Hong Kong New CIES 2026: Applying While Resident Under Another Scheme

Yes. The Immigration Department accepts a New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (“New CIES”) entry application from anyone who meets the scheme’s eligibility criteria, whether they are living in Hong Kong or elsewhere — including people already in the city under another visa scheme. That answer comes directly from the Immigration Department’s “New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme” FAQ page, which carries a page date of 2 March 2026.

What the Immigration Department actually says about holding another visa

The FAQ answers this in one line. Under the question “Will my application be accepted if I am currently staying in Hong Kong under other visa schemes?”, the department states that any entry application from a person who satisfies the eligibility criteria will be accepted, irrespective of whether he or she is residing in Hong Kong or elsewhere.

Two things follow from the wording. First, the guarantee given is about acceptance of the application, not about approval. Second, the FAQ does not say that your existing permission to remain continues unchanged once the file is lodged, or that both statuses run side by side indefinitely. What it removes is the assumption that your current visa is a barrier.

This article reads the published rules as general information. It is not advice on any individual case, and decisions should follow the Immigration Department’s current published rules plus whatever your own professional advisers say.

Do you meet the eligibility criteria?

Because acceptance turns entirely on the criteria, this is the real question. Under the Rules for the New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, an applicant must satisfy all of the following:

Be aged 18 or above at the time of applying for Net Asset Assessment to Invest Hong Kong (“InvestHK”).
Fall into one of the covered categories: (i) foreign nationals, (ii) Chinese nationals who have obtained permanent resident status in a foreign country, (iii) Macao Special Administrative Region residents, and (iv) Chinese residents of Taiwan.
Apply for a Net Asset Assessment to InvestHK and show net assets or net equity of not less than HK$30 million net (or equivalent in foreign currencies), absolutely beneficially owned, held throughout the six months preceding the application for assessment.
Make the committed investment in Permissible investment assets on or after the launch date of the scheme, of not less than HK$30 million net.
Demonstrate no adverse immigration record and meet normal immigration and security requirements.
Demonstrate to the Immigration Department that you can support and accommodate yourself and any dependants without relying on returns from the permissible investments, employment, self-employment, office, business or public assistance in Hong Kong.

Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are excluded. The Security Bureau and the Immigration Department review that list from time to time. Stateless persons who have obtained permanent resident status in a foreign country with proven re-entry facilities are eligible.

How does the application actually run?

The process has two verification stages before Hong Kong residence begins.

Apply to InvestHK for verification that you meet the Net Asset Requirement.
Receive the Certifying Proof for Fulfillment of Net Asset Requirement.
Submit your entry application for a visa or entry permit to the Immigration Department online, within the validity period of that proof.
Receive approval-in-principle, if the immigration assessment is favourable.
Enter Hong Kong on visitor status for not more than 180 days to make the committed investment within that period.
Return to InvestHK for verification that you meet the Investment Requirements.
Receive the Certifying Proof for Fulfillment of Investment Requirements.
Submit that proof to the Immigration Department within its validity period, which resumes assessment of your entry application.

On formal approval, permission to stay is normally granted to you and your dependants for not more than 24 months on time limitation only, conditional on continuing to satisfy the scheme’s requirements throughout that period.

Note the shape of step 5. Approval-in-principle puts you in Hong Kong on visitor status while you complete the investment. For someone already resident under another scheme, that is the point at which the practical question — what happens to the status you hold today — becomes one worth raising with your own adviser, since the FAQ does not address it.

What comes with New CIES residence, and what does not

Once admitted for residence, an entrant may take up employment, hold an office, be self-employed, or join or establish a business in Hong Kong. Dependants — a spouse or recognized partner, and unmarried dependent children under 18 — may be included, up to eight dependants in a single online application, and they are allowed to take up employment or study under prevailing policy. Their length of stay normally follows that of their sponsor.

Permanent residence does not follow automatically. Even after continuously satisfying the financial requirements and holding extensions under the New Scheme Rules for not less than seven years, that does not constitute any acknowledgement by the Immigration Department that you have met the ordinary residence requirement and other requirements under the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115) for the right of abode. Anyone claiming permanent residence must apply separately for verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card. If you do not become a permanent resident, you may apply for unconditional stay at the end of the seventh year, after which — once granted — you are free to dispose of the permissible investment assets, subject to the terms of the underlying investments.

Extensions follow their own clock: first stay is normally 24 months, extensions are normally granted for not more than three years, and you approach InvestHK no earlier than three months before your limit of stay expires for a Certifying Proof for Fulfillment of Portfolio Maintenance Requirements. You must be physically present in Hong Kong when applying for an extension of stay, and again at the time of payment and collection of the e-Visa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Hong Kong reject my New CIES application because I already hold a work visa?

No. The Immigration Department states that any entry application from someone meeting the eligibility criteria will be accepted, regardless of whether the person is residing in Hong Kong or elsewhere. Your current visa does not disqualify the application on its own.

Do I have to give up my current visa before applying?

The published FAQ does not impose that condition or address it. What it states is that the application will be accepted from an eligible person wherever they reside. What happens to an existing permission once you are admitted is not covered by that page.

Can I apply if I am outside Hong Kong and have never held a Hong Kong visa?

Yes. Residing outside Hong Kong does not affect acceptance, provided you meet the eligibility criteria. The application route is the same: InvestHK verifies the Net Asset Requirement first, and you then file the entry application with the Immigration Department.

Can my spouse and children be included if I am already in Hong Kong on another visa?

Yes. You can submit one online application covering yourself and up to eight accompanying dependants. Dependants admitted under the scheme are allowed to take up employment or study in Hong Kong under prevailing policy, and their length of stay normally follows yours.

Does holding another Hong Kong visa exempt me from the HK$30 million requirement?

No. There is no exemption tied to current residence or visa status. Every applicant must pass the Net Asset Requirement and then invest not less than HK$30 million net in permissible investment assets, with both figures verified by InvestHK.

How long can I stay once the application is formally approved?

Formal approval normally brings permission to stay for not more than 24 months on time limitation only, subject to continuing to meet the scheme’s requirements. Extensions are normally granted for not more than three years at a time, with InvestHK verification of portfolio maintenance required beforehand.

Does seven years under the New CIES make me a permanent resident?

No, not automatically. The Immigration Department states that even seven years of meeting the financial requirements does not imply you have met the ordinary residence requirement under the Immigration Ordinance. A separate application for verification of eligibility for a permanent identity card is required.