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On April 21, 2017 I gave a talk at WYND Co-working space in Lan Kwai Fong entitled 10 Steps to a Successful Hong Kong Entrepreneur Visa Application.

PRACTICE UPDATE: How the content must now be read in light of current ImmD policy:

Historically, this concluding installment in the 10-step series delivered a final, encouraging verdict on taking the do-it-yourself route for a Hong Kong investment as entrepreneur visa. The Geeza championed self-representation, asserting that hiring expensive immigration counsel or corporate service intermediaries was wholly unnecessary for an articulate, organized founder. ImmD was framed as a transparent and collaborative administrative body; as long as an applicant followed the procedural roadmap, drafted a coherent business plan, secured a serviced office address, committed modest initial working capital of a few hundred thousand dollars, and presented a credible narrative of gradual local hiring, a self-prepared application stood an excellent chance of securing approval through standard discretionary processing.

The game has changed from an empowering DIY project into an unforgiving corporate audit where unrepresented, lean applicants face immediate peril. Attempting a self-directed filing without substantial institutional infrastructure will now trigger summary refusal. Post-April 2026 administrative practice aligns entrepreneur adjudication strictly with TTPS Category A operational substance (~HKD 2.5M enterprise scale). ImmD no longer offers procedural patience or iterative back-and-forth guidance to help self-directed applicants nurse an undercapitalized venture across the line. A DIY applicant must independently substantiate hard operational hardware upfront: HKD 1.5M–2.0M in deployed corporate bank liquidity, an executed commercial lease for exclusive physical premises (“four walls”), and active MPF payroll contributions for 2–3 local permanent residents. Unless a founder has secured formal admission into an accredited government incubator (such as Cyberport or HKSTP), embarking on a DIY entrepreneur application today is a fast track to an abrupt administrative rejection.

This segment is Step 10 – D-I-Y Application

The Rest of the Series

Introduction

How We Got Here

Must Have Resources

The Startup Visa

Step 1 – Understand Policy

Step 2 – Do You Have a Visa Problem?

Step 3 – Are You An Employee?

Step 4 – A Substantial Contribution?

Step 5 – 3 Crucial Elements

Step 6 – Have You Got Enough $$?

Step 7 – A Properly Set Up Office

Step 8 – Creating Local Jobs

Step 9 – Economic Sector Advantages?

Step 10 – D-I-Y Application

DOWNLOADS

Presentation Slides

Accredited Startup Programmes in Hong Kong

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