West Africa a shortcut for rich mainland Chinese to Hong Kong residency

Thousands of mainland Chinese have permanent residency in The Gambia, a place they most likely have never visited and never will, as the African country has been unexpectedly profiting from a Hong Kong immigration scheme. 

The fastest, cheapest way for a Chinese citizen to gain right of residency in Hong Kong under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) is to first gain permanent residency in Africa's smallest country, according to visa agencies advertising the deal. 

The scheme, established in 2003, aims to attract high-value individuals to Hong Kong. An eligible applicant would have to invest at least HK$10 million in the city and have residency anywhere except four rogue states and the Chinese mainland.

For a Chinese citizen to be eligible, the person needs to be a permanent resident in another foreign country. That's where The Gambia, which does not have diplomatic ties with Beijing, comes in. The country’s loose requirements have turned it into a vehicle for wealthy Chinese to get their foot in Hong Kong's door.

It takes six 4cm-by-6cm headshots, 15 working days and roughly HK$100,000 to gain residency in western African country, according to visa agencies in Yunnan and Guangdong provinces. No visit to the country is required.

Since the beginning of the Hong Kong immigration scheme, 9,050 successful CIES entrants from the mainland have cited permanent residency in The Gambia. The figures, provided by the Immigration Department this month, are as of March 31, the latest available numbers.