Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73

§5726 Treatment of Hong Kong applicants for visas to study or work in the United States

Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 66— - UNITED STATES-HONG KONG POLICY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - STATUS OF HONG KONG IN UNITED STATES LAW › § 5726

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Visa applications from people who lived in Hong Kong in 2014 or later must not be denied mainly because they were arrested, detained, or otherwise punished for political reasons. The Secretary of State must make sure consular officers know this rule and get training and support so affected applicants are not treated unfairly or delayed. The Secretary of State must give special training to officers at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and U.S. consulates in China, Hong Kong, and Macau; tell the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong to keep a current list of people known to have been charged, detained, or convicted by Hong Kong or Chinese authorities (or their agents) for politically motivated acts tied to rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Paris, December 10, 1948) or the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (New York, December 19, 1966); update U.S. government websites about the policy; and notify other democratic countries—especially those getting many student or work visa requests from Hong Kong—about the policy and encourage them to do the same, including protecting people arrested for taking part in nonviolent protests in Hong Kong.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §5726

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, applications for visas to enter, study, or work in the United States, which are submitted by otherwise qualified applicants who resided in Hong Kong in 2014 and later, may not be denied primarily on the basis of the applicant’s subjection to politically-motivated arrest, detention, or other adverse government action.

(b)The Secretary of State shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that consular officers are aware of the policy described in subsection (a) and receive appropriate training and support to ensure that the policy is carried out so that affected individuals do not face discrimination or unnecessary delay in the processing of their visa applications, including—

(1)providing specialized training for all consular officers posted to the United States Embassy in Beijing or to any United States consulate in the People’s Republic of China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, or the Macau Special Administrative Region;

(2)instructing the United States Consulate in Hong Kong to maintain an active list of individuals who are known to have been formally charged, detained, or convicted by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, or intermediaries of such governments, based on politically-motivated considerations related to their exercise of rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, done at Paris December 10, 1948, or the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, done at New York December 19, 1966, to facilitate the cross-checking of visa applications for Hong Kong residents; and

(3)updating any relevant United States Government websites with information on the policy described in subsection (a).

(c)The Secretary of State shall contact appropriate representatives of other democratic countries, particularly those who receive a large number of applicants for student and employment visas from Hong Kong—

(1)to inform them of the United States policy regarding arrests for participation in nonviolent protests in Hong Kong; and

(2)to encourage them to take similar steps to ensure the rights of nonviolent protesters are protected from discrimination due to the actions of the Government of Hong Kong and of the Government of the People’s Republic of China.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 5726

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73