Mainland Chinese with business visas to Hong Kong and Macau will be allowed to stay in both cities for an extra week starting next month, with authorities expecting 100 million businesses to benefit.
The changes are among a series of measures announced by the mainland's National Immigration Administration on Sunday to meet the growing needs of cross-border businesses and improve the business environment in the Greater Bay Area.
A number of measures were announced and came into force on May 6, but the one expected to benefit the largest number of mainland residents was the extension of the stay period for business visa holders to Hong Kong and Macau. . The maximum seven days per trip will be doubled to 14 days.
Wang Lin, deputy director of the agency's immigration department, said the policy change will benefit 100 million privately owned businesses and employees of 30,000 companies registered for multiple business visas. Ta.
“We want to better address the needs of long-term business operations and help business professionals explore a broader range of business opportunities and engage in more in-depth negotiations,” he said at a press conference on Sunday.
Could the Hong Kong visa system for Shenzhen residents revive parallel trade?
Could the Hong Kong visa system for Shenzhen residents revive parallel trade?
Instead of applying through the local office where the applicant resides, mainland residents will soon be able to submit applications for one-time entry business visas at designated counters of 3,400 institutions managed by public security departments across the country.
Additionally, from May 6th, those sites will be able to apply for multiple-entry visas through the “Smart Visa Facility.”
Authorities also announced that the visa system for mainland talent launched in February last year would be expanded to include residents of Beijing and Shanghai, as well as residents of nine cities in the Guangdong Bay area.
As of mid-April, the city had received more than 18,000 arrivals under the pilot scheme, according to the Hong Kong government.
Under the scheme, talents in six fields, including scientific research, education, healthcare, law and business, are eligible for multi-entry visas ranging from one to five years with stays in Hong Kong and Macau for up to 30 days at a time. You can apply. .
The Bay Area is the Chinese government's plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities in southern Guangdong province into an economic powerhouse.
The Hong Kong government welcomed the move, saying it would bring tangible results to promote the city's further integration into national development and improve the “southbound and northbound” flow of talent.
“[We] We will continue to maintain close cooperation with the mainland authorities, with the aim of further promoting talent connections and exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong, and creating stronger driving forces for growth in Hong Kong and Hong Kong as a whole. [bay area]'' said a government spokesperson.
