What QMAS is and where English counts
The Immigration Department (the Department) publishes guidance notes and an FAQ for the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS). This page covers one small part of them: how the guidance notes treat proof of English. It is based on the guidance notes, form ID(E) 982 (07/2026), and the scheme's FAQ, both read on 24 October 2026. It is general information, not immigration advice: only the Department can say whether you qualify or what to submit. The Department also publishes Chinese versions of both documents (ID(C) 982 and the Chinese FAQ).
The FAQ says the General Points Test consists of 12 assessment criteria under six aspects, including age, academic qualifications, language proficiency, work experience, annual income and business ownership. In the guidance notes, the language proficiency aspect has two criteria: criterion (4), whether the applicant is proficient in two languages, both written and spoken, and criterion (5), whether the applicant is proficient in written and spoken English. This page is about criterion (5) only; the other criteria and the rest of the scheme are not covered.
The proofs of English the guidance notes list
Three paragraphs of the notes matter here: paragraph 36(a)(ii) on English language tests, paragraph 36(a)(iii) on a written explanation, and paragraph 35 on a degree in a language-related subject. The table follows their wording as read on 24 October 2026.
| Proof | What the notes say | Paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS | Results with a minimum overall band score of 7.0. | 36(a)(ii) |
| TOEFL | A minimum score of 94 for the internet-based test, or a minimum score of 5 if the test was taken on or after 21 January 2026 under the 1-6 score scale. | 36(a)(ii) |
| CET-6 | College English Test Band 6, supervised by the Ministry of Education of the PRC, with a minimum score of 520. | 36(a)(ii) |
| Degree in a language-related subject | In general, an applicant with a bachelor's degree or above in a discipline or subject related to language studies, as explicitly indicated on the graduation certificate, will be recognised as being proficient in the language concerned. An applicant who relies on the degree must also submit the supporting documents stipulated in paragraph 29. | 35 |
| Written explanation | A written explanation detailing the applicant's training in, and use of, Chinese and/or English, supported by documents such as a certified university transcript of academic record or a letter issued by a university showing the medium of instruction as Chinese or English. | 36(a)(iii) |
The notes introduce the tests with the words "acceptable test results include", so the list is written as examples. This page does not say whether any other test is accepted; ask the Department.
What the IELTS line says, and what it leaves out
The IELTS line gives one figure: a minimum overall band score of 7.0. Read as written, it does not state:
- whether the test must be IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training;
- a minimum score for each skill (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking);
- how old a result may be, which is its validity period;
- whether a particular way of taking the test, such as IELTS Online, counts.
This page therefore states none of these. Please do not borrow an answer from another country's rules or from another page of this site: ask the Department or read the current notes. For how Academic and General Training differ, see IELTS Academic or General Training, and for what the test providers say about IELTS Online, see IELTS Online in Hong Kong. The 7.0 on this page is the Department's figure, not one from Band Booster IELTS or Mike, and the page does not say that reaching it will satisfy the Department.
Who does not have to give proof
Paragraph 33 says an applicant has to provide the proofs listed for Chinese or English (in paragraphs 35 and 36(a)) unless his or her first language is Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English and he or she is a national or citizen of a country or territory where Chinese (Putonghua or Cantonese) or English is an official language or the equivalent.
The exception has two parts, the first language and nationality or citizenship. Whether it describes you is for the Department to say.
The Department can still ask for a test
Paragraph 37 says that, even where proofs have been provided, the Department may require the applicant to take a recognised language test, or another language test it designates, at the applicant's own expense, if the proofs provided cannot satisfy it that the applicant is proficient.
One observation is this page's own, not the notes' wording: a degree or a written explanation does not rule out being asked to sit a test later, so it can be worth knowing what a test involves before the question arises. This page quotes no exam fee or test date; fees and dates are on the test providers' own pages, and booking IELTS in Hong Kong covers ID and test-day rules.
The passing threshold
The FAQ gives the prevailing passing threshold as 6 out of 12 and says that the threshold is subject to change from time to time without prior notice. That was the figure on 24 October 2026; read the FAQ for the current one. The Chinese version of the FAQ words the same threshold as meeting 6 of the 12 assessment criteria. This page does not explain how the criteria are assessed, and nothing here says that any IELTS result will meet a criterion or reach the threshold.
What an overall 7.0 means in IELTS terms
IELTS gives a band for each of four skills, Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, on a scale of 0 to 9 in half-band steps. The overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band: an average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band. An overall 7.0 is therefore a statement about an average, and different mixes of skill scores can produce it.
The table uses made-up skill scores to show the arithmetic. They are not anyone's results and not a prediction.
| Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | Average | Overall band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.75 | 7.0 (a .75 average rounds up to the next whole band) |
| 8.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
The last row shows how an overall band can hide an uneven profile. The notes' IELTS line states an overall minimum and no score for each skill, so this page does not say whether the Department looks at the sections, and it adds no figure of its own. To try your own scores, use the IELTS band score calculator.
What a one-to-one session can and cannot do
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service. It is not an immigration adviser or agent, it is not a test centre, it does not register candidates for IELTS, and it has no relationship with the Immigration Department. It cannot tell you whether your application, your proof of English or any score will satisfy the Department, and it does not prepare or check QMAS documents.
What it does is teach IELTS. Mike is a Cambridge CELTA-certified teacher based in Hanoi who scored 8.5 in IELTS Speaking, and he teaches every session himself, one-to-one, live on Google Meet and in English only, not Cantonese. See About Mike. A session can cover:
- Listening and Reading. Listening is 30 minutes and 40 questions in four parts, with the recording played once; Reading is 60 minutes and 40 questions in three sections. See Listening coaching and Reading coaching.
- Writing. Task 1 (at least 150 words) and Task 2 (at least 250 words), marked against the public band descriptors, with feedback during the session. Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1 in the Writing band. See IELTS Writing feedback.
- Speaking. Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format, with feedback in the moment. See IELTS Speaking coaching.
Those pages are written for students in Vietnam, so a price shown there is the Vietnam price.
A regular session is 60 minutes; on a first booking you can take a paid 30-minute trial instead, once. There is no subscription and no package to commit to. Written progress notes go into your account after each session, and sessions can be recorded on request. Hong Kong is one hour ahead of Hanoi all year, and the booking page shows every slot in your own time and your price in your own currency before you pay. For how lessons work from Hong Kong, see online IELTS tutor for Hong Kong. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
Before you rely on this page
- Open the guidance notes and the FAQ and compare them with this page; the passing threshold, in particular, can change without notice. Ask the Department, or read the current notes, about the points the IELTS line leaves out: the test version, any score for each skill and how old a result may be.
- Book IELTS with a test provider, not with Band Booster IELTS. Computer-delivered IELTS in Hong Kong sets out what the providers say about test formats.
- A different Hong Kong requirement, for teachers of English, also involves IELTS; it has its own page, IELTS for English teachers in Hong Kong, and is not part of QMAS. University admission and study visas are separate matters too: see IELTS scores for study abroad.