Secretary pledges open policies for talented human resources

Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong has pledged that Macau will continue to import human resources and that the city will continue to have an open policy when it comes to the acquisition of skilled professionals by immigration.
During yesterday’s Legislative Assembly (AL), some lawmakers, including Mak Soi Kun, Si Ka Lon, Zheng Anting and Ma Chi Seng, raised questions regarding the city’s immigration policies, particularly for skilled individuals and investors.
The lawmakers’ questions related to the way in which the government handles immigration cases where people do not spend more than 183 days living in Macau, the ways in which the local government attracts talented people to Macau, the government’s immigration examination and approval procedures, and the protection of skilled immigrants’ residence protection.
Responding to the lawmakers, Lei first acknowledged that Covid-19 has abruptly affected Macau’s usual development and that the government needs to be prudent so as not to create a conflict between the immigration of non-local talented people and the training of local people.
“Very soon, we will make an improvement to the review procedure,” said Lei, adding that “we need sometimes to make a prudent approval.”
The secretary remarked that Macau must understand what types of talented human resources the city needs.
“Macau has never had a closed-door policy for talented human resources,” said Lei.
Macau’s law requires a residence applicant to stay in Macau for a minimum of 183 days during the application process.
The secretary also mentioned that Macau is still using a law enacted in 2003 arising from the talented human resources plan. He agrees that the plan needs an overall review.
Lei also raised questions about the type of talented people who are suitable for Macau, as well as transparency, a scoring method, and the necessity of formulating an annual quota.
Since 2018, the local government has reviewed more than 3,000 immigration applications, and transferred more than 90 cases to judicial authorities on suspicion of violations.