IANG Visa Hong Kong 2026: Requirements, Timeline & Renewal

The IANG (Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates) visa lets international students who graduate from a full-time, locally accredited degree programme in Hong Kong stay and work after graduation. If you apply within six months of the graduation date on your certificate, you don't need a job offer and you normally get 24 months to stay, work for anyone or start a business. Processing takes about two weeks. If you apply later than six months, you need a degree-level job offer at a market salary, and processing takes about four weeks. Fees are HK$600 plus HK$1,300. To renew, you need a degree-level job or a business, and extensions follow a 3 then 3 year pattern toward permanent residency.

This guide covers who qualifies, the difference between recent and non-recent graduates, what the visa lets you do, renewals, GBA campus graduates, special nationality rules, and how IANG compares with the TTPS. For every other visa route, see our complete guide to Hong Kong work visas.

What Is the IANG Visa?

IANG is Hong Kong's post-study work visa. It's designed to keep international graduates of Hong Kong universities in the city after they finish studying. It's quota-free, open to all industries, and one of the easiest Hong Kong visas to get: in 2025, ImmD received 28,710 IANG applications and approved 27,630, about 96%, according to its 2025 annual review.

The best part is the condition of stay. IANG holders are granted stay on "time limitation only without other conditions". That means your employer doesn't need to sponsor you, and you can change jobs without asking the Immigration Department (ImmD).

If you're graduating and want an English-speaking job in Hong Kong, check out ExpatJobBoard.com. We list thousands of jobs that don't require Cantonese or Mandarin.

Who Is Eligible for the IANG Visa?

You can apply if both of these are true:

1. You were a non-local student. That means you came to Hong Kong on a student visa or entry permit issued by the Director of Immigration.
2. You earned an undergraduate or higher qualification in a full-time, locally accredited programme in Hong Kong, from an authorised post-secondary institution (listed in the annex to ImmD's guidebook ID 991).

A qualifying programme is either:

• A bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree with a study period of at least one academic year, or
• A qualification at Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (QF) Level 5 or above with at least 120 QF credits and at least one academic year of study

Who Doesn't Qualify

• Part-time, online or non-locally accredited programmes. The programme must be full-time and locally accredited.
• Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea.
• Short exchange or study-abroad students, who don't complete a qualifying award.

Special Rules for Laos, Nepal and Vietnam

Nationals of Laos, Nepal and Vietnam can only use IANG if they graduated from a full-time locally accredited programme at a University Grants Committee (UGC) funded university, or from a GBA campus. Self-financing programmes, continuing and professional education programmes, and exchange or short-term studies don't count, even at UGC-funded universities. If you're from one of these countries, check whether your programme is UGC-funded before you enrol.

IANG for GBA Campus Graduates

You can also apply if you graduated from a full-time programme at a Mainland campus in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area that was jointly established by a Mainland and a Hong Kong university under Chinese-foreign cooperative education rules. The same recent and non-recent graduate rules apply.

Recent vs Non-recent Graduates: The Six-Month Rule

The most important date is the one printed on your graduation certificate. Count six months from that date.

Source: ImmD IANG page.

Recent graduates are the reason IANG is so valuable. You don't need a job offer, and approval is close to automatic if you meet normal immigration requirements. If you haven't received your certificate yet, you can apply with a letter from your university confirming you've graduated. If your results aren't out yet, you can extend your student visa to wait for them.

Non-recent graduates (sometimes called "returning graduates") can still use IANG at any time after graduating. There's no deadline. The difference is that you need a confirmed job offer. ImmD will favourably consider the application as long as the job is at a level normally done by degree holders and the pay is at market level.

Don't Miss the Six-Month Window

If you're finishing your studies, apply for IANG within six months even if you're planning to travel, take a break or haven't started job hunting. A recent graduate IANG gives you 24 months of complete freedom. Miss the window and you'll need a job offer before you can get the same visa.

IANG Visa Documents

From you:

• A recent photograph
• Your passport (and, if you're in Hong Kong, the page with your latest arrival stamp, landing slip or e-Visa)
• Your Hong Kong ID card, if you have one
• Your official transcript, graduation certificate, or a letter from your university confirming your qualification
• For Mainland residents: a letter of consent from your working unit or relevant Mainland authority

From the employer (non-recent graduates only):

• An employment contract or letter of appointment showing your post, salary, benefits and contract period
• Business Registration Certificate
• Proof of financial standing, such as audited accounts or a profits tax return
• A business plan, if the company was set up within the last 12 months

The employer documents aren't needed if the company is listed in Hong Kong or has successfully sponsored an employment or training visa in the last 24 months.

How to Apply for an IANG Visa: Step by Step

1. Check your graduation date and work out your six-month deadline.
2. Get your documents ready, including your transcript or university confirmation letter.
3. Apply online through GovHK and pay the HK$600 application fee. Add any dependants to the same application.
4. Wait for processing. About two weeks for recent graduates and four weeks for non-recent graduates. Expect longer between June and August, when ImmD deals with a summer rush.
5. Pay the HK$1,300 visa issuance fee and download your e-Visa.
6. Activate it. If you're entering Hong Kong, show your passport and e-Visa on arrival. If you're already in Hong Kong as a student, follow the instructions in your approval notice.
7. Register for a Hong Kong ID card within 30 days of arrival if you're new to Hong Kong and don't already have one.

You can check your status online or call the IANG hotline on (852) 2294 2190 during office hours.

IANG Visa Fees

IANG is a "Specified Scheme", so since 26 February 2025 each applicant pays:

Dependants pay the same. Extensions and changes of status also follow this structure. See the ImmD fee schedule.

What Can You Do on an IANG Visa?

During your first 24 months, you can:

• Work for any employer, full-time, part-time or freelance, without ImmD approval
• Change jobs as often as you like
• Start or join a business
• Look for work without working at all
• Leave and re-enter Hong Kong without a re-entry visa, as long as your stay is still valid

Can I Work Part-Time on an IANG Visa?

Yes. There are no conditions on the type of work during your first 24 months, so part-time, freelance or casual work is allowed. The catch is renewal. To extend, you'll need a job at the level normally done by degree holders with market-level pay, or a real business. Part-time retail or tutoring work won't usually be enough on its own when renewal comes around, so treat it as a stopgap.

IANG Renewal: How to Extend Your Visa

You can apply to extend from three months before your visa expires, and ImmD asks for applications at least six weeks before expiry. Routine extensions take two to three weeks, but longer in the June to August rush. You must be physically in Hong Kong when you apply, and a pending application doesn't let you stay past your expiry date.

To be approved, you need one of the following:

• A job offer at degree level, with market-level pay. Upload your employer's documents for a first extension or change of employer, or a letter from your current employer stating your position, monthly pay and period of employment for later extensions with the same employer.
• Proof of a business you've set up or joined in Hong Kong.

Extensions are normally granted on a 3 then 3 year pattern, still with no conditions of stay. That means you can keep changing jobs freely after you renew.

In 2025, 11,558 of 12,252 IANG extension applications were approved, about 94%.

The Top-Tier Stream for IANG Holders

If you've been in Hong Kong on IANG for at least two years and had assessable income for salaries tax of at least HK$2 million in the previous year of assessment, you can apply for the top-tier stream. Approval normally gives you six years with no conditions.

How Long Can You Stay on IANG?

Bringing Family on an IANG Visa

IANG holders can sponsor a spouse, or a partner in a same-sex or opposite-sex civil partnership, civil union or same-sex marriage legally recognised where it was entered into, plus unmarried dependent children under 18. You need to show a genuine relationship and that you can support them well above subsistence level with suitable housing. Dependants can work or study in Hong Kong.

For a fresh graduate without a job yet, showing you can support a family is the hard part, so many people sponsor dependants once they have a job.

IANG vs TTPS Category C: Which Is Better?

If you studied in Hong Kong, this question mostly answers itself. Non-local students who earned their undergraduate qualification in a full-time, locally accredited programme in Hong Kong can't use TTPS Category C.

Our verdict: if you're a Hong Kong graduate, IANG is the better visa. It's faster, has no quota and is almost always approved. TTPS Category C only matters for graduates of overseas universities on the list. If you did your bachelor's overseas at a listed university and a master's in Hong Kong, you may qualify for both. In that case IANG is still usually the simpler choice. Read our Top Talent Pass Scheme guide for the details.

IANG to Permanent Residency

IANG time counts toward the seven years of continuous ordinary residence needed for Hong Kong permanent residency. Your years as a full-time student can count too. Students aren't on the list of statuses that the Immigration Ordinance excludes from ordinary residence (such as foreign domestic helpers and imported contract workers). Someone who studied in Hong Kong for a three-year bachelor's and then stayed on IANG and a renewal could reach the seven-year mark sooner than people who arrive on a work visa.

There are two conditions. You must have genuinely lived in Hong Kong during those years, and there should be no gaps in your permission to stay. Long summers abroad or a gap between your student visa expiring and your IANG starting can complicate the picture. Keep records of your addresses, studies and employment from day one.

FAQs: IANG Visa Hong Kong

What does IANG stand for?

IANG stands for Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates. It's Hong Kong's post-study visa for international graduates of local degree programmes.

Do I need a job offer for the IANG visa?

Not if you apply within six months of the graduation date on your certificate. After six months, you need a degree-level job offer at a market salary.

How long does an IANG application take?

About two weeks for recent graduates and four weeks for non-recent graduates, once ImmD has everything. It can take longer in June to August.

How much does the IANG visa cost?

HK$1,900 per person: HK$600 to apply plus HK$1,300 when the visa is issued.

How long is an IANG visa valid?

The first IANG visa is normally 24 months. Extensions are usually three years at a time, or six years under the top-tier stream.

Can I change jobs on an IANG visa?

Yes. IANG holders can take up and change employment freely without ImmD approval.

Can I apply for IANG after a master's degree in Hong Kong?

Yes. A full-time, locally accredited master's or doctoral programme of at least one academic year qualifies.

Can I apply for IANG if I graduated years ago?

Yes, as a non-recent graduate. There's no time limit, but you'll need a confirmed degree-level job offer at a market salary.

What do I need to renew my IANG visa?

A job at a level normally done by degree holders with market-level pay, or proof of a business in Hong Kong.

Can my spouse work on an IANG dependant visa?

Yes. Dependants of IANG holders can take up employment or study in Hong Kong.

Does student time count toward Hong Kong permanent residency?

In principle, yes. Time as a non-local student isn't excluded from ordinary residence under the Immigration Ordinance, as long as you genuinely lived in Hong Kong and your stay was continuous.

Can GBA campus graduates apply for IANG?

Yes, if the programme was full-time and offered by a Greater Bay Area campus jointly established by Mainland and Hong Kong universities.

Key Takeaways

• IANG lets international graduates of full-time, locally accredited Hong Kong programmes stay and work after graduation.
• Apply within six months of graduation and you don't need a job offer.
• Processing takes about two weeks for recent graduates, and about 96% of applications were approved in 2025.
• The first visa is 24 months with no conditions, so you can work anywhere, part-time or full-time, or start a business.
• Renewal needs a degree-level job at market pay or a real business, and extensions follow a 3 then 3 year pattern.
• Hong Kong graduates can't use TTPS Category C, and IANG is the better route anyway.
• Student years can count toward the seven years needed for permanent residency.

Find a Graduate Job in Hong Kong

Your IANG renewal depends on landing a degree-level role. ExpatJobBoard.com lists English-speaking jobs in Hong Kong that don't require Cantonese or Mandarin, including graduate and entry-level roles.