New Permanent Residency pathway options for Hong Kong Nationals

Hong Kong nationals will be able to access Australian permanent residence through two new Australian visa streams.  These new visas will provide a pathway to temporary graduates and temporary skilled workers from Hong Kong that are currently in Australia.

From 5 march 2022, eligible Hong Kong and British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders who have been living and working in Australia will be offered permanent residency through one of the following visa options:

Subclass 191 – the Hong Kong (regional) Stream —

The primary visa holders will need to have been living and working in Regional Australia for at least three years immediately before applying, while holding the qualifying visa.

Subclass 189 – the Hong Kong Stream —

The primary visa holder will need to have been living in Australia for at least four years immediately before applying and will need to have held a qualifying visa during this time.

The Australian Government estimates that around 8,800 existing temporary skilled, graduate and student visa holders would be eligible for these two new visa streams when the options become available in March 2022.