Hong Kong Special Visa

At a glance

Holders of specified Hong Kong qualifications from listed institutions are exempt from NZQA International Qualifications Assessment when claiming points under the Skilled Migrant Category. [H-hong-kong]

The exemption covers Bachelor with Honours degrees (Level 7, 50 points), Master of Philosophy (Level 9, 70 points), and Doctor of Philosophy (Level 10, 70 points) from nine Hong Kong universities. [H-hong-kong]

Qualifications must have been awarded within the date ranges specified for each institution, and certain exclusions apply — including qualifications awarded after 2017, those with cross-credited courses, and study completed outside Hong Kong. [H-hong-kong]

How to apply

When applying for a visa under the Skilled Migrant Category, applicants who hold a qualification listed in the Academic Qualifications Table and awarded by a listed institution within the relevant date range do not need to obtain an International Qualifications Assessment from NZQA. [H-hong-kong]

Applicants must provide award certificates in their original language. [H-hong-kong]

If an applicant believes their qualification may be higher than the level stated in the table, they should apply to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment. [H-hong-kong]

Eligibility criteria

To be exempt from assessment, all five conditions must be met: [H-hong-kong]

1. The qualification is listed in the Academic Qualifications Table.
2. The awarding institution is listed in the Awarding Institutions Table.
3. The qualification abbreviation matches the right-hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table.
4. The qualification was awarded from or within the year range in the Awarding Institutions Table.
5. The qualification is not excluded by the notes under the Academic Qualifications Table.

Academic Qualifications Table

Qualification	Abbreviation*	Level in NZQF terms	Points under SMC
Bachelor of Arts with Honours**	BA	7	50
Bachelor of Business Administration with Honours**	BBA	7	50
Bachelor of Chinese Medicine with Honours**	BCM	7	50
Bachelor of Communication with Honours**	BC	7	50
Bachelor of Communication with Honours**	BDS	7	50
Bachelor of Economics with Honours**	BEC	7	50
Bachelor of Engineering with Honours**	BEH	7	50
Bachelor of Language studies with Honours**	BEL	7	50
Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours**	BFA	7	50
Bachelor of Journalism with Honours**	BJ	7	50
Bachelor of Laws with Honours**	BL	7	50
Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery with Honours**	BM	7	50
Bachelor of Nursing with Honours**	BN	7	50
Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours**	BP	7	50
Bachelor of Science with Honours**	BS	7	50
Bachelor of Social Science with Honours**	BSS	7	50
Bachelor of Social Work with Honours**	BSW	7	50
Bachelor with Honours degree**	BH	7	50
Master of Philosophy	MP	9	70
Doctor of Philosophy	PhD	10	70

*Abbreviations used are for the purposes of this list only.

**Honours degrees are awarded with a Class, or a Class and Division (e.g. First Class, Second Class (Division I) or Division II, or Third Class Honours).

Awarding Institutions Table

Institution	Qualification awarded from or between dates
The Chinese University of Hong Kong	BA, BBA, BCM, BL, BM, BN, BP, BS, BSS: 2016; BEH: 1995; BH: 1990–2015; MP and PhD: 1990
City University of Hong Kong	BA, BBA, BS, BSS, BL: 2016; BH: 1997–2015; BEH, MP and PhD: 1997
The Education University of Hong Kong	BA, MP and PhD: 2016
Hong Kong Baptist University	BA, BBA, BC, BP, BS, BSS, BSW: 2016; BH: 2005–2015; MP and PhD: 2005
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University	BA, BBA and BS: 2016; BEH: 1995; BH, MP and PhD: 1995–2015
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology	BH: 2000–2015; BBA and BS: 2016; BEH, MP and PhD: 2000
The Open University of Hong Kong	BA, BBA, BFA, BN, BS, BSS, MP and PhD: 2016
Lingnan University	BA, BSS, BS: 2016; BH: 2010–2015; MP and PhD: 2010
The University of Hong Kong	BA, BBA, BCM, BDS, BEC, BJ, BL, BM, BP, BS, BSS and BSW: 2016; BEH: 1995; BH: 1982–2015; MP and PhD: 1982

Interpretation & edge cases

Mandatory NZQA referral

The following qualifications must be referred to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment and are not covered by the exemption: [H-hong-kong]

• All honorary degrees.
• All listed qualifications where study was completed at any institution outside Hong Kong, including any overseas campuses of listed awarding institutions.
• All listed qualifications that contain cross-credited courses or papers.
• All qualifications awarded after 2017.

Award certificates

Award certificates must be provided in their original language. [H-hong-kong]

Higher qualification claims

If an applicant believes their qualification may be at a higher level than stated in the Academic Qualifications Table, they should apply to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment rather than relying on the exemption. [H-hong-kong]

Effective date

These instructions are effective from 27 August 2018. [H-hong-kong]

Citations

• H-hong-kong — Hong Kong