Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan has obtained Hong Kong residency under a talent scheme known as the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, citing the city’s tax system, food and the popularity of snooker as attractions, the Immigration Department has announced.

Talking to immigration director Benson Kwok in a video released on Thursday, O’Sullivan said he had spent quite some time in Hong Kong, “made good friends here” and always enjoyed his time in the city.

“Snooker is very popular here as well. Obviously, like myself, someone travelling from another country, tax is also a good thing. But your food and culture make here a great place to be,” O’Sullivan said. “If you want to live a life, a good life, you should come to Hong Kong.”

O’Sullivan, a 47-year-old professional player from the UK, has won seven snooker world championships and has been a major force in the sport for decades. It was not clear from his comments whether he intends to live full-time in Hong Kong.

In the online video produced by the Immigration Department, the sports star said “xie xie”, which means “thank you” in Mandarin, to a Hong Kong immigration officer who welcomed him. Though many Hongkongers speak Mandarin, Cantonese is the most commonly used language, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

The news came amid new moves by Britain’s Labour government to impose higher taxes on its wealthiest citizens.

According to Reuters, the budget announced on Wednesday raised the rate of capital gains tax on most assets to 24 per cent from 20 per cent for higher earners, made it more difficult to pass on assets without paying inheritance tax, and cancelled tax discounts used by wealthy individuals who bring in foreign income.

Hong Kong has no capital gains tax and its highest rate of income tax is 16 per cent.

Authorities have rolled out multiple initiatives to attract talent and capital amid a wave of emigration over the past few years, including family office tax concessions and the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) to attract university graduates and high earners.

Most applicants from mainland China

Apart from the TTPS, the government offers visas through six schemes, including the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS), introduced in 2006 with an annual quota of 1,000.

The QMAS quota was scrapped in 2022. A successful applicant will initially be granted a visa of three years or eight years depending on their skills and background.

In 2023, a total of 12,969 people were granted Hong Kong residency under QMAS, with 98.5 per cent coming from mainland China, according to the Immigration Department.

In the first half year of 2024, 5,614 people took up Hong Kong residency under QMAS, 97 per cent of whom were mainland Chinese.

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