Mainland Chinese woman denies using fake degree for Hong Kong Top Talent visa, blames agent

2026-03-19 - 07:24

A mainland Chinese woman is facing trial after allegedly using fake academic credentials in order to obtain Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) visas for her family of five. People speak to employees at the Immigration Department’s headquarters in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong, on June 11, 2024. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. 36-year-old Xu Lina appeared at Shatin Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. She pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to fraud, Ming Pao reported. The defendant said she was “deceived” by a mainland Chinese agent named Sun, to whom she paid around HK$520,000 for the visa application. According to the prosecutor, Xu was suspected of conspiring with Sun to defraud the director of the Immigration Department and other staff, despite not meeting the TTPS requirements. The defendant falsely claimed that she held a bachelor’s degree from the University of Technology Sydney, inducing Hong Kong authorities to approve her application along with dependent visas for her husband and three children, according to the prosecutor. Xu told magistrate Raymond Wong on Wednesday that neither she nor her husband held a bachelor’s degree. Her husband is a businessman, whilst she is a full-time housewife. They paid an agency around HK$520,000 after the agency said they can assist the family to apply for Hong Kong visas under the TTPS. Xu said she learned of the agency through a friend, who said the family ought study in Hong Kong and have children. Shatin Magistrates’ Courts. Photo: Peter Lee/HKFP. The Hong Kong government introduced the new TTPS in December 2022 to attract more high earners and top university graduates to the city amid a wave of emigration. TTPS applicants need to fulfil at least one of three criteria. Category A refers to those with an annual income no less than HK$2.5 million during the past year. Category B includes those with a degree from a top university and at least three years of work experience over the past five years. And Category C refers to those with a degree from a top university over the past five years, with no work experience required. The government keeps a list of recognised “top universities,” which currently numbers 199. Xu told the court that she did not know the agency had submitted a Category B application, which requires a bachelor’s degree from a top university. She would have applied via category A if she filed the application on her own, she added. The agent Sun disappeared after the husband told them of his wife’s arrest on April 16, 2025, the defendant said. Large number of applications HKFP reported in early 2025 that, with a lower threshold than other talent programmes, the TTPS now contributes to a major share of work visas in Hong Kong. People outside of a job fair for top talent visa holders in 2024. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. According to the Immigration Department, as of December 2025, the authority had approved more than 120,000 visas under the TTPS. Most of the visa holders are mainland Chinese. On Wednesday, an immigration officer responsible for processing the Xu’s application told the court that he had to handle 30 to 40 applications per day. Therefore, he would not verify academic credentials unless he had reasonable doubts, HK Court News reported. Last July, immigration authorities arrested 18 people over false documents used to apply for Hong Kong talent visas, including alleged members of a local forgery syndicate. The department’s investigation found that the syndicate had arranged at least 22 TTPS applications, charging up to HK$2.5 million each.