Hong Kong is widening two immigration schemes for visitors from 1 October 2026. The Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Invited Persons, until now limited to ASEAN nationals, extends to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and to the six Gulf Cooperation Council states, and any government bureau or department can now issue invitations, not just the original five. Separately, the STV Scheme, which lets foreign professionals be paid for specified short-term activities without an employment visa, adds the social welfare sector, taking it to 18 sectors. The government announced both changes on 24 September.
Background
The Invited Persons scheme started on 18 March 2025. Five bodies could use it: the bureaux for financial services, commerce, innovation and technology, and culture and sport, plus the Department of Justice. They invited ASEAN nationals who could contribute to Hong Kong's economy or were attending major events, and the Immigration Department gave those guests simpler processing. The STV Scheme began as a pilot in June 2022 and became permanent in June 2024. By the end of June 2026 it had brought in more than 56,000 people for more than 9,500 activities, including the Asian Financial Forum and the Hong Kong Sevens.
What exactly changed
From 1 October the Invited Persons scheme covers the 11 ASEAN states, five Central Asian states and the six GCC members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Invited persons get one-stop processing through an Immigration Department electronic platform, relaxed criteria for using the automated e-Channel gates at control points, and a shorter information list for a visa where one is needed. The government notes that visitors from eight countries in ASEAN and Central Asia currently need a visa for Hong Kong. The scheme does not remove that requirement; it simplifies the application for people who hold an invitation. On the STV side, social welfare joins 17 existing sectors that include medical and healthcare, higher education, finance, innovation and technology, and aviation. More authorised organisations and activities are also being added in international and mega events, higher education and finance, for a total of about 490 organisations.
The two schemes after 1 October
- Invited Persons, who qualifies: nationals of ASEAN, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the six GCC states, when invited by a Hong Kong government bureau or department.
- Invited Persons, what it gives: one-stop electronic processing, relaxed e-Channel eligibility, and simpler visa paperwork where a visa is required.
- STV Scheme, who qualifies: professionals invited by one of about 490 authorised organisations across 18 sectors, now including social welfare.
- STV Scheme, what it allows: specified short-term activities as a visitor, with pay, for up to 14 consecutive days per arrival, without an employment visa or entry permit.
Who it affects and what to do
The Invited Persons change matters to business people, officials, investors and speakers from the Gulf and Central Asia who are invited by a Hong Kong government body, for example a Saudi fund manager asked to a financial-services roadshow or an Uzbek entrepreneur invited to a technology event. If you expect such an invitation, ask the inviting office whether it is issued under the scheme, since that is what gives access to the electronic platform and the simpler visa file. Travellers from those countries without an invitation enter under the normal visitor rules. The STV change affects social-welfare professionals, such as researchers or trainers invited to run a workshop or symposium for a Hong Kong welfare organisation, who can now be paid for that work as visitors. Check with the host that it is on the authorised list for your sector and that your activity is one of those specified, and keep each stay to 14 consecutive days or fewer. Paid work outside the specified activity still needs an employment visa. Neither scheme lets you live or take regular work in Hong Kong; for that you need a work, talent or dependant visa, covered in our <a href="/country-guides/hong-kong">Hong Kong country guide</a>.
When it takes effect
Both expansions apply from 1 October 2026, according to two HKSAR Government press releases issued on 24 September 2026. Scheme details are on the Immigration Department's pages for the Invited Persons scheme and the STV Scheme.
Key Takeaway
From 1 October 2026, Gulf and Central Asian nationals invited by any Hong Kong government body get simpler entry processing, and the paid short-visit STV Scheme opens to the social welfare sector; neither lets you live or take regular work in Hong Kong.