The Immigration Department has declared a visa granted to the mainland scientist He Jiankui under the SAR's Top Talent Pass Scheme invalid – and says that his application could be subject to criminal proceedings.

He, a biophysicist who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2019 over illegal medical practices that involved gene editing of human embryos, had earlier had his application to come to Hong Kong under the scheme approved.

A government spokesman said late on Tuesday that after reviewing He's application, the Immigration Department suspected that the visa had been obtained through false statements.

That followed an earlier announcement, in the wake of He revealing that he planned to explore opportunities with universities and scientific research firms in Hong Kong, that applicants for the Top Talent Pass Scheme would – starting from Wednesday – be required to declare details of any criminal records.