Advertisement
Advertisement
Education in Hong Kong
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
Most of the students coming to Hong Kong to study are from mainland China. Photo: Winson Wong

Number of non-locals studying at universities in Hong Kong bounces back, but figures for work visa holders fall

  • Immigration Department figures show 43,732 non-locals studied in Hong Kong last year, up by 24 per cent over 2020, with most of them from mainland China
  • But number of visas granted to overseas workers has dropped from 41,289 in 2019 to 13,821 last year

The number of non-locals studying at Hong Kong’s universities has bounced back to levels last recorded in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, but work permits granted to expatriates continue to steadily decline.

While saying the number of mainland Chinese arriving to study was significant, one economist warned the drop in employment permits for overseas workers did not bode well for the city as it battled with regional rivals to lure talent.

Data from the Immigration Department showed 43,732 non-local students entered Hong Kong last year, 24 per cent more than the 35,330 in 2020, and 4 per cent more than 41,895 in 2019.

In the first nine months of this year, 43,945 non-local students entered the city.

The rise was largely attributed to an increase in mainland Chinese students, with 38,416 arriving between January and September, up from 37,087 for all of last year. Figures show 30,707 entered in 2019 and 31,123 in 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Xi Tianqi, a 23-year-old arrival from Shanghai, graduated from Baptist University’s one-year postgraduate programme in international journalism studies this year after she was awarded her undergraduate degree in Singapore in 2020.

She said she chose Hong Kong for further studies because the universities in the city had good international reputations and she wanted to be close to the mainland as the pandemic situation worsened.

“My impression of the city was very good. First of all, the media in Hong Kong has its own system and characteristics, so I can still have space to express some of my own ideas here, and I also have a group of like-minded teachers and friends,” Xi said.

The number of students of other nationalities dropped in 2020 year on year, but all recorded an increase last year, except for those from South Korea and Taiwan.

South Koreans, who accounted for the second-biggest group of non-local students after those from the mainland, recorded the smallest fluctuation over the pandemic. The number dropped only slightly, from 1,223 in 2019 to 1,038 last year.

Hong Kong universities draw record number of mainland Chinese students

The reputation of the city’s universities was also a major factor for students from South Korea.

“Hong Kong is located close to both South Korea and China, so I can travel easier,” said Kim Chae-won, an 18-year-old first-year student from South Korea studying design at the University of Hong Kong. “The tuition fees are much cheaper compared to other English-speaking places, like Britain or the US, and it also has high-ranking universities in Asia.”

The high cost of accommodation, however, was singled out as one leading reason why some South Korean students did not stay long after graduation.

“I think I will just have a few working experiences here like internships and go back to Korea,” Kim said.

Hong Kong leader to woo talent with ‘2-year visa for top university graduates’

The University of Hong Kong Korean Student Association said the suspension of bursary schemes to help non-local students pay rent for private housing was the biggest concern among its members.

“The University of Hong Kong suddenly announced this year that they will stop offering the HK$2,600 [US$331] subsidy for non-local students to rent flats,” said Lim So-hui, the association’s communication manager.

“While they reaffirmed that they will instead give HK$2,000 after student sign-in campaigns, we do not know how it will change next year. So there are a lot of concerns related to the rent.”

Students from France recorded a year-on-year 77 per cent rebound to 467 in 2021, followed by 74 per cent for the United Kingdom and 73 per cent for Singapore.

Government data also showed the number of visas granted to overseas workers under the General Employment Policy had dropped to a third of pre-pandemic levels, going from 41,289 in 2019, 14,617 in 2020 to 13,821 last year.

Only 9,502 expatriates were granted visas under the policy in the first nine months this year. Australia, the United States and Britain recorded the biggest drop to 436, 1,129 and 1,434 working visas respectively in 2021, a decline of about 75 per cent compared with 2019.

Entries under the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals also dropped from 14,053 in 2019 to 9,065 in 2021.

Work visa numbers in Hong Kong have dropped, but student figures from elsewhere are on the rise. Photo: Sam Tsang

“Everything is relative. The falling working visa approval shows Hong Kong is losing its attractiveness to foreign talent, and firms have rebased regional roles to other Asian cities,” said Gary Ng Cheuk-yan, a senior economist for Asia-Pacific at Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank.

The government has repeatedly pledged to combat the city’s brain drain, with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu using his maiden policy address last month to propose lengthening the duration that non-local students could stay, as well as incentives for high-fliers to buy homes and settle in Hong Kong.

Ng said that while the student inflow from the mainland was significant, “it may not be enough to safeguard Hong Kong’s role as an international hub,” because “unreasonable” Covid-19 policies had damaged the economy and hurt business opportunities in the city.

“The biggest worry is that Hong Kong’s competitors will be able to grow their ecosystem at the expense of the slow reopening in the city, which could become a structural loss in the future,” he added.

Fall in visa numbers adds up to trouble in Hong Kong

Meanwhile, the University Grants Committee said academic institutions in the city had global reputations, which helped to attract outstanding students from all over the world, with the organisation allocating about HK$20 million for the 2022-25 period to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand.

A representative for Chinese University said that while recruiting activities had been affected by the pandemic, the campus was still recruiting top students from a variety of countries through online publicity work.

2