What this guide covers
- A contract shows agreed terms; payroll and bank records show performance; a duties letter explains the work.
- Further extensions emphasise settlement and contribution in Hong Kong. Re-submitting an old offer letter is not enough preparation.
- Ordinary QMAS renewals do not have one official minimum monthly salary applying to everyone.
What does your renewal stage require you to show?
A contract can be relevant to both a first and a further renewal, but the two stages do not ask quite the same questions. For a first General Points Test extension, satisfactory evidence must show steps towards settlement and residence in Hong Kong; salaried employment is one official example.
A further extension requires settlement and contribution to Hong Kong, with examples including a degree-level, expert-level or senior salaried position with stable income. That difference shapes how you explain your duties and the period covered.
Neither application can be reduced to a salary figure alone.
Start with a specific factual sentence, such as: “I am a product engineer employed by a Hong Kong company, responsible for enterprise systems and paid monthly by the local company since 2025.” This is our suggested organising method. Check whether the contract, employer letter, payslips and bank records support one another.
A prestigious title, famous company or large personal assets cannot replace genuine employment and work evidence.
The different jobs of the four core documents
| Document | What it establishes | Practical check |
|---|---|---|
| Employment contract | Employer, position, start date, remuneration and employment terms | Include amendments after pay or role changes rather than an obsolete offer alone |
| Latest salary-payment notice | Current remuneration and deductions recorded by the company | Separate base pay, bonuses, commission, allowances and reimbursements |
| Latest bank advice or statement showing the most recent salary payment | Actual payment of salary | Show the account holder, transaction date and relevant payment, preserving verification details |
| Detailed employer-issued job description | Your actual responsibilities | Use company letterhead, company stamp and an authorised signature as required by the guidance |
Paragraph 76 lists these as documents that may be included. We suggest comparing the legal employer in the contract, bank payer and letterhead.
If a group payroll company pays you, obtain an employer explanation of the real arrangement. Do not alter company or bank records to remove differences.
More evidence may be requested case by case, so these four types do not guarantee that no supplementary request will follow.
Describe the work you actually do
A duties letter is easier to follow when it answers practical questions: which team are you in, what are you responsible for, what specialist knowledge does the work require, and how does the business use the output? Describing data architecture, risk controls and cross-team delivery for financial-client systems says more than “technical work with excellent performance”.
Include figures and client names only when they are true, relevant and disclosable. Actual implementation work should not be recast as board-level responsibility to make it sound more senior.
- Technical roles: identify systems or products, technical decisions, delivery responsibilities and collaboration with the Hong Kong team.
- Finance and professional services: explain analysis, advice, risk or client work, describing any regulated role according to your actual qualifications.
- Management roles: define the scope, authority and reporting relationships rather than saying only “responsible for the whole company”.
- Cross-border roles: explain Hong Kong employment, work base, reasons for travel and work done locally. A travel pattern alone is not complete settlement evidence.
These are writing suggestions. The official guidance does not impose one word count or a mandatory performance measure on every duties letter.
Someone familiar with the work should draft it, and an authorised company representative should confirm it. A self-drafted, unverified version must not be presented as a formal employer document.
Explain differences between pay and bank credits
Compare the latest payslip with the bank credit line by line. Net salary can differ from the contract due to MPF, tax arrangements, unpaid leave or commission timing.
A large credit may include expenses rather than remuneration. We suggest a short reconciliation of month, gross pay, deductions, amount received and explanation, backed by employer or formal records.
The table helps the reader; it does not replace originals.
A new employee may not have completed a full pay cycle. Submit the signed contract, actual start date and evidence currently available, and ask whether salary records should follow.
Do not describe unpaid future amounts as received. For annual bonuses or irregular commission, explain the structure and history rather than selecting the highest month as proof of stable income.
Where income comes from several sources, we suggest listing Hong Kong employment, directors’ remuneration, freelance fees and investment income separately, with the contracting party and period for each. Combining them into a monthly salary can blur what the payments represent.
For annual or quarterly pay, ask the employer to explain the cycle and most recent actual payment; do not omit months without a credit. If you are on probation, state the contract and current position accurately instead of describing confirmed permanent employment.
Job changes, gaps and overseas working arrangements
Official QMAS FAQs allow free employment and job changes during permitted stay without prior Immigration Department approval. Renewal is nevertheless assessed on applicable current circumstances and evidence.
If you changed jobs, list the former end date, new start date and reasons for any gap by month. Keep departure records, the new contract and new payroll.
Do not alter an old end date to conceal a gap.
The GovHK renewal page also lists changes since entry or the last extension as unsuitable for that particular service. This concerns the submission route, whereas freedom to change jobs concerns conditions of stay.
If the service presents a restriction, ask the department for the correct route instead of declaring “no change”.
If employed by an overseas company, working mainly abroad or freelancing, do not assume sufficient foreign income is identical to the official Hong Kong salaried-employment example. Explain the employer, contracting entity, actual workplace, Hong Kong living arrangements and local contribution, and establish evidence appropriate to the real model.
Explain temporary unemployment honestly and enquire early; there is no universal market rule allowing a fixed number of unemployed months.
Put the employment records in a readable order
- Prepare a factual overview and employment timeline, identifying a first or further extension.
- Organise contracts, latest payroll, bank salary evidence and the formal duties letter under the official categories, explaining amendments.
- Explain name, company, date and salary discrepancies briefly and specifically, with verifiable sources.
- Add residence and family evidence so the file explains settlement as well as employment.
- Check the three-month window, six-week submission point and presence requirement, retaining the final version and confirmation.
Open each document before uploading and check text, stamps, signatures and transactions for readability. Discuss confidential employer information in advance.
Redaction must not remove information essential to verifying employment and salary; ask the department about alternatives where necessary. Supplementary replies should follow the same factual account and identify which period or document has been updated.
Frequently asked questions
How many months of bank statements are mandatory?
Paragraph 76 refers to a recent bank record showing the latest salary payment, without setting one number of months for all cases. Follow the form and requests. A longer period may help explain continuity but is not a universal statutory requirement.
Do I need prior approval to change jobs?
Official QMAS FAQs say you may change employment freely during permitted stay without prior approval. The renewal service has separate restrictions for changed circumstances; confirm the route and report your situation honestly.
What if the employer will not provide detailed duties?
Show the official requirement and request a formal letter verifying responsibilities and the nature of the position. If difficulties remain, explain to the department and ask about alternatives. Do not sign falsely in the company’s name.
If my own company employs me, can I submit payslips alone?
Disclose the shareholding and work relationship honestly. Where you are really establishing or participating in your own business, operations, accounts and investment can also matter. A payslip must not conceal the actual business circumstances.
Official sources and further reading
This guide draws on the sources below, last checked on 2026-11-13. Before acting, recheck the relevant authority’s current eligibility, fees and annual arrangements.
Hong Kong Immigration DepartmentQMAS Guidance Notes, ID(C) 982 (07/2026), paragraphs 72–79Checked 2026-11-13 · Open official sourceHong Kong Immigration DepartmentOfficial QMAS FAQs: conditions and extensions of stayChecked 2026-11-13 · Open official sourceGovHKOnline extensions of stay: QMAS entrants and their dependantsChecked 2026-11-13 · Open official sourceCheck whether each item is an official requirement, case-specific evidence or an editorial suggestion. Other people’s experiences may help, but decisions on your case remain with Immigration or the relevant authority.
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