Moving to Hong Kong from Australia: visa first, harbour views later

You can land in Hong Kong on a whim. You can't live there on one. Pick the visa, then everything else falls into place.

The short version

• Australians can visit visa-free for up to 90 days, but that does not let you take a job [1].
• Aged 18 to 30? The Working Holiday Scheme gives you up to 12 months, with 5,000 places a year for Australians [2].
• Most professionals arrive on the General Employment Policy, which needs a job offer and normally grants up to 36 months to start [3].
• The Top Talent Pass Scheme suits high earners and graduates of listed universities, no job offer needed [4].
• Smartraveller rates Hong Kong "exercise a high degree of caution", mainly because of the national security laws. Read it before you go [5].

Pick your visa

Hong Kong runs its own immigration system, separate from mainland China. For Australians the realistic options look like this.

The Working Holiday Scheme

This is the easy door for younger Australians. You need a valid Australian passport, to be ordinarily resident in Australia, and at least HK$20,000 to support yourself [2]. Applications are first come, first served against an annual quota of 5,000.

The catches are real. Extensions are not normally considered, any one job can last no more than three months, and courses are capped at three months each [2]. Partners and kids cannot join you on it. Think of it as a year to test the city, not a career plan.

The General Employment Policy

The GEP is how most Australians end up in Central or Quarry Bay offices. Your employer has to show the role can't readily be filled locally, and your pay should be roughly in line with the market [3]. A degree in a relevant field is the norm, though strong technical skills or proven experience can count.

New applications usually take about four weeks once Immigration has everything [3]. Your spouse or registered partner and unmarried children under 18 can come as dependants, and they may work or study [3].

The Top Talent Pass Scheme

TTPS lets you arrive without a job lined up. Category A is for people who earned HK$2.5 million or more in the year before applying. Category B covers graduates of eligible universities with three years' recent work experience. Category C is for recent graduates with less experience, under an annual quota [4]. Check the university list carefully. It is compiled from world rankings and excludes extension and branch campuses [4].

Before you fly: the order that works

1. Read the Smartraveller page. It explains the national security laws, why social media posts matter, and the limits on consular help for dual nationals of Chinese descent [5].
2. Lock in the visa. For GEP, your employer usually sponsors and lodges. For Working Holiday, apply online and upload your documents [2].
3. Budget for the fees. An employment visa under a specified scheme costs HK$1,300 for stays over 180 days, on top of an application fee [6].
4. Check your passport. Smartraveller suggests at least six months' validity [5].
5. Sort Australia. Tax residency, super, Medicare and mail all need a decision before you leave. Our leaving Australia checklist covers it.
6. Book a soft landing. Two to four weeks in a serviced apartment gives you time to view flats on the ground rather than off a phone screen.

Your first fortnight

Get your Hong Kong identity card

If you are staying on a long-term visa, you will need to register for a Hong Kong identity card (HKID) soon after arrival. Book an appointment through the Immigration Department. First registration is free [6]. The card is your key to bank accounts, phone contracts, leases and the e-Channel at the airport.

Open a bank account

Banks will want your passport, visa, HKID (or proof of application) and an address. Your employer's payroll bank is often the quickest route. Keep your Australian account open for now. Our guide to keeping Australian accounts while abroad explains why.

Set up MPF

Hong Kong's compulsory super is the Mandatory Provident Fund. Employers and employees each contribute 5% of relevant income, capped at HK$1,500 a month each once you earn over HK$30,000 [7]. Some expats are exempt. Ask HR whether you qualify before you assume either way.

Get a phone and an Octopus

Prepaid SIMs are sold at the airport and in convenience stores. Pick up an Octopus card too, the stored-value card for the MTR, buses, ferries and plenty of shops. Mobile versions on your phone work well.

Where Australians tend to live

Hong Kong is small on the map and huge in practice. Each pocket has its own rhythm.

• Mid-Levels, Sai Ying Pun and Kennedy Town: walkable to Central, steep streets, lots of bars and cafes. The classic first address.
• Happy Valley: leafy, close to the racecourse and sports grounds, popular with families.
• Quarry Bay and Tai Koo: newer towers, good malls and an easy commute to Island East offices.
• Sai Kung: seaside, boats and hiking, but you trade it for a longer commute.
• Discovery Bay and Lamma Island: car-free or low-traffic, ferry commute, more space for the money.
• Kowloon Tong and Kowloon side: good value, close to several international schools.

Commute and school runs matter more than postcode. Our renting guide goes deeper on deposits and leases.

Work, tax and the climate

Hong Kong's salaries tax is low by Australian standards, but your Australian tax position still needs attention. Read are you still an Australian tax resident once you move? and get advice if your situation is complex.

The weather deserves respect. Summers from May to October are very humid. Typhoons close businesses and transport, and the Australian Consulate-General itself closes when the Typhoon 8 or Black Rain signal goes up [5]. Follow the Hong Kong Observatory and keep a few days of food at home in the wet season.

Healthcare is good, but there is no reciprocal agreement with Australia, so you pay your own way [5]. Make sure your employer package includes medical cover, or buy it.

Keep your Aussie safety net

Save the Australian Consulate-General's details on day one: 23/F Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, phone +852 2827 8881 [8]. It handles passports and notarial services and can help in an emergency, within the limits Smartraveller describes [5].

Then find your people. Join Cooee Hong Kong, our Facebook group for Australians in Hong Kong, and ask the newcomer questions there. Someone has always done it before you.

Sources

1. Visit visa / entry permit requirements for the HKSAR – Immigration Department
2. Working Holiday Scheme – Immigration Department
3. General Employment Policy – Immigration Department
4. Top Talent Pass Scheme – Immigration Department
5. Hong Kong travel advice – Smartraveller
6. Fee tables – Immigration Department
7. Mandatory contributions – MPF Schemes Authority
8. Australian Consulate-General Hong Kong

Keep reading

• Renting in Hong Kong as an Australian
• Cost of living in Hong Kong vs Sydney and Melbourne
• Aussie life in Hong Kong
• Leaving Australia: the checklist before you go