China Revamps Residency Rules for Hong Kong, Macau
China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) has released updated approval criteria for mainland residents seeking permanent residency in Hong Kong and Macau, replacing the long-standing points-based system with four clear categorical eligibility conditions. The new rules, published on June 30 as Announcement 2026 No. 3, take effect on July 1.
A Shift from Points to Categories
Under the previous system, applicants accumulated points based on factors including age, duration of separation from a spouse already living in Hong Kong or Macau, and parental age. Cutoff scores were published every six months, creating uncertainty for applicants who could not predict whether their accumulated points would meet the threshold. For example, in the second half of 2025, the cutoff for spousal reunification stood at 109.6 points, requiring separation before December 31, 2022.
The new system eliminates points calculations entirely. According to the NIA’s official announcement, applicants now qualify based on whether they meet straightforward categorical conditions, offering what the South China Morning Post described as “more certainty” for prospective settlers.
The Four New Categories
The updated rules establish four eligibility pathways, all centered on family reunification:
Spousal Reunification: Applicants must have been separated from their Hong Kong or Macau spouse for at least three years. Accompanying children may be included in the application.
Children Joining Parents: Applicants must be under 18 years of age, with both parents already settled in Hong Kong or Macau.
Children Caring for Parents: Applicants aged 18 to 59 may qualify if both parents are settled in Hong Kong or Macau, both parents are aged 60 or above, and the parents have no other children in the special administrative region.
Parents Joining Children: Applicants aged 60 or above with no other children in mainland China may qualify if their child settled in Hong Kong or Macau is at least 18 years old.
As CCTV News reported, public security immigration management agencies will process applications according to settlement quotas and the new approval conditions. Applicants can contact the immigration service hotline “12367” or consult local authorities for further information.
The One-Way Permit System
The One-way Permit, officially known as the Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao, has been the primary mechanism for mainland residents to take up permanent residence in the two special administrative regions since its establishment in 1982. Initially set at 75 permits per day under an agreement between British Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, the daily quota was raised to 150 in 1995 and remains unchanged. As of the end of 2016, approximately 950,000 mainland migrants had come through the program, representing about 12.8 percent of Hong Kong’s total population at the time, according to Wikipedia.
Implications and Analysis
The shift from a points-based system to categorical conditions represents a significant administrative simplification. Under the old system, even applicants who met basic relationship criteria could be denied if their accumulated points fell short of a semi-annually adjusted cutoff. The new approach provides binary eligibility — applicants either meet the conditions or they do not.
While the daily quota of 150 permits remains unchanged, meaning the total number of permits issued annually will not necessarily increase, the clearer criteria may encourage more eligible applicants to come forward and could accelerate processing times. The reform aligns with China’s broader trend of administrative standardization and transparency in immigration procedures.
The policy change also reflects ongoing efforts to deepen integration between mainland China and its two special administrative regions. All four categories reinforce the One-way Permit system’s stated purpose of family reunification, though the program has historically been controversial in Hong Kong, with critics alleging it serves as a mechanism for demographic engineering.
What to Watch
Key questions remain about the new system’s implementation. It is unclear how the 150 daily permits will be allocated among the four categories, whether transitional provisions exist for applicants already in the points-based pipeline, and how Hong Kong and Macau authorities will adapt their reception processes. The NIA has indicated that further guidance may be issued as the new rules take effect.