China News Service, Hong Kong, March 13 (Reporter Liu Dawei) The Secretary for Labor and Welfare of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Sun Yuhan, said on the 13th that as of the end of February this year, the SAR government had received more than 72,000 applications for the "High-end Talent Pass Scheme" ("High-end Talent Pass Scheme") "Passport Scheme") applications, of which nearly 59,000 were approved, and about 44,000 people have come to Hong Kong.

　　The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region held a general meeting on the same day. Sun Yuhan made the above statement in a written reply to questions from members.

He pointed out that the "High Talent Access Scheme" aims to attract high-quality talents with high income, high education and rich work experience to develop in Hong Kong.

Qualified foreign talents do not need to be employed by a Hong Kong employer before they can apply for a two-year visa to come to Hong Kong to explore opportunities through the "High Talent Access Scheme". However, when applying for an extension of stay before the expiry of their approved visa, they must have Be employed or have started or participated in business in Hong Kong.

　　According to reports, the SAR government has recently conducted a first-round follow-up survey on people who have arrived in Hong Kong for more than six months through the "Highly Talented Program" visa to understand their situation or plans for settling in Hong Kong, including their employment, residence and children's education in Hong Kong. situation.

　　Sun Yuhan said that based on the employment and income data of talents and their spouses under the "High Talent Program", the SAR government estimates that the program can bring a direct economic contribution of approximately HK$34 billion to Hong Kong every year, which is approximately 1.2% of the GDP.

In addition to their economic contribution, talents and their spouses under the "High Talent Program" are generally relatively young, with more than half of them under the age of 40. In addition, they will also bring their young children to settle in Hong Kong, adding new forces to the local labor force and bringing changes to Hong Kong's demographic structure. to have a positive impact.

　　Sun Yuhan also mentioned that the "Gao Caitong Plan" has received enthusiastic response since its launch at the end of 2022.

Together with the approved applications for other talent entry schemes, about 108,000 talents have arrived in Hong Kong since last year.

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