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Employment

Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)

Non-local graduates who have obtained an undergraduate or higher qualification in a full-time locally-accredited programme in Hong Kong may apply to stay/return in Hong Kong for 12 months without other conditions of stay. They do not even need a job offer to be eligible for the arrangement if they apply within 6 months after graduation.

Persons admitted under the IANG may apply for extension of stay in the HKSAR within 4 weeks before their limit of stay expires. Upon applying for extension, non-local graduates are required to have secured an offer of employment which is at a level commonly taken up by degree holders and the remuneration package is at market level. For those who have established or joined in business in the HKSAR, they are required to produce proof of their business. Successful applicants will normally be permitted to remain on time limitation only without other conditions of stay on the 2-2-3 years pattern.

The IANG has been well-received right from the beginning, with the number of applications increasing year on year. Up to end 2019, over 91,000 non-local graduates have been approved to stay in or return to Hong Kong after graduation,

For more information, please visit the Immigration Department’s website.

You may also obtain more information on the IANG in the pamphlet published by the Immigration Department on the various admission schemes for talents, professionals and entrepreneurs.

Employment during study

Being a non-local student, you are not allowed to take up any paid or unpaid employment in Hong Kong during your study period. However, there are a number of exceptions as follows to allow non-local students to get hands-on experience in their respective field of study in Hong Kong -

Internship
  • Non-local students of full-time locally-accredited local or non-local programmes at undergraduate level or above whose study period is not less than one academic year may take up study/curriculum-related internships as arranged or endorsed by institutions they are studying in, subject to a maximum duration of one academic year, or one-third of the normal duration of the relevant full-time academic programme, whichever is the shorter;
  • Non-local students of full-time locally-accredited sub-degree local programmes with a study period of not less than two academic years may apply take up internships which are mandatory, study/curriculum-related and arranged or endorsed by institutions they are studying in, subject to a maximum duration of six months;

Part-time on-campus and summer jobs
  • Non-local students (excluding exchange students) of full-time locally-accredited local programmes at undergraduate level or above whose study period is not less than one academic year may, during the currency of their limit of stay, take up –
    • part-time on-campus employment for not more than 20 hours per week throughout the year; and
    • employment during the summer months from 1 June to 31 August (both dates inclusive) without any limit in relation to working hours and location.