Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China vs Republic of India
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and Republic of India government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Immigration Department
Immigration Department (Hong Kong SAR) - verified
- Indian Visa Online
Bureau of Immigration / Ministry of Home Affairs (India) - verified
- Immigration Department - General Employment Policy
Immigration Department (Hong Kong SAR) - verified
- Ministry of Home Affairs - Details of visas granted by India
Ministry of Home Affairs (India) - verified
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Hong Kong's Immigration Department runs a suite of talent and employment admission schemes rather than a single points-based system. The headline routes are the General Employment Policy (GEP) for sponsored professionals, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS) and Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) for talent without a prior job offer, and the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG). Most schemes are residence tracks: seven years of continuous ordinary residence can lead to the right of abode.
- Official portal
- Immigration Department (Hong Kong SAR)
- Languages
- Chinese, English
- Currency
- Hong Kong dollar
Republic of India
India regulates the entry and stay of foreign nationals through the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with visas issued via the Indian Visa Online portal and Indian missions abroad. Headline routes for foreigners include the Employment Visa for skilled professionals, the Business Visa, the electronic e-Visa (e-Tourist, e-Business, e-Medical and e-Conference subtypes), and the lifelong Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status for people of Indian origin.
- Official portal
- Bureau of Immigration / Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
- Languages
- Hindi, English
- Currency
- Indian rupee
How Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and Republic of India differ
| Dimension | Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China | Republic of India |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 8 | 7 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 5 | 3 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 8 | 1 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | GEP residence -> extensions -> right of abode/permanent resident status after 7 years of continuous ordinary residence. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | General Employment Policy (GEP) | India Employment Visa |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | No fixed published floor | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | Hong Kong Immigration says General Employment Policy applications are normally finalised in four weeks once all documents and fees are received. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | A Hong Kong GEP application with an initial stay over 180 days costs HKD 1,900 in listed Immigration Department fees. | — |
| Official languages | Chinese, English | Hindi, English |
| Currency | Hong Kong dollar | Indian rupee |
| Primary regulator | Law Society | BCI |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
General Employment Policy (GEP)
- Salary minimum
- No fixed published floor
- Government fees
- A Hong Kong GEP application with an initial stay over 180 days costs HKD 1,900 in listed Immigration Department fees.
- Processing time
- Hong Kong Immigration says General Employment Policy applications are normally finalised in four weeks once all documents and fees are received.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Republic of India
India Employment Visa
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Routes unique to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Visa routes side by side
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (8)
General Employment Policy (GEP)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay normally up to 36 months on employment conditions; extensions typically follow a 3+3+2-year pattern.
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay normally up to 36 months under the General Points Test (or a longer initial period for Achievement-based applicants); renewable.
Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay of 36 months (Category A) or 24 months (Categories B and C); renewable on meeting the criteria.
Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay of 24 months on time limitation only; renewable subject to meeting the criteria.
Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Employment-based stay aligned with the company quota and the applicant contract; renewable subject to continued eligibility.
Entry for Investment as Entrepreneurs
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay normally up to 36 months on employment (business) conditions; extensions follow the standard pattern.
Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial stay granted under the scheme, renewable while the investment and asset requirements continue to be met.
Entry for Residence as Dependants
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Stay normally aligned with the sponsor permitted period of stay; renewable alongside the sponsor.
Republic of India (7)
India Employment Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Typically up to two years or the assignment term for most employment, up to three years for IT/ITES assignments, and extendable year-to-year up to five years.
India Business Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Typically issued for up to five years with multiple entries, subject to stay limits per visit; varies by nationality.
India e-Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Varies by sub-category, from 30 days up to multi-year tourist validity; confirm per sub-type.
India Project Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Initially up to one year or the project/contract duration, whichever is shorter; one further year may be extended by the State/UT, with further extension only by MHA.
India Intern Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · For the period of the internship; the foreign national must exit before visa expiry.
India Student Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to five years or the academic-course duration, whichever is shorter; generally up to four entries per academic year.
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Card
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Lifelong, subject to re-issue conditions for cards issued before age 20 and after age 50.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China or Republic of India?+
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China’s General Employment Policy (GEP) requires a salary of at least No fixed published floor; Republic of India’s India Employment Visa is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China or Republic of India have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China has more: 5 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 3 for Republic of India. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China vs Republic of India immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/hong-kong/vs/india. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons