Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang on Saturday said the administration had received nearly 120,000 applications through the Top Talent Pass Scheme by the end of last year.

Speaking at a luncheon event, the minister noted that more than 90,000 applications have been approved and about 76,000 people have arrived in Hong Kong.

Nine universities on the mainland and four overseas were added to the list of institutions covered by the talent scheme in November last year.

With an annual update at the beginning of this year, 199 universities are now on the list.