Short answer: entrants under TTPS, QMAS, GEP or CIES can apply for permanent residence after seven years of continuous ordinary residence. The Immigration Department sets no fixed number of days a year; it looks at the overall picture of whether Hong Kong is your place of ordinary residence, and you must explain any absence of over six months.
What the Department generally considers
| Factor | Examples |
|---|---|
| Time away | How often and how long you’ve been away |
| Reasons | Business trips, study, caring for family, or settling elsewhere |
| Ties to Hong Kong | Home, work or business, family, tax records |
| Status conditions | Meeting employment, business or investment conditions at extension |
Common situations
- Frequent business travel, with Hong Kong as your base: generally fine.
- An absence of over six months: explain it in your application, with evidence.
- The whole family living elsewhere long term: may mean Hong Kong is no longer your ordinary residence.
Counting the seven years
The clock starts from when you were permitted to stay in the relevant status, and residence must be continuous. Time as a student generally follows different rules — check individually.
Practical tips
- Keep records of your Hong Kong home, work, business and tax.
- Assess the effect on the seven years before a long absence.
- Meet employment, business or investment conditions at each extension — see TTPS extension requirements.
Permanent residence and nationality
Hong Kong has no separate nationality, so permanent residence needs no naturalisation; non-Chinese nationals wanting an HKSAR passport must first apply for Chinese nationality.
As of October 2026; subject to the Immigration Department’s latest rules.