A significant proportion of Hong Kong's talent programs are misused by a limited group, according to the city's second-in-command.
In a recent statement, Eric Chan Kwok-ki, Hong Kong's No. 2 official and the chair of a government committee on education, technology, and talent, dismissed concerns about mainland Chinese residents exploiting local talent admission schemes by giving birth in the city.
According to Chan, only a "small minority" of applicants to local talent admission schemes have given birth in the city. He emphasised that any applicant of a talent admission scheme in Hong Kong must declare their purpose for coming to the city. Chan expects all talent coming to Hong Kong to strictly follow the purposes stated in their applications.
Recent posts on the Chinese social media platform RedNote suggest that mainlanders could move to Hong Kong through its talent schemes, become pregnant, and have children to obtain Hong Kong identity cards for their children. However, Chan stated that there is no direct evidence to support this claim.
It is important to note that false declarations, such as coming to give birth instead of to work, are illegal. The specific laws that would be violated by giving birth in Hong Kong without the intention of gaining employment are not detailed. The article does not provide information on the consequences for applicants who are found to have made false declarations in their talent admission scheme applications.
The article also does not detail any instances where applicants have been found to have made false declarations in their talent admission scheme applications. It is not specified whether the issue of false declarations in talent admission scheme applications is limited to the Top Talent Pass Scheme, rolled out in 2022, or applies to all seven talent admission schemes in Hong Kong. It is not clear what actions, if any, the government is taking to address this issue.
Over 95% of applicants to the Top Talent Pass Scheme are from the mainland. It is not specified whether the city's other talent admission schemes have similar demographic trends. The article does not provide information on the number of applicants who have made false declarations in their talent admission scheme applications.
Chan warned that exploiting talent admission schemes in such a way would be unacceptable. According to him, it is not acceptable to apply for a talent admission scheme with one purpose and then intend to do something else.
Hong Kong residency and identity cards are typically governed by strict legal frameworks tied to nationality and residency requirements rather than education admission schemes. While Hong Kong sees a large number of visitors and has complex demographic dynamics, there is no direct source here documenting exploitation of local talent admissions via childbirth for identity purposes.
In conclusion, based on currently available authoritative information, no confirmed evidence supports the claim of mainland Chinese residents strategically giving birth in Hong Kong to exploit talent admission schemes for securing identity cards for their children.
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- Policy-and-legislation surrounding talent admission in Hong Kong requires applicants to declare their intended purpose for moving to the city.
- The general news and politics of Hong Kong highlight the importance of maintaining the integrity of its talent admission schemes, as allegations of false declarations and exploitation, such as giving birth to obtain identity cards, are addressed by the governing authorities.
