Eligibility Requirements

CATI-5 applicants must satisfy the applicable identity-document requirements, the residency requirement and all other eligibility requirements for submitting a JUPAS application.

This page explains the identity-document and supporting-document arrangements applicable to CATI-5 applicants.

Acceptance of a JUPAS application does not mean that the applicant's eligibility status will remain unchanged throughout the Admissions Exercise.

Applicants are responsible to notify the JUPAS Office immediately of any change to their identity documents that may affect their eligibility status.  Their eligibility status may be updated accordingly.

CATI-5 applicants must hold valid identity documents that remain valid on or after 1 September 2027.

If an applicant's identity document(s) will expire on or before 31 August 2027, the applicant must submit the renewed or updated documents to the JUPAS Office by 16 July 2027 (5:00 pm) to maintain their eligibility status.

Depending on the applicant's circumstances, fulfilment of the residency requirement may be demonstrated by:

• Proof of Studies submitted directly by the applicant's school;

• A Statement of Travel Records delivered directly by the Immigration Department of the HKSAR (Immigration Department) to the JUPAS Office; or

• A combination of Proof of Studies and a Statement of Travel Records, where the documents cover different parts of the applicable residency period.

The JUPAS Office will assess whether the supporting documents received collectively cover the applicable residency period and whether the relevant requirements have been met.

JUPAS Admissions Exercise	Applicable Residency Period
2027	One-year transitional period: 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027
2028 onwards	Two-year period ending on 31 May in the year in which the programme commences

Applicants intending to rely on Proof of Studies should contact their schools.  The JUPAS Office will notify schools separately of the designated submission arrangements.

For Proof of Studies to cover a particular academic year, the applicant MUST:

• Be enrolled as a full-time student at a school offering a formal curriculum in Hong Kong and recognised by the Education Bureau (EDB); and

• Have been admitted to that school no later than 15 September of the relevant academic year.

School commencement dates may vary.  The relevant date is the applicant's actual date of admission to the school, as confirmed by the school according to its official records.

Depending on the EDB's arrangements, schools will submit the required information directly through the JUPAS Online Application System or the prescribed Proof of Studies Confirmation.  Applicants should not submit school letters, certificates or confirmations themselves unless specifically instructed by the JUPAS Office.

Where an applicant attended more than one school, each school must separately confirm only the period supported by its official records.  Where satisfactory Proof of Studies covers a particular academic year, any days during which the applicants were absent from Hong Kong in that academic year will not be counted for the purpose of the residency requirement, irrespective of the reason for absence.

A Statement of Travel Records may also be required where:

• The applicant is a non-school applicant;

• The applicant was admitted after 15 September of the applicable academic year; or

• The school confirmation(s) do not cover the entire applicable residency period.

Applicants intending to rely on Statement of Travel Records should first review their own travel history and make a reasonable preliminary calculation of their days during which they were absent from Hong Kong.  For each applicable year, the applicant's absence from Hong Kong must not exceed 90 days.

According to the EDB, the number of days of absence from Hong Kong is calculated as follows:

• Same-day travel: Where an applicant departs from and returns to Hong Kong on the same day, the travel is counted as one day of absence.

Example 1: if an applicant leaves Hong Kong on 1 February and returns on the same day, the number of days of absence is one, irrespective of the time of return.

• Travel lasting more than one day: the number of days of absence is calculated from the day of departure from Hong Kong.  The day of return to Hong Kong is not counted.

Example 2: If an applicant leaves Hong Kong on 1 February and returns on 10 February, the number of days of absence is nine days.

Example 3: If an applicant leaves Hong Kong at 11:30 pm on 10 February and returns at 00:30 am on 11 February, the number of days of absence is one, even though the applicant was outside Hong Kong for less than 24 hours.

Applicants should take into account both:

• The number of days already spent outside Hong Kong; and

• The number of days remaining until 31 May of the relevant year, including any intended travel during that period.

Example for 2027 Admissions Exercise:

An applicant who has remained continuously in Hong Kong without any absence since 1 June 2026 may consider applying for a Statement of Travel Records from April 2027.  An applicant who has been absent from Hong Kong during the applicable period should carefully calculate the number of days of absence and take into account any further intended travel before 31 May 2027.

Applicants must apply directly to the Immigration Department:

• Through its online service; or

• By filling in the Form ID 697.

Applicants must pay the prescribed fee and comply with all requirements imposed by the Immigration Department.  The Immigration Department may require identity, travel and relationship documents and may seek further information from applicants.

Applicants should apply as early as appropriate and allow sufficient time for document preparation, clarification, payment, processing and delivery to the JUPAS Office by registered-mail.

Applicants must enter the following address as the correspondence address and the field for "The data will be used for": 

Required Information for the Statement of Travel Record Application	Required Entry
Correspondence Address	JUPAS Office Room 248 2/F Main Building The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Hong Kong
"The data will be used for"	JUPAS

By using this arrangement, applicants authorise the JUPAS Office to receive and open the registered letters containing their Statement of Travel Records.  Applicants also acknowledge that the Immigration Department will provide the finalised application information to the JUPAS Office for identification and verification purposes.

The Immigration Department states that normal processing takes approximately 10 working days after receiving all required documents and the prescribed fee.  Delivery time is additional.  For details, applicants should refer to the Immigration Department's Statement of Travel Records application information.

Only a Statement of Travel Records delivered directly by the Immigration Department to the JUPAS Office by registered mail under the designated arrangement will be accepted.

The Statement of Travel Records must be received by the JUPAS Office no later than 2 July of the relevant Admissions Exercise year.  The deadline is based on the date on which the Statement of Travel Records postmark, not the date on which the applicant applies to the Immigration Department.

When a valid Statement of Travel Records is received directly from the Immigration Department, the JUPAS Office will notify the applicant that it has been received and will proceed with verification.  The notification confirms receipt only.  It does not confirm the the applicant has fulfilled the residency requirement.

A Statement of Travel Records received after the deadline will not be considered, except where its delivery by registered mail through Hongkong Post is affected by an officially recognised adverse-weather service arrangement.

Statements of Travel Records Submitted through an Invalid Source or Channel

Invalid Source / Channel	Outcome
Submitted by an applicant, parent, guardian, school, institution, agent or any other party, whether by post, courier, email, upload, in person or through any other channel.	The document is not accepted, processed or associated with the JUPAS application.  No acknowledgement or notification will be issued.  The document will be destroyed immediately in accordance with the JUPAS Office's record-handling arrangements.

Receipt of Proof of Studies and / or a Statement of Travel Records does not, by itself, confirm that the applicant:

• Has fulfilled the CATI-5 residency requirement; or

• Meets all eligibility requirements for submitting a JUPAS application.

The JUPAS Office will verify the supporting documents received via the designated channels and determine whether the documents collectively cover the applicable residency period.

Applicants should regularly check their JUPAS accounts, registered email addresses and official JUPAS announcements for notifications of receipt, further instructions and verification results.

CATI-5 applicants will be regarded as not meeting the eligibility requirements for submitting a JUPAS application if they:

• Fail to provide the updated / renewed identity documents by 16 July 2027 (5:00 pm); and / or

• Fail to meet one of the residency requirements,

Their applications will continue to be processed via JUPAS and passed to the 9 participating-institutions.  However, the applications will be treated as applications submitted via non-JUPAS route and considered independently by the 9 participating-institutions in accordance with their established admissions mechanisms.  

Applicants who do not meet Category I (CATI) eligibility are not eligible for places under the SSSDP (Details).

If such an applicant receives an offer from one of the 9 participating-institutions, the applicants may present their valid identity documents to the institutions concerned during admission / registration.  The institutions will determine the applicant's eligibility status in accordance with their own procedures and requirements.  Applicants should check the applicable arrangements directly with the institutions concerned.