insurance Ordinance (Cap. 41 of the Laws of Hong Kong);
  4. open-ended fund companies (“OFCs”) registered under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong) and managed by corporations licensed by or institutions registered with the SFC for Type 9 regulated activity (see also paragraph (f) below); and
6. Ownership interest in limited partnership funds (“LPFs”) registered under the Limited Partnership Fund Ordinance (Cap. 637 of the Laws of Hong Kong)
  
  The total investment amount of ownership interest in private LPFs in this paragraph and private OFCs in paragraph (e)(iv) above⁴ is subject to an aggregate cap of HK$10 million.
Please click here for the list of eligible collective investment schemes under paragraph (e) above as maintained by SFC on its website.

The Permissible financial assets may be managed on a self-directed basis by the Applicant/Entrant or at the discretion of the financial intermediary(ies). The Applicant/Entrant can only engage at most three financial intermediaries and these three intermediaries should be of different categories referred to in (1) to (3) below. The use of more than one financial intermediary from each of the below three categories at the same time is not permitted.
1. an authorised institution as defined in the Banking Ordinance (Cap. 155 of the Laws of Hong Kong); or
2. a corporation licensed to perform Type 1 or 9 regulated activities under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong); or
3. an insurer permitted to carry on Class C business as specified in Part 2 of Schedule 1 under the Insurance Ordinance (Cap. 41 of the Laws of Hong Kong).

Real estate⁵

The total investment amount in real estate which is counted towards the fulfillment of minimum investment threshold is subject to an aggregate cap of HK$10 million. Real estate for this purpose excludes illegal or unlawful use or occupation of land, and boats, houseboats, trailers, caravans, illegal structures and cocklofts whether or not rated, connected to mains water or power supplies, or on permanent or fixed moorings or foundations, as the case may be.
1. Non-residential real estate
  
  Non-residential real estate, whether commercial and/or industrial (including pre-completion properties covering offices, commercial premises, retail premises and factories and excluding land and multi-purpose real estate partly for residential purposes) in Hong Kong.
2. Residential real estate⁶
  
  For residential real estate (including pre-completion property and multi-purpose real estate partly for residential purposes) in Hong Kong, the investment must be made in one single property with transaction price of HK$50 million or above.
CIES Investment Portfolio (“CIES IP”)

Each Applicant under the Scheme is required to place HK$3 million into a new CIES IP, which will be set up and managed by the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited (“HKIC”). The CIES IP will make investment in companies/projects with a Hong Kong nexus, with a view to supporting the development of innovation and technology industries and other strategic industries that are beneficial to the long term development of Hong Kong’s economy. The HK$3 million placed into the CIES IP will be subject to lock-up. Capital preservation and dividends are not guaranteed, and distribution may be made on a discretionary basis at appropriate junctures subject to factors such as the pace and mix of the construction and realisation of the CIES IP, as well as the policy objectives and implementation arrangements.

¹ If an Applicant/Entrant exercises the option to convert the bonds to shares, the investment would be regarded as equities and treated as such afterwards.

² Referring to unit trusts and mutual funds authorised by the SFC under the Code on Unit Trusts and Mutual Funds.

³ Referring to investment-linked assurance schemes authorised by the SFC under the Additional Guidance on Internal Product Approval Process.

⁴ Private OFCs and private LPFs refer to those OFCs and LPFs which are not authorised by the SFC for offering to the public and the offer of which falls within an exemption under Section 103 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance, e.g. offers made only to professional investors

⁵ The real estate should be held in the own name of the Applicant/Entrant or through a sole proprietorship under his name, or through a company of which the Applicant/Entrant being the sole shareholder. Non-residential real estate and residential real estate mean “non-residential property” and “residential property” as defined in section 29A of the Stamp Duty Ordinance (Cap. 117 of the Laws of Hong Kong) respectively.

⁶ The date of completion of the purchase of the residential property should be on or after 16 October 2024. “Date of completion” means the date of payment on completion, or if payment is made by more than one instalment the date of payment of the last instalment. The Applicant/Entrant will be regarded as having made the investment in the real estate on the date of completion.