Hong Kong is a leading international financial centre having a highly developed economy characterized by low taxation and free trade. Attracted by the advantages of Hong Kong’s economy, many investors are willing to enter and invest in Hong Kong with no intentions of running a business in the country. In order to satisfy the needs of these investors, the government of Hong Kong introduced the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (the Scheme)
The objective of the Scheme is to facilitate the entry for residence by persons who make capital investments in Hong Kong but who would not be engaged in running any business there. Only citizens/residents of certain countries fulfilling three personal investment requirements can apply for the Scheme.
Citizens entitled to apply for the Scheme
The Scheme applies to (1) foreign nationals (except nationals of Afghanistan, Albania, Cuba and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), (2) Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) residents, (3) Chinese nationals who have obtained permanent resident status in a foreign country, (4) stateless persons who have obtained a permanent resident status in a foreign country with proven re-entry facilities, and (5) Taiwan residents.
Personal investment requirements
To qualify under the scheme, the applicant must (1) have had at least HK$ 10 million in net personal assets for the past two years preceding his application, (2) invest HK$ 10 million within six months after the granting of approval in principle by the Immigration Department in permissible investment asset classes (equities, debt, certificates of deposits, subordinated debt and eligible collective investment schemes), and (3) have no criminal record both in Hong Kong and country/region of residence.
Offering access to one of the most attractive business hubs, the Scheme quickly became very popular. In the time frame between 2003 and 2010, around 8,200 investors with 15,500 dependants have been admitted to Hong Kong, bringing in around USD 58 billion of investment.