Hong Kong or India
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Hong Kong | India | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 61 224 | — |
| Citizenship | — | 12 years |
| Partner can work | — | — |
| Parents | difficult | — |
| Pets | difficult | no trouble |
| Pet limit | no limit | 2 |
| Quarantine | — | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 3 152 | $ 782 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 54,6 | $ 14,2 |
| Life expectancy | 85.39 | 72.23 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.38 | 2.72 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | — | 7.8 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Hong Kong — 21, India — 17. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment and repatriation. Hong Kong adds: startup, talent and working holiday.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Hong Kong: fees range from 330 to 600 HKD. Routes with a published decision deadline: 14; the shortest is 14 days. India: the fee is 100 INR wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 1; the shortest is 30 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Hong Kong after 7 years, India with no residence period. Citizenship: India after 12 years; the other country publishes no term.
Hong Kong in brief
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the PRC with the status of a separate jurisdiction (“one country, two systems”): low taxes, English as a working language, three channels for skilled specialists (GEP, TTPS, QMAS). Permanent residence comes after 7 continuous years, but it is not the same as PRC citizenship — naturalisation is difficult and does not allow dual citizenship. The official dependant visa covers only a spouse and minor children, not parents. Housing is among the most expensive in the world; typhoons are a recurring natural hazard.
India in brief
India is the world's second-most-populous labour market, with high demand for skilled IT and engineering professionals and a globally low cost of living: rent and utility payments are several times lower than in Europe, even in the largest cities. The work visa is rigidly tied to the employer — it cannot be changed without leaving the country — and is issued only for an annual salary above 1,625,000 rupees, except for a few exempt categories. There is no general mechanism for permanent residence by length of stay: status is renewed through annual work visas via the FRRO, and Permanent Residency Status (PRS) is granted only to foreign investors who invest at least 10 crore rupees. Naturalisation requires about 12 years of residence in the country, and dual citizenship is not allowed. The northern plain suffers from smog in winter, while the coastal and mountain regions suffer from monsoon flooding and earthquakes. The country's five largest cities differ sharply in character: from the financial capital Mumbai and the technology cluster Bangalore to the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Jaipur and Agra.
Other comparisons
Hong Kong or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia
India or… Azerbaijan · Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China
More on each: Hong Kong · India. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.