A+ A-
Select Page

Recognition agreement opens up new pathways for students and architects between the UK and Hong Kong

August 28, 2024 | News Release

Tam Kwok Chi, Benny Chan

Susannah Morley, Chris Woodward, Tam Kwok Chi, Benny Chan, Emma Matthews, Rob Wilson, Louise Greer, Sophia Ip

UK Architects Registration Board and Hong Kong Institute of Architects sign memorandum of understanding

The UK Architects Registration Board (ARB) and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) have today signed a historic memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will allow for the mutual recognition of relevant architectural qualifications in the United Kingdom (UK) and Hong Kong.

The MoU recognises the high educational standards of both jurisdictions and the importance of public protection, and will make moving and working between the UK and Hong Kong easier for eligible graduates and architects. It will also create new opportunities for collaboration and potential for business for practices in both jurisdictions.

 

Hugh Simpson, Chief Executive and Registrar, Architects Registration Board, said:

“I am excited to see the new educational opportunities that this memorandum of understanding will open up for students and those on the journey to joining our respective Registers. It will allow tomorrow’s architects to more easily develop their knowledge and skills across continents, while also allowing today’s architects to more easily move between and work in the UK and Hong Kong. In addition, it will help to uphold standards and it offers new assurances for public safety.”

 

Benny Chan, President, Hong Kong Institute of Architects, said:

“Today marks a significant milestone as we sign the MoU on mutual recognition of architectural academic qualifications between HKIA and ARB UK. This agreement is a testament to our long term shared commitment to fostering professional excellence, paving the way for greater collaboration and mobility between Hong Kong and the UK, and shaping a brighter future for architects in both jurisdictions.”

 

The Rt Hon Douglas Alexander, UK Minister for Trade Policy, said:

“This landmark agreement between the UK and Hong Kong strengthens the ties between our architectural communities and opens new doors for aspiring architects to gain international experience and recognition.

“This Government’s driving mission is to deliver economic growth, and we know that firms that export grow up to twice as fast as those that don’t. That’s why helping regulators like the ARB agree deals like this, which make it easier for British businesses to export their first-rate services, will be a top priority for us.”

 

Eligible individuals will be able to benefit from the agreement from Monday, 2 September onwards.

Architects or students interested in the new MoU can find more information on the ARB website or contact HKIA:

Hong Kong – HKIA: joinhkia@hkia.org.hk

UK – ARB: arb.org.uk/international-routes/arb-and-hkia-mou 

ARB’s work in establishing this agreement was supported by funding from the UK Department for Business and Trade’s Recognition Arrangements Grant Programme, which supports UK regulators and professional bodies to pursue recognition arrangements around the world across various sectors.

 

– ENDS –

 Notes for Editors 

This statement has been published jointly by both ARB and HKIA. 

In both the UK and Hong Kong, anyone practising as an architect must join the relevant Register to use the legally protected title. Registration exists to ensure anyone calling themselves an architect has the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours. 

The agreement is based on ARB and HKIA mutually recognising relevant qualifications in each jurisdiction as comparable and equivalent to their own. It has been built on the high regulatory standards that already help to protect the public in each jurisdiction and has included each regulator undertaking a series of thorough steps to check the alignment of our respective registration requirements and the competencies required of architects in each jurisdiction. This then makes it easier for an architect qualified in one jurisdiction to register in the other because they are already seen to meet certain standards. 

Key elements of the agreement include: 

  • Eligible individuals who hold ARB-accredited Part 1 and Part 2 qualifications (or Academic and Practice Qualifications) will benefit from direct recognition of their qualifications in Hong Kong. UK graduates with a Part 1 or Academic Qualification will need only to complete an HKIA accredited master’s level qualification and HKIA/ARBHK Professional Assessment (PA) to be eligible to join the Hong Kong Register, while those with both a Part 1 and Part 2 (or Academic and Practice Qualifications) will need only to complete the PA.
  • Eligible individuals who hold HKIA-accredited degree and master’s degree level qualifications will benefit from direct recognition of their qualifications in the UK. Hong Kong graduates with both a HKIA-accredited degree and master’s level degree will need only to complete an ARB-accredited Part 3 or Practice Qualification to be eligible to join the UK Register, while those with a degree level qualification will only need to complete a Part 2 and Part 3 (or Academic and Practice Qualifications).
  • The Architects Registration Board Hong Kong (ARBHK) will also accept the relevant ARB-accredited Part 1 and Part 2 (or Academic and Practice) qualifications for the purpose of establishing eligibility for the PA to pave the way of registration in Hong Kong. 

The agreement contains eligibility requirements that will apply to individuals using the routes, and the agreement provides for each of the two regulators to require incoming applicants to satisfy additional requirements if they choose to do so.

HKIA:

The Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) is a body corporate established under the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Incorporation Ordinance (Chapter 1147). It is responsible for promoting the general advancement, and raising the standard, of architecture in Hong Kong, as well as maintaining the integrity and status of practices in the architectural profession.

ARB:

The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is an independent professional regulator, established by Parliament as a statutory body, through the Architects Act, in 1997. It is accountable to government. The law gives ARB a number of core functions:

  • To ensure only those who are suitably competent are allowed to practise as architects. ARB does this by approving the qualifications required to join the UK Register of Architects.
  • ARB maintains a publicly available Register of Architects so anyone using the services of an architect can be confident that they are suitably qualified and are fit to practise.
  • ARB sets the standards of conduct and practice the profession must meet and take action when any architect falls below the required standards of conduct or competence.
  • ARB protects the legally restricted title ‘architect’

ARB is able to enter into mutual recognition agreements following the Professional Qualifications Act 2022 and subsequent secondary legislation. The agreement is being signed as part of ARB’s new approach to registering international architects, made possible by new legislation that has followed the UK’s exit from the EU.

News Archives