Education authorities will review the definition of local students by Hong Kong’s universities after some mainland Chinese people were accused of exploiting various talent schemes for their children to enjoy cheaper tuition fees.
Under Secretary for Education Jeff Sze Chun-fai said concerns had been raised about children of holders of various talent schemes undergoing Hong Kong’s entrance exams and enrolling in government-funded universities as local students.
“The government will consider reviewing the definition of local students adopted by tertiary institutions when admitting students,” he said in the Legislative Council on Thursday.
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An online petition addressed to the council was launched last Friday claiming that “some people and intermediaries” had arranged for parents who did not intend to settle in Hong Kong to apply for the city’s talent admission schemes so that their children could obtain a dependent visa.
It said that with the visa, the children could become non-permanent residents of Hong Kong.
“These children would prepare for the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) through tutorial institutions outside Hong Kong, and sit the exam as private candidates,” petitioners said.
“In a short period of time, they can apply for universities as local students. Obviously, such candidates are purely ‘examination immigrants’, which is logically inconsistent with the concept and intention of ‘local students’.”
The petitioners added they were a group of parents of Hong Kong university students concerned about the quota for locals.
Citing the Education Bureau, the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) defined local students as holders of documents such as a permanent identity card, papers issued by the Immigration Department showing the right to land or abode in the city, or a one-way entry permit to Hong Kong.
Students who first received dependent visas or entry permits when they were under 18 years old are also considered local students.
Other eligible documents include the visa or entry permit for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, or Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents.
Non-local students are holders of student visas or entry permits. Those with visas or permits under the immigration arrangements for foreign graduates and who were 18 years old or above when they were issued a dependent visa are also considered non-local students.
The petition said the definition of local students was under “the risk of serious abuse”, urging the government to conduct a review.
“It will have a serious impact on the education opportunities of students from local families and lead to the abuse of the government’s public funds,” it said.
Petitioners suggested authorities impose additional restrictions for students holding dependent visas by requiring applicants to have studied in local secondary schools for at least three years, or to have one of their parents be a Hong Kong permanent resident.
Another complaint letter circulating online also sparked concerns over the situation after it accused some parents and students of not living, working or studying in Hong Kong.
The author claimed students would attend mainland high schools and spend a year attending HKDSE tutorial classes in Shenzhen before enrolling in universities in Hong Kong.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu rolled out the Top Talent Pass Scheme in late 2022 to address the brain drain linked to the city’s harsh pandemic travel restrictions and political changes which followed the introduction of the national security law.
As of September, 81,463 people have been granted an initial two-year right to stay in the city under the scheme, with 95 per cent from the mainland.
So far, 89,383 dependent visas have been approved, including 53,002 for children under 18 years old. Around 73,000 dependents under the scheme have arrived in Hong Kong.
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