The central government on Sunday announced measures to facilitate visits by mainland business representatives and skilled workers to Hong Kong.

According to the National Immigration Administration, mainland residents holding Business Visit Endorsements will be permitted to stay in Hong Kong for up to 14 days, starting from May 6.

Mainlanders who wish to travel to Hong Kong for business purposes are required to obtain an exit endorsement for business visit from the mainland authorities, and at the moment they're allowed to stay here for up to one week.

The authorities also announced that mainland residents can apply for the travel document at any relevant offices across the country, regardless of the applicant's place of household registration or place of residence.

Speaking at a press briefing in Beijing, Wang Ling from the National Immigration Administration said the change can benefit more than 100 million business entities across the country.

"This change aims to better meet the needs of long-term business activity and to support business professionals in seeking opportunities and conducting in-depth business negotiations. According to our preliminary estimates, the new policy is expected to benefit over 100 million businesses and more than 30,000 enterprises and institutions that have registered and applied for multiple Business Visit Endorsements," she added.

Officials also said they will extend the multiple-entry visas for skilled workers to visit Hong Kong and Macau which currently applies only to Greater Bay Area residents.

From May 6, eligible talent from Beijing and Shanghai will too be able to apply for the visa to visit the two SARs, with each stay limited to 30 days.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun thanked the central government for the new measures, saying they would help the SAR to attract talent.

"The two new measures will facilitate Hong Kong's further integration into the national development and achieve concrete results on the solid policy foundation of facilitating the 'southbound and northbound' two-way flow of talents," a government spokesperson added in a statement.

The spokesperson also said the SAR government will continue to promote talent exchange with the mainland authorities, to create a stronger drive for growth in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.

Starry Lee, Hong Kong's sole delegate to the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said the scheme involving skilled workers may be extended to more mainland cities in future.

"It depends on the implementation. We have the potential to have these arrangements further expanded to other cities, especially those cities with closer business connections with Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area," she told RTHK.

"I think the central government will look at the actual situation and decide whether to expand or not."

Lawmaker Shang Hailong, who's also general manager of the artificial intelligence firm SenseTime Hong Kong, said the new measures would enhance the SAR's competitiveness.

"Singapore already provides visa-free to mainland China, right?... Hong Kong needs to be more attractive. So, today the scheme has some benefits for Beijing and Shanghai citizens. That's good for Hong Kong," he said.

Shang added that the new measures would make it more convenient to do business in Hong Kong, as mainland business travellers are allowed to stay longer in the city.
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Last updated: 2024-04-28 HKT 18:30