Worldway's experts in Hong Kong investment residency have found through years of client consultations that many applicants encounter a question when they first learn about the Hong Kong investment residency program: why is it necessary to have third country status before applying for Hong Kong investment immigration, while other investment immigration programs do not require it?
Here, Worldway experts would like to clarify the application conditions and scope of the Hong Kong Capital Investment Entrant Scheme. The Hong Kong investment immigration program is applicable to the following individuals:
(a) Foreign nationals (excluding nationals from Afghanistan, Albania, Cuba, and North Korea);
(b) Residents of the Macao Special Administrative Region;
(c) Chinese nationals who have obtained foreign permanent resident status;
(d) Stateless individuals who have obtained permanent resident status in a foreign country and hold valid documents that allow them to re-enter that country;
(e) Residents of Taiwan.
According to the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, residents of Mainland China must first possess third country status, that is, permanent residency in another country, before they can apply for investment immigration to Hong Kong.
As a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong is part of China under the "one country, two systems" principle. Therefore, when residents of Mainland China migrate to Hong Kong for settlement, it is technically still within one country and cannot be considered immigration. To avoid this political interpretation, the Hong Kong government requires that individuals from the Mainland must have permanent resident status in another country to qualify as applicants.
Worldway experts interpret: Since the third country status required for investment immigration to Hong Kong must be permanent residency, for applicants who previously did not have third country permanent residency, this third country status serves merely as a "stepping stone" for processing Hong Kong investment immigration. Therefore, when choosing a third country status, the processing time must be quick to minimize the time for immigration to Hong Kong. Among the fastest processing countries are Vanuatu and Guinea-Bissau, where the requirements for obtaining third country status are much lower than those for Hong Kong immigration. After assessment, any family or individual that meets the conditions for Hong Kong immigration will easily satisfy the third country immigration requirements, so there is no need for any concerns here.
Obtaining permanent residency in a third country is the first step towards investment residency in Hong Kong. Based on years of successful experience, Worldway carefully recommends "third country status" to clients, helping them achieve their goal of settling in Hong Kong quickly and smoothly.
