Hong Kong New CIES 2026: Employment and Business Rights for Investors

Yes. Under the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES), an entrant may take up employment, be an office-holder, work as a self-employed person, or join in or establish a business in Hong Kong. That is the answer given by the Hong Kong Immigration Department on its New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme frequently asked questions page. The right is not limited to a single route: an investor does not have to choose between being an employee and running a company.

Can New CIES entrants take a job in Hong Kong?

The Immigration Department states the permission in one short line for entrants who have entered Hong Kong for residence: employment, office-holding, self-employment and business participation are all allowed. The FAQ sets out the permission without mentioning a sector test, an employer test, or a requirement to apply for a separate work visa on top of the scheme.

That matters because many residence-by-investment programmes separate “reside here” from “earn money here”. Hong Kong’s scheme does not make that split for the entrant, and the same page confirms it again for family members.

What “employment, office, self-employment or business” covers

Four activities are named, and they are worth separating because they trigger different paperwork outside immigration law:

Employment — working for an employer under a contract of employment.
Office-holder — holding a company office, such as a directorship, rather than being an employee.
Self-employment — working on your own account, without an employer.
Joining or establishing a business — becoming a partner in, or setting up, a business in Hong Kong.

The FAQ lists these permissions without naming excluded sectors or industries. Anything that falls outside immigration control — licensing, registration, tax, sector regulation — is not covered by that permission, and the page does not describe those requirements.

When do the work and business rights actually start?

The scheme has two distinct stages, and only the second one is described as residence.

First, an applicant who receives approval-in-principle is granted a visa or entry permit to enter Hong Kong on visitor status for not more than 180 days to make the committed investment. After InvestHK verifies that the investment requirements are met and the Immigration Department gives formal approval, permission to stay is normally granted to the entrant and any dependants for not more than 24 months, on time limitation only, and subject to the entrant continuing to meet the scheme’s requirements throughout.

The work permission is stated for an entrant who has entered Hong Kong for residence. The FAQ does not address whether paid work is permitted during the earlier visitor-status period arranged for making the investment, so treat that window as a point to confirm against the department’s current published guidance.

Can your dependants work or study too?

Yes. Under prevailing policy, dependants permitted to reside in Hong Kong under the New CIES may take up employment or study, and the same page states they are not prohibited from doing so. Dependants here means a spouse, or the other party to a same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, same-sex marriage, opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union entered into in accordance with the local law of the place of celebration and legally and officially recognised there, plus unmarried dependent children under 18.

Their permission is tied to the sponsor. A dependant’s length of stay normally follows the entrant’s, and later extensions are only considered while the dependant still meets the dependant eligibility criteria and the sponsor remains a bona fide Hong Kong resident living in Hong Kong.

Does a salary or business income change your investment obligations?

No. Employment income is permitted, but it is not something the scheme counts in your favour.

One of the eligibility criteria is that the applicant can support and accommodate himself or herself, and any dependants, without relying on any return on the permissible investment assets, employment, self-employment, office, business or public assistance in Hong Kong. In other words, you may earn an income in Hong Kong, but the financial self-support test is still assessed as if you did not.

The investment itself also has to be maintained. Before an extension of stay, InvestHK verifies continuous compliance with the portfolio maintenance requirements; the entrant approaches InvestHK not earlier than three months before the limit of stay expires, and the Immigration Department normally grants extensions of not more than three years if the entrant and dependants still meet the eligibility criteria. Details of what counts as permissible investment assets and how the portfolio must be maintained sit in the Rules for the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, with InvestHK as the verifying department.

Does working in Hong Kong lead to permanent residence?

No, not on its own. The Immigration Department is explicit that continuously satisfying the financial requirements and being granted extensions for not less than seven years does not imply that the ordinary residence requirement, or any other requirement under the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115), has been met. Anyone claiming Hong Kong permanent resident status has to apply separately for verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card.

A separate route exists for the investment itself. At the end of the seventh year of approved stay under the scheme, an entrant may apply for unconditional stay once InvestHK has verified seven years of continuous compliance with the portfolio maintenance requirements. After unconditional stay is granted, the entrant is free to dispose of the permissible investment assets, subject to the terms of the underlying investments.

What to check before you sign a contract or set up a company

Your stay is time-limited. The initial permission runs not more than 24 months and is conditioned on continuing to meet the scheme’s requirements, so employment or business plans should not assume a fixed multi-year presence.
The portfolio still has to comply. Taking a job or opening an office does not pause the maintenance requirements that InvestHK verifies before each extension.
Business travel is straightforward within your limit of stay. Non-permanent residents admitted under the scheme, and their dependants, do not need a re-entry visa to return to Hong Kong, provided they return within the currency of their permitted limit of stay and the circumstances of their residential status are unchanged.
Rules and thresholds can move. This article is general information about published scheme rules rather than advice on any individual case, and it does not replace the official pages or professional advice on your own circumstances.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a New CIES entrant work full-time for a Hong Kong employer?

Yes. The Immigration Department states that an entrant is allowed to take up employment, be an office-holder, be self-employed, or join in or establish a business in Hong Kong. The permission is stated for entrants who have entered Hong Kong for residence under the scheme.

Can I start my own company instead of taking a job?

Yes. “Join in or establish a business” is listed alongside employment, and self-employment is listed separately, so founding or joining a Hong Kong business falls within the stated permission. The page does not describe company registration, licensing or tax steps, which sit outside immigration rules.

Are dependants allowed to work in Hong Kong?

Yes. Dependants permitted to reside in Hong Kong under the New CIES are allowed to take up employment or study under prevailing policy, and are stated not to be prohibited from doing so. Their permission continues only while they still meet dependant eligibility criteria and the sponsor remains a bona fide Hong Kong resident.

Does having a job reduce the HK$30 million investment requirement?

No. The investment requirement is not less than HK$30 million net in permissible investment assets, made on or after the scheme’s launch date. Employment income is also excluded from the separate test on whether you can support yourself and your dependants without relying on work, business income or public assistance.

Do I keep these rights after I extend my stay?

Extensions under the scheme are normally granted for not more than three years while the entrant and dependants continue to meet the eligibility criteria, and the work permission is tied to residence under the scheme rather than to a single permission period. If your status under the scheme ends, the basis for the permission ends with it.

Does seven years of working and investing give me the right of abode?

No. The Immigration Department states that meeting the financial requirements and receiving extensions for seven years does not of itself satisfy the ordinary residence requirement under the Immigration Ordinance. A separate application for verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card is required.