A total of 238 applicants have been approved under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee says.

"All the successful applicants are the cream of the crop from different professions, ranging from the commercial sectors to arts and sports," he said.

Speaking at the Asian Association of Management Organisations' triennial conference in Kolkata, India, today, Mr Lee said Hong Kong has a conducive cosmopolitan environment for professionals, business executives and entrepreneurs.

The Quality Migrant Admission Scheme was launched last year to attract overseas and Mainland talent to Hong Kong. Applicants do not need to have secured local employment before application or admission.

About  200,000 professionals around the world have come to work in Hong Kong since 1997 under the General Employment Scheme, and more than 1,300 applications from overseas investors have been approved since the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme was launched in October, 2003, bringing in more than US$1.2 billion to Hong Kong, Mr Lee said

Hong Kong has one of the world's most promising markets, the Mainland, as its hinterland, making its role as springboard now more pronounced than ever, he added.